What's up All Stars! Did you know that Wilhelm Wundt is considered the father of modern psychology? That's because he opened up the very first psychology research lab in Leipzig, Germany in 1879. Through his research, Wundt wanted to uncover the elements of consciousness, similar to how scientists were starting to uncover the elements that make up our world. And in an attempt to figure out how the conscious mind is structured, Wundt would use a technique called introspection, where he would ask participants to look inward to report their sensations and perceptions after being presented with a stimulus. For example, if a group of individuals was taken to a cliff that overlooked the sea, Wundt would want to ask them to report their sensations, feelings, thoughts, and perceptions about their experience.
And what Wundt would find interesting are the different responses that each individual gave. For example, some may say they feel cold because of the wind on top of the cliff. Others may say the wind feels refreshing. Another person may say it smells salty because of the sea below, while another individual may say they feel scared because they're afraid of heights.
The point is this, because people are different, they may not have the same exact thoughts, feelings, sensations, and perceptions, even though the environmental stimulus is exactly the same. Here's another example. If you were to give a bunch of your friends an apple and ask them to introspect on their experience, you may have to ask them to give you an apple and ask them to you would probably get a whole bunch of different answers.
Some of your friends may say the apple tastes good. Some may say it tastes bad. Some may say the apple tastes sweet. While others may say the apple tastes tart.
The point is, because people are different, their responses to the same exact stimulus can be very subjective. And this would pose a bit of a problem for Wundt, who was really hoping that psychology could be in league with the hard sciences like physics, chemistry, and astronomy. And what you need to understand is that these hard sciences look to uncover objective truths that produce the same exact result every single time. For example, in chemistry, if you were to take a certain amount of one element and a certain amount of another element and mix them together in a controlled environment, you're going to get the same exact reaction again and again.
But with Wundt's introspective technique, people report different feelings or experiences even though the stimulus was exactly the same. And that's what separates psychology from the hard sciences. But you can't just throw the baby out with the bathwater when it comes to psychology because you have to remember that this field of study still has a lot to offer. For example, just think about all the people who have been helped by counseling and therapy techniques created by psychologists. Moreover, psychological researchers have been able to come up with general truths about human behavior and mental processes that are still very important to understanding.
who we are. Now I know I digress a bit, so let's get back to Wundt. It's important to understand that Wundt's legacy would be carried on by his protege, Edward Titchener, who would go on to coin a name for Wundt's approach to psychology called structuralism.
And this name makes sense because both Wundt and Titchener wanted to understand the elements or structures of the conscious mind by breaking it down into its component parts through the use of introspection. And I also wanted to point out another cool fact, and that is that Titchener was a very good philosopher. would go on to instruct the very first woman to ever earn a PhD in psychology, and her name was Margaret Floy Washburn. Well that's it All Stars! I hope you learned something new today and if so, I hope you would consider liking this video and subscribing to the channel.
Catch you later!