Experimental Psychology:

An introduction

Prof. Bernardo Fernandez II

 CONTENT…
 Experimental psychology.
 History.
 20th century scenario.
 Methodology.
 Criticism.
 Experimental psychology: A specific methodological approach.
 The four canons of science.
 Where do experimental psychologist work?
 Advantages and disadvantages of experimental psychology.
 The Present Status of Experimental Psychology.
 Reference.
 Experimental Psychology

 Experimental psychology is the study of psychological issues that uses

experimental procedures.

 Experimental psychology is an area of psychology that utilizes scientific

methods to research the mind and behavior.
 The phrase “experimental psychology” refers to a specific methodological
approach to the study of psychology as well as to several specific areas of
research within psychology which predominantly use experimental methods
 History …

Wilhelm Wundt Is Best Known For:

1 The establishment of the first psychology lab.
2 His influence on the school of thought known as
structuralism.
 Weber was a German physician who is the founder of
experimental psychology.
 His main interests were the sense of touch.
 Gustav Fechner
Fechner published in 1860 what is considered to be the first work of
experimental psychology, Weber was not a psychologist,
 and it was Fechner who realized the importance of Weber’s research to
psychology.
 Fechner was interests establishing a scientific study of the mind-body
relationship, which became known as psychophysics.
 Much of Fechner's research focused on the measurement of
psychophysical method of limits and the method of adjustment, which are
still in use.
Methodology

 Experimental psychologists study human behavior in

different contexts .
 Human participants are instructed to perform tasks in an
experimental setup and the measurement of behavior make
in liberty
 Experimental psychologist use survey before, during and
after experimental intervention and observation methods.
Other Method

 In other methods we use interview, naturalistic observation

are practiced within fields typically investigated by
experimental psychologists .
Criticism

 B.F skinner criticized experimental psychology in a speech

at American psychological association(APA) for becoming
mentalist .He focusing research on internal mental processes
instead of observable behavior
The Four Canons of Science

 In order to understand the scientific approach to

experimental psychology as well as other areas of scientific
research, it is useful to know the four fundamental
principles that appear to be accepted by almost all scientists.

 1 Determinism
 2 Empiricism
 3 Parsimony
 4 Testability
Determinism

 One of the first cannons of science is the assumption of

determinism. This canon assumes that all events have
meaningful, systematic causes.
Empiricism

 The canon of empiricism simply means to make

observations. This is the best method of figuring out orderly
principles. This is a favorite tool among scientist and
psychologists because they assume that the best way to find
out about the world is to make observations.
PARSIMONY

 The third basic assumption of most scientific schools of

thought is parsimony. The canon of parsimony says that we
should be extremely in developing or choosing between
theories by steering away from unnecessary concepts.
TESTABILITY

 The final and most important canon of science is the

assumption that scientific theories should be testable using
currently available research techniques
Where do experimental
psychologists work?
The majority work in universities and colleges,
others find research-related work in

Hospitals

Research Institutes and Centers

Government and Military Organizations
Private Companies and Industry
Physiological Basis of Human
Behavior
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YOU