PSYC312 - HISTORY OF PSYCHOLOGY Chapter 3 Notes - Germany & The Birth of a New Science Wundt's Leipzig Laboratory - Known as the "father of experimental psychology" and founder of first psychology lab " Believed psychology was the science of conscious experience and that trained observers could accurately describe thoughts, feelings, and emotions through introspection o Introspection: examination of one's own conscious thoughts and feelings - Wilhelm Wundt graduated from the University of Heidelberg in 1855 and finished the top of his medical class · Worked as an assistant to Müller in Berlin -> later to Helmholtz in Heidelberg for 6 1/2 years Published first book in 1858 on muscular movements and sensations - Published second book in 1862, Contributions to the Theory of Sensory Perception Taught course in "Physiological Psychology" and wrote "Principles of Physiological Psychology" in 1874 - " First comprehensive treatment of new field of psychology - Moved to Zurich University in 1874 > accepted professorship in philosophy at University of Leipzig in 1875 - Established a famous laboratory at Leipzig and remained there until retirement in 1917 - Designated founder of psychology for marrying physiology to philosophy and creating a new role for psychologists " Built one of the best research labs in psychology . Trained 180+ students · Established first experimental psychology journal in 1881 · Published a large number of books and articles - Nominated three times for the Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology, but never received the award Wundt's System of Psychology - Wundt's psychology consisted of two parts: 1. Voluntarism (experimental psychology in laboratory) o Wundt's aim was to record thoughts and sensations and analyze them into their constituent elements -> process of organizing the mind. o Experimental studies and observations 2. Völkerpsychologie (cultural psychology) o Non-experimental studies and observations, cultural psychology - Wundt's goal > understand the facts of consciousness, its combinations, and relationships, to uncover the laws governing relationships and combinations " Consciousness was defined as the sum total of facts of which one is aware. · Experience was divided into two factors: 1. Content of experience (objects/events present) 2. Apprehension (interpretation of content by individual). · Distinction was made between mediate experience (domain of natural sciences) and immediate experience (domain of psychology). - For Wundt, meaning of psychological studies came from understanding the objects' presence in individual's experience, not an analysis of the external world. - Experience was a complex entity made up of sensations, associations, and feelings. . Goal of psychological research was to analyze experience in terms of its components and compounds. Wundt's psychology aimed to identify the basic elements of conscious experience and how they were organized into psychical (mind rather than body) compounds. - · Mind was viewed as an active entity that organized, analyzed, and altered elements and compounds of consciousness, creating experiences, feelings, and ideas not evident in components alone - Wundt's psychological system was voluntarism -> key concept was apperception, an active intentional process involving the will.
· Apperception is