Experimental psychology

Experimental Psychology (also experimental psychology ) is the branch of psychological research, especially of the experiment served as a scientific method (cf. psychological experiment ).

History

Inspired by physiological experiments, for example, by Ernst Heinrich Weber, the experiment on a larger scale mid-19th century in the psychology mainly under the influence of Gustav Theodor Fechner ( psychophysics ), Hermann Ludwig was von Helmholtz ( sensory physiology ), and generally regarded as experimental Psychology introduced by Wilhelm Wundt. Wundt founded in 1879 in Leipzig, the first psychological laboratory with an experimental psychological research program. Were psychophysics addition also associated with the sensory perception feelings and volition, so the whole process of apperception included.

Wundt's lectures and his lab were attended by students and guests from all over the world. Many of his assistants and temporary employees are among the founding generation of psychology as a scientific discipline. So, for example, founded Benjamin Bourdon (1860-1943), a French student of Wundt, 1896 a psychological laboratory in Rennes, Victor Henri ( 1872-1940 ) worked in Paris under the direction of Alfred Binet in 1895 after training at Wundt. Even Stanley Hall (1844-1924) spent two years in Leipzig and established the first psychological laboratory of the U.S. at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore from 1882., Where was his successor John B. Watson ( 1878-1958 ), the founder of behaviorism. Wundt's first assistant, James McKeen Cattell (1860-1944), in 1888, the first psychology professor in the U.S.. Another student of Wundt was the founder of structuralism, Edward Bradford Titchener ( 1867-1927 ). Even Emil Kraepelin (1856-1926), the pioneer of modern psychiatry, studied in Leipzig, the methods of experimental psychology to know.

Towards the end of the 19th century, the Leipzig Institute and has now been accumulated other institutions at German universities were internationally known. Wundt was famous as a founding father, but around the turn of the century sank his reputation as a study of the reception of his works shows. Other people and other directions gained more influence. Around the turn of the century societies were established in several European countries, in 1904 the German Society for Experimental Psychology, their congresses but from the beginning occurred and non- experimental work. This company was later extended to the German Society for Psychology. Since then, experimental psychology and is a methodology and program as a major direction within psychology.

Definition of the psychological experiment

The most important method in the initial phase was, as difference in psychophysics, the trained, conducted under experimentally controlled conditions introspection, Wundt strongly by the untrained ( " naive " ) introspection and personal everyday experience. Wundt saw only in experimentally controlled introspection as well as in the recording of objective responses and physiological changes appropriate methods of experimental psychology.

Wundt defined the typical psychological experiment

" ( 1) The observer must possibly be in a position to determine the occurrence of the observed process itself.

( 2) The observer shall, as far as possible, in the state of rapt attention to perceive the phenomena and pursue its course.

( 3) Each observation must be repeated several times for the purpose of securing the results in the same circumstances.

( 4) The conditions under which the phenomenon occurs must be identified by varying the circumstances attending and if they are determined to be changed according to plan in the different mating attempts by being completely off partly in individual experiments, and partly in their strength or quality terracing. "

In a controversy with Karl Bühler, Wundt rejected the thinking psychological examinations Buhler as " Ausfrageexperimente " sharply because the required ( free ) introspective reports change the current thinking process by verbalizing. By contrast, saw Wundt in his psychology of language an adequate way thinking of psychological research. Buhler's research boils down to an uncertain and random information, and there was a lack of repeatability.

More recent textbooks provide definitions that connect to Wundt, but further definition features and distinctions (cf. psychological experiment).

Conception

In scientific experiment Wundt saw an essential role model. The empirical psychology should be based on this strategic concept and examine how far it leads. In addition, Wundt used other methods such as the generalized comparison and developed the first theory of psychological interpretation. The title of his famous book Principles of Physiological Psychology ( 1974) was often misunderstood. Wundt seeks not just the reduction of psychological to physiological brain processes, but also determines the categorical independence of the processes of consciousness. The psychological experiment lend itself so Wundt later, only for some areas of psychological research. Perform fundamental criticism of the intention of experimental investigations of psychic phenomena Immanuel Kant had already practiced. He emphasized that mental processes by observing, that the research methodology be changed (see reactivity (Social Sciences) ) and he denied the measurability of psychological processes ( psychometrics ).

When discussing the concept of Experimental Psychology, the respective narrower and broader definitions of the experiment must be distinguished and the epistemological framework and own point of view are explicitly explained and taken into account ( see category (psychology ), naturalism, perspectivism, pluralism, reductionism ). The enduring controversy whether psychology can be described as a natural science or a humanities and social science, has several aspects and concerns theoretical assumptions and details of the methodology of psychology, psychological experimental research, has a special status as a voluntarily participating and self-confident person, an experiencing subject, fulfilled the role as a test subject due to a psychological instruction specific tasks under the artificial conditions of a laboratory or other standardized situation. A strict scientific experimental work is probably only possible in the border areas of the physiology, in some areas of biological psychology and animal psychology and ethology.

The controversies have lost sharpness since the newer epistemological discussion has outlined the fundamental importance of theoretical assumptions and conventions and showing how questionable is the assertion of a detectable psychological facts ( Faktums ). In place of the sophisticated concepts and causal explanation of law in scientific psychology today more modest terms of statistical laws and statistical expectations are entered ( Westermann, 2000). However, with the conception of experimental psychology the expectation of elaborated methodology of hypothesis testing and data collection under controlled conditions as far as possible joins (see Psychological Experiment). This methodology is taught in professional studies to promote critical thinking and methods to begegenen only a speculative psychologizing.

Besides the experimental ( in a broad sense ) psychology, there are other research strategies and practical analytical procedures: especially differentially - psychological assessment and testing methods, interviews and questionnaires, surveys and observational studies ( foreign observation), often statistical evaluations are made.

In generalizing way, the experimental- statistical paradigm an interpretive paradigm are compared. Essential to the psychological interpretation based ( formerly known mostly as -understand psychology or as a phenomenological psychology) as well as psychoanalysis and related directions, the different directions of qualitative psychology.