belief that all aspects of nature
including human mind could be
studied scientifically
best way to study human behaviour
was to break down behaviours such as
sensations into their basic elements
introspection
the process by which a person
gains knowledge about his or her
own menatal and emotional states
as a result of the examination or
observation of their conscious
thoughts and feelings
Highly trained assistants would be given a
stimulus such as a ticking metronome and would
reflect on the experience. They would report what
the stimulus made them think and feel. The same
stimulus, physical surroundings and instructions
were given to each person.
they were
then asked to
provide a
decription of
their inner
thoughts and
feelings
this made it
possible to
compare
different
participants
reports in
response to the
same stimuli
establish
general
theories
about
perception
and other
mental
processes.
first person to call himself
a psychologist
strengths
It is an easy and simple method and
provides direct observation of
mental processes
By other scientific methods,
the mental processes cannot
be directly observed since
those are purely private and
personal experiences.
Introspection is the
only method by
which the person
can be directly
aware of their own
experiences
weaknesses
unreliable
unconscious
experiences cannot be
accessed through
introspection.