ch 3: The German Intellectual Tradition

Question 1

Herbat (1776-1841)

Answer 1

• consciousness is a continuous stream of presentations (ideas/sensations that happen in the mind)
• really tried to make psychology mathematical and created equations to do that

Question 2

Herbat’s Threshold of Consciousness

Answer 2

• in the mind, we have multiple sensations/ideas happening in our mind but all of them don’t come into our consciousness because they don’t have that intensity
• they are in constant battle with eachother,
  ex: sweet vs sour intensity levels, which ever your mind perceives as greater intensity, then that will be the presentation.
• Sweet is at level of 20 and sour is level of 5; so your experiencing the sweet level at 15 because the sour level cancels out the sweet by 5

Question 3

Herbat’s Problems

Answer 3

-mental processes are in constant flux; so how to isolate one for a study?

Question 4

Weber (1795-1878)

Answer 4

-refined role of mathematics in psychology

Question 5

Weber’s Just Noticeable Difference (JND)

Answer 5

• the sensation that results if a change in stimulus intensity exceeds the differential threshold
• the JND for weight discrimination was always an amount equal to 1/30th of the heavier of the weights being compared

Question 6

Fechner (1801-1887)

Answer 6

-Physician: wanted empirical demonstration of relationship between physical and psychological worlds; psychophysics

• sensation was his subject matter and how physical sensation relate to what we perceive in our mind
• change in a stimulus that will be just noticeable is a constant ratio for the original stimulus

Question 7

Fechner Contributions:

Answer 7

• quantification possible in psych, offered clear methodological procedures
• mathematical law predicting relationship between physical and mental world
• inexpensive procedures, clear results, easily taught & scientifically respectable
• short step to establishment of the first psychological laboratory & formalization of the new science…. “big P psychology”

Question 8

Wilhelm Wundt: Father of Psychology

Answer 8

• first laboratory
• combined methods of experimental physiology with psychological introspection
• identify basic elements that make up conscious experience: sensations & voluntary movements

Question 9

Experimental Introspection

Answer 9

-distinguished from philosophical introspection by the introduction of laboratory apparatus that would standardize and mechanize presentations of stimuli upon which subjects would report
experiment +introspection (how do you feel?)

Question 10

Thought meter (Helmholtz assistant to Wundt)

Answer 10

thought meter: to measure the speed of nerve impulse

experiment: A pendulum (b) was arranged along calibrated scale (M) and set to ding at points (d) and (b)
- Wundt would get people to watch the scale and note the position of the pendulum whenever they heard a ding
- Are we capable of thinking of 2 things at the same time?
- he established a scientific apparatus to study this question

Question 11

Results of Thought Meter experiment

Answer 11

• one cannot attend to two stimuli simultaneously either attend to the position of the pendulum or to the position of the bell
• People consistently 1/10th of a second off when noting the position of the pendulum at the sound of the ding

Question 12

Wilhelm Wundt’s Legacy:

Answer 12

-proposed new science of experimental psychology
-methods: experimental physiology and experimental introspection study
-Established the first formal laboratory for psychological research at Johns Hopkins
Important segment of psych (human science or cultural science) rather than natural science tradition
-structuralism was emerging now

Question 13

Wilhelm Dilthey (1833-1911)

Answer 13

• human scientific psych: experience happens in totality and the mind adds meaning to it
• content not structure of mind
• methods: description, analysis & goal is understanding