Part IV – Wundt defined psychology as: “investigation of conscious processes in the modes of connection peculiar to them.”
Psychology’s goal is to study the psychological processes by which we experience the world. Psychology’s goal is to study the psychological processes by which we experience the world.Immediate experience – the conscious processes we have when stimuli are presented:Mediate experience – the physical measurements using instruments of phenomena in the world.- Use of a spectrometer to measure greenness of paper.
- Mediate is physics (objective), Immediate is psychology (subjective – we are immersed in our own consciousness)
Introspection is experimental self-observation. Introspection is experimental self-observation.Wundt did not mean “armchair speculation” by this term or “contemplative meditation.”- That leads to fruitless debate and gross self-deception.
- Like Baron von Munchausen pulling himself out of quicksand by his own hair.
Wundt’s introspection included measuring reaction times & word associations and a rigidly controlled experimental procedure for describing sensations.
The observer had to be in a state of “strained attention”. The observer had to be in a state of “strained attention”.Observations were repeated multiple times.Experimental conditions were varied systematically.Two elements were described: sensations & feelings.- Complex mental processes result from creative syntheses of these elements (not “atomic elementism”).
Wundt adapted Mill’s chemical principles.
Wundt is called a Structuralist but never used that term, preferring “Voluntarism” instead. Wundt is called a Structuralist but never used that term, preferring “Voluntarism” instead.- Titchener used the term Structuralism.
Wundt was not a reductionist or an elementist either – he emphasized active psychological processes.Wundt did not define psychology as the study of the mind – that too comes from Titchener.Wundt opposed mind-body dualisms.His introspection was much more than self-report.
Wundt established the journal “Philosophical Studies” to report findings from his lab. Wundt established the journal “Philosophical Studies” to report findings from his lab.- The name avoided confusion with a Psychological Studies journal studying parapsychology (the occult).
50% of his studies were on sensation & perception.- 17% measured reaction times but these were thought to be too imprecise, varying from person to person.
- 10% concerned attention & apperception (selective attention).
- 10% concerned feeling (3 dimensional theory)
Wundt developed the method of paired comparisons to study feelings along a single dimension. Wundt developed the method of paired comparisons to study feelings along a single dimension.- Physiological measurements also taken (heart rate, muscle tension) anticipating physiological psychology.
10% concerned association using word-association tasks identifying inner (intrinsic) & outer (extrinsic) types of connections.- Alcohol increases outer connections.
Students were assigned to replicate earlier work.
Today the experimenter is in charge and subjects follow directions. Today the experimenter is in charge and subjects follow directions.In Wundt’s lab, subjects were highly trained, psychologically sophisticated members of the lab.- The subject was considered more important than the experimenter because the subject supplied the data.
Sometimes students alternated as subject vs experimenter, sometimes experiments were subjects.- Called “reactor, observer, participant, individual under observation.”
Wundt’s major contribution to psychology was the students he influenced. Wundt’s major contribution to psychology was the students he influenced.- William James spent time in Wundt’s lab but didn’t like it.
Wundt directed 186 Ph.D theses (70 in philosophy).Statistician Charles Spearman was his student.American students of Wundt founded labs in the USA at major universities like Stanford & Yale, NYU and Tufts, most developing their own ideas.
Extremely prolific: Extremely prolific:- 2.2 pgs per day for 68 years.
- It would take 2-1/2 years to read it all.
His works are not read today due to writing style.William James says unkind things about him, calling him industrious but lacking in genius.Even Titchener calls his style diffuse and obscure.
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