Origins of Psychology | Wilhelm Wundt & Introspection | AQA Psychology | A-level
Summary
TLDRThis video explores the origins of psychology, focusing on Wilhelm Wundt, known as the father of psychology. It discusses how Wundt shifted the study of the mind from philosophy to science through his use of introspection, establishing the first laboratory for experimental psychology in 1879. The video also outlines various psychological approaches, including behaviorism, cognitive psychology, and the biological approach, and how they evolved over time, with advancements like brain-scanning technology allowing scientists to observe the brain in action. Wundt’s pioneering work laid the foundation for modern psychology.
Takeaways
- 🔍 Wilhelm Wundt is credited as the father of psychology, ranking above figures like William James and Sigmund Freud.
- 📚 Wundt established psychology as a distinct scientific discipline, moving away from philosophy and biology.
- 🧠 He founded the first experimental psychology laboratory in Leipzig, Germany, in 1879.
- 👁️ Wundt used introspection, a method where participants examine their own thoughts and report their conscious experiences.
- ⚖️ His research was systematic and controlled, ensuring that each stimulus was presented consistently to participants.
- 🧪 Despite its contribution, introspection faced criticism for being subjective and difficult to verify scientifically.
- 📖 Wundt's work laid the groundwork for future psychologists to develop objective methods for studying behavior and mental processes.
- 🔬 The development of behaviorism, cognitive psychology, and biological psychology evolved from Wundt’s initial work, focusing on objective, measurable data.
- 💡 Cognitive neuroscience combines biological and cognitive approaches, using brain scanning technology to study mental processes.
- 🏛️ Wundt trained many graduate students, spreading his ideas globally and influencing the next generation of psychologists.
Q & A
Who is Wilhelm Wundt, and why is he significant in psychology?
-Wilhelm Wundt is often credited as the father of psychology because he established the first laboratory dedicated to experimental psychology in 1879. He helped move psychology away from philosophy by applying scientific methods to the study of the mind.
What is introspection, and how did Wundt use it in his research?
-Introspection is the examination of one's own conscious thoughts and feelings. Wundt used it by asking participants to observe and report their thoughts when presented with stimuli, such as a sound or light, to study conscious experience scientifically.
Why did Wundt standardize his experiments, and how did this contribute to psychology?
-Wundt standardized his experiments to ensure the reliability of his results. By keeping stimuli like light color and brightness consistent, he could accurately compare responses from different participants, laying the foundation for controlled experiments in psychology.
What was one of the main criticisms of Wundt's method of introspection?
-One major criticism was that introspection is subjective because participants self-report their thoughts, which cannot be independently verified. B.F. Skinner, a behaviorist, argued that it wasn't truly scientific because it didn't study observable behavior.
How did the behaviorist approach differ from Wundt’s introspection method?
-The behaviorist approach, developed in the early 1900s, focused on studying observable behavior through controlled experiments. Unlike introspection, which was subjective, behaviorism emphasized measurable and objective observation of behavior, such as the effects of rewards and punishments.
What role did technology play in advancing the study of psychology after Wundt?
-Technology significantly advanced psychology by enabling more objective studies of mental processes. For instance, in the 1960s, cognitive psychologists used computer models to study memory scientifically, and by the 1980s, brain scanning technology allowed biological psychologists to study the brain’s influence on behavior.
What is the cognitive approach in psychology, and how does it differ from behaviorism?
-The cognitive approach, which emerged in the 1960s, focuses on studying internal mental processes like memory and thinking through scientific methods. Unlike behaviorism, which focuses only on observable behavior, cognitive psychology seeks to understand how people process and store information.
How did Wundt’s work influence future psychologists?
-Wundt trained 186 graduate students, many of whom became pioneers in their own right. His work laid the groundwork for future generations to develop a more objective and scientific approach to studying the mind and behavior, leading to advancements in areas like behaviorism, cognitive psychology, and neuroscience.
What are some of the major approaches to psychology mentioned in the video?
-The major approaches include behaviorism, which focuses on observable behavior; the cognitive approach, which studies mental processes; social learning theory, which emphasizes learning through observation; the psychodynamic approach, centered on unconscious forces; the humanistic approach, which focuses on self and free will; and the biological approach, which looks at genetics and brain chemistry.
How has the biological approach become more dominant in recent years?
-With advances in technology, such as brain scanning and genetic analysis, the biological approach has grown more dominant. It examines how brain structures, neurotransmitters, and genetics influence behavior, allowing for a more precise understanding of the biological basis of psychological phenomena.
Outlines
📚 Introduction to Wilhelm Wundt and Psychology
This paragraph introduces Wilhelm Wundt, known as the father of psychology, and mentions his importance in the field. It gives an overview of the video, which will explore the origins of psychology and the different approaches used to understand human behavior. Approaches such as behaviorism, cognitive psychology, and psychodynamic theory are highlighted. Wundt's role in separating psychology from philosophy and making it a scientific discipline is central to this discussion.
🔬 The Origins of Psychology and Wundt's Introspection
The focus shifts to the historical context in which Wilhelm Wundt contributed to psychology, particularly his use of introspection. Wundt's approach was grounded in studying conscious experiences scientifically, using stimuli like metronomes and lights. This self-observation method, though subjective, was the first step toward distinguishing psychology from philosophy. Wundt's experiments were designed with consistency and repeatability, aiming to bring scientific rigor to the study of the mind.
🔍 Standardization and Limitations of Wundt's Method
Wundt standardized his experiments to ensure each stimulus was presented identically to every participant, facilitating accurate comparisons. He aimed to introduce reliability into psychological research through controlled methods. However, introspection had its limitations due to its subjective nature. Critics, such as behaviorists like B.F. Skinner, argued that Wundt's method was unscientific because it could not objectively measure observable behavior.
🌍 Wundt's Legacy and the Evolution of Psychology
This paragraph explores Wundt's lasting impact, including his training of 186 graduate students who continued his work worldwide. His foundational contributions paved the way for future psychologists to develop more objective methods. The rise of behaviorism, cognitive psychology, and biological approaches all built on Wundt's legacy, leading to modern psychology's focus on brain activity and behavior. Today, advancements such as brain scanning technologies allow scientists to observe brain functions in real time.
🎥 Conclusion and Next Steps in the Series
The final paragraph wraps up the video by emphasizing Wundt's role in establishing psychology as a scientific discipline. It also previews the next video in the series, focusing on the behaviorist approach, and provides links to additional resources for viewers interested in learning more about the different psychological approaches. The video concludes by inviting viewers to explore the history and evolution of psychology further.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Wilhelm Wundt
💡Introspection
💡Scientific Method
💡Behaviourist Approach
💡Cognitive Approach
💡Psychodynamic Approach
💡Humanistic Approach
💡Biological Approach
💡Cognitive Neuroscience
💡Laboratory Methods
Highlights
Wilhelm Wundt is credited as the father of psychology, ranked ahead of William James and Sigmund Freud.
Wundt moved the study of the mind from philosophy to a scientific discipline using the scientific method.
In 1879, Wundt set up the first experimental psychology lab in Leipzig, Germany.
Wundt developed the technique of introspection, focusing on the conscious examination of one's own thoughts in the present moment.
In his experiments, Wundt used stimuli like metronome sounds and lights to study participants' conscious experiences.
Wundt emphasized controlled conditions in his research, ensuring standardized procedures across participants.
Wundt's method aimed to make psychology a more objective and reliable science, despite introspection's subjective nature.
Wundt trained 186 graduate students, spreading his psychological methods worldwide, laying the groundwork for future research.
Behaviorists like B.F. Skinner later criticized Wundt's introspection method for lacking objectivity since it did not focus on observable behavior.
Wundt's contribution laid the foundation for later scientific approaches in psychology, including behaviorism and cognitive psychology.
B.F. Skinner introduced objective measures of behavior using controlled experiments, such as the Skinner box.
In the 1960s, cognitive psychology emerged, using laboratory methods to study mental processes like memory in measurable ways.
The biological approach, beginning in the 1980s, highlighted genetics and brain chemistry as key influences on human behavior.
Modern cognitive neuroscience combines cognitive and biological approaches, using advanced brain-scanning technology to observe brain activity in real-time.
Wundt’s work set the stage for the evolution of psychology into a scientific study of mind and behavior, which continues to develop today.
Transcripts
wilhelm vondt
this man has been credited with being
the father of psychology and was ranked
first in one survey as being the most
important psychologist of all time ahead
of the famed william james and sigmund
freud in this video we're going to find
out why welcome back to purity mind
we're beginning a series exploring the
different approaches in psychology in
this video we will focus on the origins
of psychology will helm on introspection
and the emergence of psychology as a
science now i'm about to give a brief
introduction and context to this topic
for those who are new to psychology but
if you'd like to just jump straight into
the details of this video the timestamps
are in the description below this topic
explores what is known as approaches in
psychology by approaches we just mean
some of the main perspectives or
categories by which psychologists have
tried to explain behavior so we're going
to explore the behaviourist approach the
work of ivan pavlov may ring a bell here
the cognitive approach with its focus on
what we are thinking our internal mental
processes and how we can study our
thoughts social learning theory with
bandura's emphasis on the influence of
observational learning
the psychodynamic approach with the
weird world of freud and his focus on
the role of unconscious forces
the humanistic approach with their focus
on free will the self and growth
the biological approach with their focus
on how everything psychological is first
biological
each of these approaches explains human
behavior from a different perspective in
other words they tend to emphasize
particular ideas and explanations that
are different from one another so for
example behaviourists put the focus on
the role of the environment on human
behavior whereas the biological approach
puts the emphasis on the role of
internal biological factors such as
genetics and neurotransmitter levels
having an understanding of these main
approaches gives you a good foundation
for exploring a range of other topics in
psychology and how psychologists go
about investigating human behavior
but
before we dive into each of the
approaches we need to explore in this
video the origins of psychology and
specifically the work of wilhelm want
and how psychology emerged as the
scientific discipline that it is today
whenever you mention to someone that you
study psychology you sometimes get some
interesting reactions
for example sometimes people say i wish
i had the chance to study that when i
was at school or more commonly the
moment you mention you study psychology
people take one step back get all
nervous and worried and say something
like
you're probably analyzing me right now
aren't you
in fact
do you know what i'm thinking right now
well let's look at someone who tried to
answer that very question
wilhelmvund
wilhelm vons has been credited with
being the father of psychology why well
at the time when vun was around in the
1800s the field of the mind had mainly
been the focus of philosophers such as
renee descartes
what van did was to move the study of
the mind into the scientific realm vun's
background was in physiology a branch of
biology that focuses on the function of
different parts of the body he tried to
study the mind in much the same way that
biology and chemistry conducted their
research using the scientific method in
other words he tried to separate
psychology from philosophy and even from
biology into its own category to do this
von set up the first ever laboratory
into experimental psychology designed to
study the human mind this was set up in
leipzig in germany in 1879
to try to study the mind specifically
conscious experience one used a
technique called introspection
introspection is conscious examination
of conscious experience basically a form
of self-observation of your own thoughts
importantly introspection was carried
out in the present moment not a
reflection on what happened in the past
so how would it work
well firstly participants will be
presented with a stimulus for example
the sound of a metronome
or the turning on of a light
then secondly the participants would
inspect their own thoughts the word
introspection means looking into and
then they would report back their own
emotions sensations and thoughts that
resulted from the sound of the metronome
or the turning on of the light
thirdly conclusions
von would then compare all the responses
from the participants to see what was
similar and different about them in
order to draw conclusions about the mind
fund carefully conducted the research in
a highly controlled and systematic way
to ensure that each sensory stimulus was
presented in the same way each time to
every participant for example in one
experiment von's participants were asked
to report on their sensations when shown
a light vuln ensured that this light was
kept the same colour the same brightness
and on for the same length of time for
each participant by keeping these things
the same or we might say standardized it
enabled vunt to carefully compare the
responses from his participants for any
similarities and differences
wanted to make sure to be able to repeat
their experiments using the same
conditions each time
this would then enable them to check the
reliability of the results they found in
essence what volt was trying to do was
move the study of the mind away from the
speculation of philosophers and move it
into the scientific methods
now avant's method of introspection does
have its limitations asking participants
to self-report what is going on in their
mind through self-observation is highly
subjective there is no way of
independently verifying that what they
said was going on in their thoughts was
actually going on in fact in our next
video on the behaviorist approach which
i'll link up here we will see that a
famous behaviorist by the name of b.f
skinner argued that von's introspection
wasn't truly scientific because he
wasn't studying observable behavior and
if you cannot observe the behavior then
you can't be objective but more on that
in the next video however positively
what vuln did was to provide the
starting point for the future of
psychology and hence why von is known as
the father of psychology
in fact von trained 186 graduate
students throughout his academic career
116 of them specializing in psychology
these students went on to other
countries in europe and around the world
to develop research into human behavior
and the mind as one author put it
the foundations were laid for the next
generation of psychologists at the turn
of the century to develop a truly
objective study of mind and behavior and
to apply their own new theories to the
treatment of mental disorders if you're
interested check out this video i'll
also link up in the cards on the
cognitive approach to see how they
developed objective measurements for
studying mental processes
so to finish we can now consider how
psychology has emerged from the time of
wilhelm want to the scientific method it
is today firstly we have one with his
method of introspection trying to study
conscious experience through controlled
methods he went on to write the first
textbook on psychology called the
principles of physiological psychology
secondly in the early 1900s behaviourism
came along and used laboratory methods
to objectively measure behavior for
example b.f skinner studied the
influence of reward and punishment in
the learning of behavior in fact he
created his own highly controlled box
called the skinner box to ensure he had
control over all the variables and could
carefully measure through observation
the results then in the 1960s with the
dawn of computer technology came the
cognitive approach their focus was on
studying internal mental processes such
as memory in a highly scientific way
through controlled experiments that
could be objectively measured and
replicated
then with the further development of
technology in the 1980s the biological
approach became the most dominant way of
studying behavior and the mind for
example advances in technology allowed
for the study of how genetics may be
involved as well as the role of
different brain chemicals and how they
can influence human behavior
and now we come to our own time with
cognitive neuroscience today we now have
a combination of cognitive and
biological approaches with the further
advancement of brain scanning technology
this allows psychologists to observe
participants brains working in the
present moment while they are thinking
certain thoughts
can you imagine explaining to avant that
in little over a hundred years after his
pioneering work that we would have the
technology to watch specific brain
structures at work
whilst participants are thinking certain
thoughts and that's why he's called the
father of psychology it was his work
that led to the development of a
scientific way of studying the mind that
many have argued led us to where we are
today for more information on the
different approaches in psychology check
out the description below where you'll
find a link to the playlist for all the
approaches as well as other helpful
information and if you wanted to watch
the first video on the behaviourist
approach you can click on the video on
the screen now and it's also linked in
the description too i hope you found
this video helpful and we'll see you in
the next one
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