Wundt and instrospection

• Who is Wundt and what did he contribute to psychology?


  Wundt is known as the father of psychology and established the first psychology lab in 1879.
• What significant establishment did Wundt create in 1879?


  The institute for Experimental Psychology in Leipzig, Germany.
• How did Wundt separate psychology from philosophy?


  He established psychology as a distinct scientific discipline.
• What method did Wundt use to record thoughts and sensations?


  Introspection.
• What is introspection in psychology?

  • Training psychologists to make observations of their own experiences
  • Developing a theory of conscious thought
  • Given a stimulus e.g using a metronome and then told to self-report and what they thought during that time
• What are the points for and against the statement "Wundt made psychology a science"?


  For:

  • Objectivity
  • Standardization
  • Controlled conditions
  • Trained participants

  
  

  Against:

  • Introspection did not remain a fundamental tool after the early 1920s
  • Relied on self-reporting
  • Reports may be distorted
  • Subjective interpretations may lead to social desirability bias
  • Delay between experience and report
  • Subject reports cannot be replicated and are not reliable