History of Psychology

Flashcards covering key concepts from the history and theories of psychology related to Wilhelm Wundt.

Wilhelm Wundt

Pivotal figure in the emergence of experimental psychology as a discipline.

Experimental Psychology

A systematic branch of psychology founded by Wundt that uses experimental methods to study the mind.

Voluntarism

Wundt's system of psychology emphasizing the will and the active, goal-directed nature of mental life.

Fundamentals of Physiological Psychology

Wundt's book advocating that psychology should employ the same scientific methods as physiology.

Volkerpsychologie

Wundt's multi-volume work focusing on higher mental processes, culture, language, and complex cognitive phenomena.

Experimental Self-Observation

Wundt's method involving rigorous measurements to observe mental processes.

Attention

The cognitive process that makes certain parts of the conscious field clearer than the background.

Fusion

A combination of elements that occur together, such as the simultaneous perception of a piano tone.

Assimilation

The fusion of elements in consciousness where not all are present, illustrated by reading a word without noticing individual letters.

Complication

A compound of elements from different senses, such as the flavor experienced through taste and smell.

Methods of Wundt's Psychology

Included experimentation and observational methods for studying psychological processes.

Three-dimensional theory of feelings

Wundt's theory that feelings can be categorized into pleasantness-unpleasantness, tension-release, and excitement-calm.