Origins of Psychology

How was psychology seen before it was established as a science?

‘Experimental philosophy’

What did Wilhelm Wundt do in 1879?

Opened the first experimental psychology lab which established psychology as its own science

What did Freud do in the 1900s?

He established the psychodynamic approach and psychoanalysis, person-centred therapy

What did Watson & Skinner establish in 1913?

Behaviourist approach

What do Rogers & Maslow develop in the 1950s?

Humanistic approach - emphasises importance of free will and self-determination, rejects idea that human behaviour is out of our control

How was the cognitive approach created in the 1950s?

Psychologists saw the newly invented computer as a metaphor for the operations of the human mind - more scientific than Wundt.

What did Bandura develop in the 1960s?

SLT - shows cognitive factors in learning - bridge between cognitive and behaviourist approach

How is the biological approach developed in the 1980s?

Advances in technology increased understanding of the brain and biological processes

What was cognitive neuroscience developed in the 21st century?

Investigates how biological structures influence mental states - brings cognitive and biological approaches together.

What did Wundt aim to explore?

• Structure of the human mind

• Develop theories about mental processes

What methods did Wundt use?

• Introspection

• Recording response to stimuli

• Using standardised procedures under controlled conditions

What is introspection?

Person gaining an understanding of their own mental and emotional state by examining their own conscious thoughts, feelings, images and sensations

What are the strengths of Wundt’s methods?

• Systematic

• Controlled

• Standardised

• Trailblazer for future research

What are the limitations of Wundt’s methods?

• Subjectivity in reports

• Selectiveness in reports

Describe the emergence of psychology as a science. (6 marks)

Wundt’s early attempt to study psychology scientifically was known as introspection, the study of the mind by breaking up conscious awareness into its constituent thoughts, images and sensations.

However, this approach was criticised by the behaviourists for producing subjective data that could not be used to establish general laws. Instead, Watson and Skinner proposed a new approach which was based on the study of observable and measurable phenomena using methods from the natural sciences such as controlled lab experiments.

In the 1960s the development of technology led to the cognitive approach and allowed the study of mental processes to be carried out objectively by comparing the human mind to a computer. This was accompanied by Bandura’s scientific study of behaviour in his social learning approach which linked cognitive factors in learning with traditional behaviourism. Later in the 1980s, the biological approach pioneered the use of sophisticated scanning techniques which allow the study of live physiological activity in the brain. Other techniques like genetic testing allows scientists to look at the genetic basis of behaviour.