Wundt - Psychology

• The work of Wundt 


  • Leipzig, Germany
  • First ever lab dedicated to psychology - The Institute of Experimental Psychology
  • Used 'structuralism' approach
  • Studied the structure of sensation and perception
  • Method - in strictly controlled conditions
• What is introspection?

  Recording our own concious thoughts and breaking them into constituent parts
• What did introspection focus on?

  Looking inwards (internal events)
• What did participants ask?

  To record present reations to a standardised everyday stimulus (e.g. ticking metronome)
• How was the experience analysed?

  In terms of components (e.g. sensations, thoughts, feelings and visual imagery)
• Where is it done?

  In labatory conditions
• Why were people trained to do this analysis?

  To make the data objctive (free from bias) rather that subjective (influenced by bias).
• Is it scientific?

  Yes - same procedures and instructions, done in a lab

  No - very subjective
• Is it important?

  Yes - led to psychology as a science