Wilhelm Wundt (1832)

Life of Wilhelm

• father of psychology

• studied under Hermann von Helmholtz

• attended University of Heidelberg

  • dissertation: touch sensitivity in hysterical patients

psychology opinions

• fell between physical and social sciences

• used experimental research methods similar to those in physiology

• researched mental life

  • John Stuart Mill: thought about mental life

• brass instrument science

  • stimuli presented and participants respond via tools

    • pendulums

    • timers

• performed independent psychological experiments

• birth of psychology!

Wundts Legacy

1. research

   1. use of introspection

   2. word associations

   3. attention

   4. perception

2. advised many graduate students

3. writings

   1. volkerpsychologie

Wundt’s Research

• introspection: highly controlled rigorous process

  • used to discover units of mind: sensations and feelings

• thoughts: combination of sensations and feelings

• what happens during introspection?

  • self reports, reaction times, word associations

Wundts Word Associations

• when listener presented with a word they say another word

• inner-associations: semantic connection between 2 words (knife-fork)

• out-associations: connections based on experience (father-hate)