Origins of Psychology, introspection : Approaches

Who was Wilhelm Wundt

allowed psychology to be accepted as a distinct science. was originally a philosopher

Criticism of Wundt's methods

Early behaviourists, like Pavlov and Thorndike already achieved reliable and replicable results

What was Wilheim wundts beliefs

believed experimental psychology should be the favored method of studying human behavior, and believed that all behaviour could be understood through the use of introspection

What is Introspection?

The process where people look inside at their own experiences and feelings in order to gain an understanding of themselves

Wundt's perception of introspection

Wundt claimed with training, processes like memory and perception could be found through the process of introspection

What was the process of Wundt's perception studies

Participants were presented with controlled stimuli (such as visual images), and would give a description of what they felt ect when looking at the image or listening to the tone

What did he do with the answers participants gave him

compared the different responses to the same stimuli to establish theories about perception and other mental processes.

Examples of studies that criticize introspection

Nisbett and Wilson

what did Nisbett and Wilson find

that participants were not aware of influential factors in choosing a specific consumer item (e.g. why they chose one brand of gravy granules over another.), discrediting the fact that we can accurately use introspection

why is introspection not relied on today

It has fallen out of favour as a research tool.

Who used introspection in 2003 to measure happiness?

Hunter and Csikszentmihalyi.

What method did Hunter and Csikszentmihalyi use to measure happiness?

They gave a group of teenagers bleepers that thet would press when feeling happy or sad.

What did the study by Hunter and Csikszentmihalyi illustrate about happiness in teenagers

It illustrated that, predominantly, unhappiness was more prevalent than happiness.

The scientific cycle

The scientific method refers to the use of objective, systematic and replicable methods, and uses reasoning to explain results of observations,

Strength of the scientific approach to psychology/emergence of psychology as a science

Theories can be changed or abandoned - scientific knowledge is self-corrective as psychologists constantly repeat others' experiments (is difficult for a theory that doesn't explain facts to be around for very long).

Strength of the scientific approach to psychology/emergence of psychology as a science (A03)

The scientific approach relies on objective and systematic methods of observation.Meaning it’s reliable and replicable

Weakness of the scientific approach to psychology/emergence of psychology as a science

Situations tell us very little about how people act in natural environments, due to the control and lab nature of the observations