ch 3: The German Intellectual Tradition Flashcards Preview

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Flashcards in ch 3: The German Intellectual Tradition Deck (13)
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1
Q

Herbat (1776-1841)

A
  • 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
2
Q

Herbat’s Threshold of Consciousness

A
  • 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
3
Q

Herbat’s Problems

A

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

4
Q

Weber (1795-1878)

A

-refined role of mathematics in psychology

5
Q

Weber’s Just Noticeable Difference (JND)

A
  • 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
6
Q

Fechner (1801-1887)

A

-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
7
Q

Fechner Contributions:

A
  • 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”
8
Q

Wilhelm Wundt: Father of Psychology

A
  • first laboratory
  • combined methods of experimental physiology with psychological introspection
  • identify basic elements that make up conscious experience: sensations & voluntary movements
9
Q

Experimental Introspection

A

-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?)

10
Q

Thought meter (Helmholtz assistant to Wundt)

A

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

11
Q

Results of Thought Meter experiment

A
  • 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
12
Q

Wilhelm Wundt’s Legacy:

A

-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

13
Q

Wilhelm Dilthey (1833-1911)

A
  • 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