Summer I 2004 – University of North Texas
Wilhelm Wundt is credited with founding the first psychology laboratory and first program of study in psychology…that is, Wundt is the first psychologist. So, we can trace the origins of the discipline of psychology to one person. We should know on what bases the discipline was founded. To better understand this issue, you are asked to provide your understanding of the founding of psychology.
More specifically, you are to write a paper that looks at
the perspective of the founding of psychology.
You are to a) describe Wundt’s position on the three historical
questions facing psychology (i.e., the ontological question, the
epistemological question, and the methodological question) and b) identify and explain
which of six precursors of psychology (i.e., Descartes, Comte, Berkley, von
Helmholtz, Weber, or Fechner) was most influential on Wundt. Hint: the term “influenced” is to mean
the person who is most reflected in Wundt’s positions on the three historical
questions and not (necessarily) the person with which Wundt was personally
affiliated.