A LEVEL AQA PSYCHOLOGY: APPROACHES IN
PSYCHOLOGY EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH
COMPLETE SOLUTIONS LATEST UPDATE
Who was Wilhelm Wundt?
- First psychologist, believed all aspects of nature and human mind could be scientifically studied, paved
way for acceptance of psych as a science
- Studied aspects of behaviour that could be strictly controlled under experimental conditions e.g.
reaction time, sensation and perception
- Structuralism approach of studying structure of mind by breaking down behaviours into basic elements
- Used introspection
- Realised that higher mental processes (learning, language and emotions) couldn't be studied in strict,
controlled manner, instead could be described in terms of general trends
What is introspection?
- Person gains knowledge about own mental and emotional state, introspective ability enables
observation of inner world
- Wundt claimed with training, mental processes e.g. memory and perception, could be observed by
reflecting upon how something is perceived, therefore gain insight into nature of such processes
- E.g. Wundt's study of perception, ppts. presented w/controlled stimuli (images or tones), asked to
, provide description of inner processes experienced as they saw image/listened to tone, then compared
diff. responses to same stimuli to establish general theories
What is empiricism?
- Philosophical view that psychology relies on, the belief that knowledge comes from observation and
experience alone (nothing is innate)
- Formed basis of new 'scientific approach' which was based on 2 assumptions:
→ Behaviour seen as being caused (determinism)
→ If behaviour determined, then should be predictable behaviour in diff. conditions
- Technique used to explore these assumptions is the 'scientific method'
What is the scientific method?
- Use of investigative methods that are:
→ Objective, preconceived ideas or biases do not influence collection of data
→ Systematic, observations/experiments carried out in orderly way, with influencing factors reduced
→ Replicable, can be repeated by other researchers with same results obtained
→ Necessitate use of reason to explain results
- Scientific cycle: Objective, systematic, replicable observation → Building, refining or falsifying →
Development of scientific theory → Testing (back to observation)
Evaluate the origins of psychology?
✘ Wundt's method relied on 'nonobservable responses, ppts maybe conscious of experiences, but
processes themselves are not observable = lack of reliability
✘ Nisbett and WIlson claimed that we have v. lil. knowledge of causes of, and processes underlying, our
behaviour and attitude e.g. ppts unaware of factors that influenced choice of consumer item
PSYCHOLOGY EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH
COMPLETE SOLUTIONS LATEST UPDATE
Who was Wilhelm Wundt?
- First psychologist, believed all aspects of nature and human mind could be scientifically studied, paved
way for acceptance of psych as a science
- Studied aspects of behaviour that could be strictly controlled under experimental conditions e.g.
reaction time, sensation and perception
- Structuralism approach of studying structure of mind by breaking down behaviours into basic elements
- Used introspection
- Realised that higher mental processes (learning, language and emotions) couldn't be studied in strict,
controlled manner, instead could be described in terms of general trends
What is introspection?
- Person gains knowledge about own mental and emotional state, introspective ability enables
observation of inner world
- Wundt claimed with training, mental processes e.g. memory and perception, could be observed by
reflecting upon how something is perceived, therefore gain insight into nature of such processes
- E.g. Wundt's study of perception, ppts. presented w/controlled stimuli (images or tones), asked to
, provide description of inner processes experienced as they saw image/listened to tone, then compared
diff. responses to same stimuli to establish general theories
What is empiricism?
- Philosophical view that psychology relies on, the belief that knowledge comes from observation and
experience alone (nothing is innate)
- Formed basis of new 'scientific approach' which was based on 2 assumptions:
→ Behaviour seen as being caused (determinism)
→ If behaviour determined, then should be predictable behaviour in diff. conditions
- Technique used to explore these assumptions is the 'scientific method'
What is the scientific method?
- Use of investigative methods that are:
→ Objective, preconceived ideas or biases do not influence collection of data
→ Systematic, observations/experiments carried out in orderly way, with influencing factors reduced
→ Replicable, can be repeated by other researchers with same results obtained
→ Necessitate use of reason to explain results
- Scientific cycle: Objective, systematic, replicable observation → Building, refining or falsifying →
Development of scientific theory → Testing (back to observation)
Evaluate the origins of psychology?
✘ Wundt's method relied on 'nonobservable responses, ppts maybe conscious of experiences, but
processes themselves are not observable = lack of reliability
✘ Nisbett and WIlson claimed that we have v. lil. knowledge of causes of, and processes underlying, our
behaviour and attitude e.g. ppts unaware of factors that influenced choice of consumer item
