Wundt Quick Revision Wundt and Introspection Assumptionscontributions to

Wundt: Quick Revision

Wundt and Introspection Assumptions/contributions to psychology • Psychology should be a discipline in its own right • Thought/behaviour should be studied scientifically • The environment should be highly controlled when studying people • The study of Ps present experience made possible by introspection

Methods of study Introspection: Wundt Believed that Ps can be trained to objectively report on subtle changes in their perceptions and experiences (for example, a metronome slowing) Laboratory: Highly controlled environment. First experimental laboratory in Leipzig (Germany) in 1879

Commentary/Evaluation Positive • Pioneer in the field of experimental Psychology • Led the way in believing that psychology could be studied empirically and therefore, scientifically. • Methods still used when trying to investigate difficult to measure emotions, such as ‘happiness’ and cognitive functions

Commentary/Evaluation Negative • Self-reporting, even after training, is too subjective and open to inaccuracies; lacks scientific rigour. • What the person reports cannot be verified by an independent observer, so it is impossible to check for validity and reliability • Introspection as a valid method of inquiry rejected by behaviourists as unscientific.