Wundt and Introspection

Origins of Psychology timeline

17th- 19th century

• psychology= branch of philosophy (seen as experimental philosophy

1879

• Wilhelm Wundt= opens first experimental psychology lab in Germany + it emerges as its own distinct discipline

• start of psychology as its own science

1900s

• Sigmund Freud- publishes ‘interpretation of dreams’

• psychodynamic approach (not observable= disliked by Watson + Skinner) develops (emphasis on unconscious mind on behaviour + psychoanalysis (physical problems can be explained in terms of conflicts within the mind)

1913

• John B. Watson writes ‘psychology as Behaviourist views it’

• BF Skinner + Watson establish Behaviourist approach (behaviour is learnt + focus on observable behaviours)

• psychodynamic + behaviourist approaches dominate for next 50 yrs

1950s

• Carl Rodgers + Abraham Maslow= humanist approach

• Rejected behaviourism + psychodynamic + emphasised importance of self determination + free will (by attempting to understand whole person)

1960s

• Cognitive revolution started with Digital computers= metaphor for operations of human mind

• cognitive approach reintroduces study of mental processes but in a more scientific way (inferences based on lab experiments) than Wundt

1980s onwards

• Biological approach= dominate scientific perspective in psychology due to advances in tech (brain scans)

End of 20th century

• cognitive neuroscience emerges (bio+ cognitive) + investigates biological structures influence on mental states (fore front of psychology now)

Very early hints at origins of psychology

Rene Descartes- French philosopher- “I think therefore I am”

(like modern day cognitive approach)

Charles Darwin- evolution theory=like biological approach

Wundt

Wundt= first person to call himself a psychologist (first person to decide human behaviour could be studied in controlled, scientific way)

1873= published book- ‘principles of physiological psychology’

1879- first psychology lab- Germany

Introspection summary

• introspection= ps reflecting on metal + emotion state e.g. thoughts including sensations, feelings + images (person is gaining knowledge on their own internal thoughts + feelings)

• focus was on being objective (wasn’t in the end)

• Wundt asked people to focus on everyday object (e.g. metronome) + look inwards, noticing sensations, feelings +images. These objects were carefully controlled stimuli and p was given standardised instructions to ensure replication.

• His aim was to break down thoughts on object into separate elements and help him dev systematic reporting on experience of object (structuralism- breaking down thought)

• recorded in lab, standardised instructions, controlled stimuli= scientific

• it is still used today even thought it isn’t very objective to study mental process

Introspection + evaluation

• easy + simple methods and provides direct observations on mental processes (introspection is only method by which a person can be directly aware of his own experiences and try to analyse thoughts)

• Using introspection= relatively quick + easy, no lab or specialist equipment so can be used any time or place (just need some level of control)

Introspection - evaluation

• ps expected to perform 2 activities simultaneously (experience mental processes + analyse them) they are acting as observed and observer and this can distort their mental experiences. This meant that introspection may not reflect the true nature of mental activities

• Method= very subjective + ps report lacks objectivity as it cant be verified by other scientists = hard to draw firm conclusions

• Experiences of 1 person can’t be generalised to another = therefore theory about mental processes of everyone can’t be devised as they differ person to person

• Lacks empirical evidence(Evidence gained from direct sensory experience) means method lacks scientific validity + credibility when used to construct theories

• Many people wouldn’t want private experiences revealed= embarrassment, guilt, shame. The ps may give a more socially desirable biased account= findings lack validity

Further emergence of psychology as a science

• Later psychologist rejected introspection as it didn’t provide empirical evidence so wasn’t scientifically robust

• Behaviourist approach= argued psychology should be based on observable behaviours which can be quantified only

  • they used controlled lab experiments e.g. skinner boxes which allowed precise measurement of rats pressing a lever to gain a food pellet reward