The Father Of Experimental Psychology Wilhelm Wundt (...

The father of experimental psychology Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920) and the founder of behaviourism John. B Watson both have opposing and corresponding views on psychology. In this essay I will compare and contrast both concepts which will include experimental psychology, introspection, operant and classical conditioning, immediate conscious, objective measurement and lab experiments. Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920) was a German psychologist who wanted to study and examine human immediate conscious experience using experimental methods in the laboratory and higher mental processes using non-experimental methods (C. James Goodwin, 2012). On the other hand, behaviourist psychologist John. B Watson (1878-1958) believed that for something to be scientific, it should be replicable and measurements taken should be objective so they could be accessed by all observers. So instead of describing conscious experiences like Wundt, psychologists should focus on the behaviour of people in terms of what people do rather that what they are experiencing (Schacter et al, 2012). Wundt studied the immediate conscious experience of individuals. He would do this by breaking down mental experiences into individual components which were sensations, perceptions and feelings. For example, feeling the warmth or col rather than the interpretation of it from a thermometer. Even though this is an accurate measure, psychological experience is much different. As one person feeling the cold may be warmth to another