Chapter 3 – Germany and the Birth of a New Science Flashcards
1
Q
23) Wilhelm Wundt?
A
- A German philosopher of the 19th-20th century who is regarded as the founder of experimental psychology.
- Made many contributions to the science of experimental psychology such as establishing the first psychology lab, first psychology journal. In addition, trained many of the first gen-psychologists that carried on his ideas of psychology as science and established their own labs in both Europe and America, further developing the experimental psychology discipline.
2
Q
24) Georg Elias Müller?
A
- A German psychologist of the late 19th-early 20th century that spent much of his career contributing to the study of memory
- While he initially simply replicated Eddinghaus’ work, Muller also asked his subjects what they were thinking in various memory tasks. His research was important due to the findings in the area of cognitive memorization strategies and transfer of information from one task to the other, as well his pioneering work in interference theory.
3
Q
25) Apperception?
A
- An active intentional process in which parts of consciousness would have a greater focus or clarity. A key concept in Wundt’s psychology of voluntarism established in the late 19th- early 20th century Germany.
- Important as allowed for bringing some part of conscious experience to maximal clarity. Due to being the key part of voluntarism, and voluntarism being Wundt’s experimental psychology that guided his lab’s work, apperception played a crucial role in shaping the research conducted in Wundt’s laboratory. By understanding how apperception operates, researchers were able to delve deeper into the mechanisms underlying consciousness and cognitive processes, contributing significantly to the advancement of experimental psychology.
4
Q
26) Hermann Ebbinghaus?
A
- A German psychologist of the late 19th-early 20th century who had a big impact on the field of cognitive psychology through his memory studies.
- Important due to his thorough work in memory. The memory studies conducted had an excellent design which is why they’re still considered valid today and led to the creation of nonsense syllables and findings about the forgetting curve and memory retention. The research resulted in him publishing his book “Studies on Memory”.
5
Q
27) Leipzig?
A
- A German city where the father of the science of psychology Wundt established first ever psychology lab (late 19th century)
- Important as can be considered a birthplace of the science of psychology because of Wundt’s work that included but isn’t limited to the first psychology lab, the first psychology journal to publish research in and a place where many of the first gen psychologists studied under Wundt before starting to develop psychology in their own way.
6
Q
28) Franz Brentano?
A
- German psychologist of the late 19th-early 20th century who is famous for his act psychology.
- One of his major contributions was his book where he described his act psychology that advocated for studying a larger unit of analysis when looking at consciousness. For example, studying the act of seeing without focusing on what was seen. The ideas would then foreshadow another big domain of psychology, namely, American functional psychology
7
Q
29) Mental chronometry?
A
- One of the methods often used in the first psychology lab in Leipzig late 19th century. Involves using the reaction time method to measure the speed of mental events. It involves timing the duration of cognitive tasks, such as reaction time tasks, to gain insights into the underlying mental mechanisms.
- Played an important role in many sensation and perception studies conducted in Wundt’s lab and Ebbinghaus’ memory studies allowing for discoveries in those domains. This method was influential in the field of psychology because it provided a systematic way to investigate cognitive processes, allowing researchers to explore factors affecting mental speed, the nature of mental events, and the organization of cognitive functions. Additionally, mental chronometry laid the groundwork for understanding the temporal dynamics of cognitive processing, leading to advancements in cognitive psychology and our understanding of human cognitio. Mental chronomety has stood the test of time as is still used in cognitive psychology today.
8
Q
30) Introspection?
A
- A widely used experimental method of self-observation that involved the participant of the experiment reporting on the effect of the stimulus. In historical context, became widely populated through Wundt’s work in the 19th and Titchener’s in the 20th century.
- Important due to being one of the first methods of the study of consciousness. The introspection method led to the development of rigorous experimental methods and protocols for studying human behavior, setting standards for empirical research in psychology. Additionally, played a major role in Titchener’s work and appeared as the method of choice in his “Manuals” that were widely used in America as a psychological science methodology guide. Introspection stimulated debates about the nature of consciousness and the validity of subjective reports, prompting advancements in research methodology and the emergence of alternative approaches such as behaviorism and cognitive psychology.
9
Q
31) Oswald Kulpe?
A
- German psychologist of the late 19th-early 20th century who conducted pioneering studies on thinking.
- Important for developing a new introspection method that involved retrospection and came up with the concepts of mental set and imageless thought.
10
Q
32) Wissenschaft?
A
- A philosophy created by the University of Berlin in the early 19th century. Advocated for active epistemology, especially in science, and freedom of teaching and inquiry.
- Important as it led to many teachers involving their students in lab work and being able to pursue research of their own choosing. Resulted in establishment of many psych labs where American exchange students were able to learn and draw ideas from before returning to establish their own psychology labs in America.
