A detailed yet concise essay plan for a 16 marker on all topics included in the Approaches module. This plan includes a fully detailed AO1 and AO3, with strong evaluation points for both for and against arguments. Information has been used from the AQA Psychology textbook to ensure that each essay ...
ORIGINS OF PSYCHOLOGY- WILHELM WUNDT AND
INTROSPECTION
DESCRIPTION (AO1)
FIRST LAB DEDICATED PURELY TO PSYCHOLOGY:
He established the first psychology lab in Leipzig, Germany 1879.
The aim was to describe the nature of human consciousness (the mind) in a carefully controlled and
scientific environment – a lab.
Its opening marked the beginning of modern psychology.
This was a key contribution to the development of psychology because he separated psychology
from philosophy by analysing the working of the mind in a more structured way.
WUNDT PIONEERED THE METHOD OF INTROSPECTION:
Introspection is the first systematic experimental attempt to study the mind by breaking up
conscious awareness into basic structures of thoughts, images and sensations. It is the process of
observing and examining your own conscious thoughts or emotions.
Isolating the structure of consciousness in this way is called STRUCTURALISM.
STANDARDISED PROCEDURES:
The same standardised instructions were given to all ppts – procedures could be replicated. E.g.
ppts were given a ticking metronome and they could report their thoughts, images and sensations,
which were then recorded.
EVALUATION OF THE WORK OF WUNDT (AO3)
STRENGTH – WUNDT’S METHODS ARE STILL CLASSED AS SCIENTIFIC AND ARE IMPORTANT TODAY
He recorded the introspections within a controlled lab environment.
He also standardised his procedures so that all ppts received the same info and were tested in the
same way.
The scientific method is still important to researchers today as they seek to provide objective, valid
and reliable information and human behaviour and its causes.
LIMITATION – WUNDT PRODUCED SUBJECTIVE RESULTS
Introspection produced data that was subjective, biased and unique to the individual and Wundt
replied on ppt’s self-reporting their ‘private’ mental processes.
This made it hard to establish general principles or laws which can be generalised to all people and
help predict future behaviour.
Wundt’s early effort to study the mind were naïve and would not meet the criteria of scientific
enquiry.
ORIGINS OF PSYCHOLOGY – THE EMERGENCE OF PSYCHOLOGY AS A SCIENCE
, DESCRIPTION (AO1)
1879: Psychology was born when Wundt established the first psychology lab in Germany. Freud began to
develop his ideas about the role of the unconscious mind in explaining behaviour.
EARLY 1900s: Behaviourists rejected introspection. Watson argued that introspection was subjective as it
varied from person to person. According to the behaviourist approach, scientific psychology should only
study phenomena that can be observed and measured. He rejected Wundt and Freud’s ideas relating to
inner mental states that couldn’t be scientifically tested.
1930s: Behaviourist scientific approach dominated psychology. The behaviourists’ focus on learning and
the use of carefully controlled lab studies, would dominate psychology for the next few decades.
1950s: Cognitive psychology emerged based on the limitations of behaviourism. The cognitive approach
used scientific procedures to study mental processes. Although mental processes are ‘private’, cognitive
psychologists can make inferences about how these work by conducting controlled lab experiments.
1990s: The biological approach introduced technological advances. Biological psychologists have taken
advantage of recent advances in technology, including recording brain activity, using scanning techniques
e.g. MRI scans, and advanced genetic research.
EVALUATION OF THE EMERGENCE OF PSYCHOLOGY AS A SCIENCE (AO3)
STRENGTH – RESEARCH IN MODERN PSYCHOLOGY CAN CLAIM TO BE SCIENTIFIC
Psychology has the same aims as the natural sciences – to describe, understand, predict and control
behaviour.
The learning approaches, cognitive and biological approach all rely on the use of scientific methods
e.g. lab studies to avoid bias.
Since the 20th century, psychology has established itself as a scientific discipline.
LIMITATION – NOT ALL APPROACHES USE OBJECTIVE METHODS
The humanistic approach is anti-scientific and is only concerned with documenting unique
subjective experience.
The psychodynamic approach is based on interview techniques which are open to bias, and no
attempt is made to gather a representative sample of the population.
This has caused many people to claim that a scientific approach to the study of human thought and
experience isn’t possible.
THE LEARNING APPROACH: BEHAVIOURISM
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