Wilhelm Wundt- Founding Father of Psychology
Wilhelm Wundt is considered by most to be the founder of the field of psychology. The beginning of the field is generally tied to Wundt’s establishment of the first experimental laboratory for psychology in 1879 in Germany. Four years latter the first psychology lab in the US was begun at John’s Hopkins University. We discuss Wundt here because it places our exploration of Behaviorism in context because Behaviorism was largely a “reaction” to Wundt’s approach to psychology.
Wundt’s perspective is generally labeled as Structuralism. The key to understanding his point of view lies in his approach to studying the human experience. The strategy he employed is called introspection, a process of examining the inner life of the mind. Wundt differentiated his approach from the philosophers who proceeded him by insisting that at strict scientific framework be applied to the process. “To Wundt, the use of the experimental method, whenever possible was mandatory. He replaced the age-old process of meditation with a more exact and exacting method of introspection.” Watson, R. (1978). Great psychologists (4th ed.). New York, NY: J.B. Lippincott Company (p. 275).
“Wundt recognized that conscious contents are fleeting and in flux; he therefore laid down explicit rules for the proper use of the introspective method:
Wundt’s perspective is generally labeled as Structuralism. The key to understanding his point of view lies in his approach to studying the human experience. The strategy he employed is called introspection, a process of examining the inner life of the mind. Wundt differentiated his approach from the philosophers who proceeded him by insisting that at strict scientific framework be applied to the process. “To Wundt, the use of the experimental method, whenever possible was mandatory. He replaced the age-old process of meditation with a more exact and exacting method of introspection.” Watson, R. (1978). Great psychologists (4th ed.). New York, NY: J.B. Lippincott Company (p. 275).
“Wundt recognized that conscious contents are fleeting and in flux; he therefore laid down explicit rules for the proper use of the introspective method:
- The observer, if at all possible, must be in a position to determine when the process is to be introduced;
- He must be in a state of “strained attention”;
- The observation must be capable of being repeated several times;
- The conditions of the experiment must be such that they are capable of variation through the introduction or elimination of certain stimuli and through variations of strength and quality of the stimuli.
- Watson, R. (1978). Great psychologists (4th ed.). New York, NY: J.B. Lippincott Company (p. 277).
- Part of Wundt’s classic text The Principles of Physiological Psychology can be found at
http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Wundt/Physio/