Wundt & the Emergence of Psychology as a Science (AQA A Level Psychology)

Wundt & introspection

• Psychology as a distinct discipline is relatively new; it only came into existence around 150 years ago

• Prior to this, psychology was subsumed within philosophy, e.g.

  • the philosophical school of Stoicism claims that self-control is the way to manage destructive, negative emotions

    • the philosophy assumes that becoming a clear and unbiased thinker is the route to understanding universal reason

• Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920) aka the 'father' of experimental psychology was the first person to usher in psychology as an academic discipline

• In 1875 Wundt established the first laboratory dedicated to experimental psychology at Leipzig University

• Wundt’s approach became known as structuralism

  • Wundt wished to aspire to the rigorous methods of experimentation in 'hard sciences' such as chemistry

  • He applied this model of objective scientific investigation to the study of the mind/cognition

  • Wundt's approach was to break down the structure of the mind into two broad components:

    • sensations

    • perceptions

  • Wundt developed a technique, known as introspection, the literal definition of which is looking into'

  • Introspection is the process used to examine the inner world of sensations and perceptions

  • Introspection works by a person consciously observing and being aware of their sensations and perceptions (in the form of thoughts and emotions)

  • Once this process of introspection has been made it is followed by the cataloguing and reporting of the detail involved

  • Wundt's introspective sessions took place in a controlled environment (both he and his colleagues participated)

    • Wundt introduced stimuli (images or sounds) which participants then considered

  • Wundt used the findings from introspection to illuminate and identify the processes involved in human consciousness

Evaluation of Wundt & introspection

Strengths

• Wundt used subjective methods in his pursuit of the scientific process which can be viewed as a strength as it places real human experience at the forefront of the objective study of cognitive processes

  • This sets his work apart from the 'hard' sciences as it draws from inner thoughts and feelings, enhancing its mundane realism

• Wundt's focus on mental processes through introspection can be seen as a forerunner of the cognitive approach

  • This is a strength as it paved the way for researchers to find ways to test what is not observable e.g. thoughts, feelings, memory, perception

Limitations

• The process of introspection is not replicable as it relies on the subjective focus on individual sensations and perceptions

  • Wundt himself encountered difficulty replicating sessions of introspection

    • This in turn limits the reliability of introspection as a scientific method

• It could be argued that early behaviourists such as Pavlov contributed more to the origins of psychology than Wundt did

  • Behaviourist methods are reliable as they adhere more to the features of science which is what Wundt intended but failed to fully realise

The emergence of psychology as a science

• The origins of psychology and its journey towards establishing itself as a valid and credible discipline has, to date, taken almost 150 years:

  • 1879: Wundt opened the first experimental psychology laboratory in Leipzig, Germany and introduced the introspective method

    • psychology begins its road towards becoming a distinct discipline

  • 1900s: Freud developed psychodynamic theory and psychoanalysis with its emphasis on unconscious motives and drives

  • 1913: Watson and Skinner proposed behaviourism as an antidote to Freud and Wundt

    • They argue that only behaviour which can be directly observed and measured can be classified as truly scientific

    • They argue that behaviour is learned via environmental conditioning

  • 1950s: Rogers and Maslow developed humanistic psychology as a rebuff to behaviourism and psychodynamism

    • They emphasise the importance of free will and a holistic approach to studying the individual (known as phenomenology)

    • They focus on the positive aspects of individual experience and personal growth

  • 1960s: Cognitive psychology is suggested, using computer models and information processing to explain behaviour

    • Mental processes are the focus of this strand of psychology

    • Inferences can be drawn by examining cognitive functions in lab experiments

  • 1980s: The biological approach took precedence in psychology, made possible by technological advances e.g. brain scans such as MRI

    • Brain-scanning techniques allow researchers to look 'inside' the brain to track activity or study structural detail

  • 2000s onwards: Cognitive neuroscience emerges as the means whereby to amalgamate biology and cognition

    • Increasingly sophisticated technology continues to highlight the relationship between brain and cognition/behaviour

    • Brain scanning can help to identify brain damage/illness and to localise specific functions (e.g. memory) linked to specific brain regions/structures