Völkerpsychologie as a field science: José Miguel de Barandiarán and Basque ethnology.

José Miguel de Barandiarán considered the central figure of Basque anthropology, played a prominent role in the Basque people's cultural rescue (material and spiritual). His dual status as an ethnologist and priest prepared him to study collective mentalities and rural societies. However, the scientific approach of the Völkerpsychologie (roughly translated as ethnic psychology), as proposed by Wilhelm Wundt, greatly influenced him and aroused broad interests of ethnological and sociological-religious concerns. This essay examines the scope and depth of Wundt's influence on Barandiarán, and suggests that, by combining the techniques of folklore with those of ethnography, Barandiarán stamped Basque anthropology with a unique defining quality in Europe.

Memorias de un laboratorio: Wilhelm Wundt y la psicología experimental / Memories of a laboratory: Wilhelm Wundt and Experimental Psychology

RESUMEN El médico, fisiólogo y psicólogo alemán Wilhelm Wundt ha sido y es considerado el creador de la llamada psicología experimental, por su abordaje de conceptos psicológicos hasta entonces intuitivos, mediante métodos propios de la fisiología del siglo xix. Emergió de esta manera una nueva disciplina, la psicología científica, en el contexto físico de un laboratorio de ciencias en la ciudad alemana de Leipzig. Sin embargo, la labor de Wundt no se limitó únicamente al estudio de la psicología desde un punto de vista científico. Por una parte, se ha destacado su gran capacidad de convocatoria, aglutinadora y organizativa de un laboratorio original donde pudieron formarse investigadores de varias partes del mundo; y, por otra, modificó sustancialmente el modo de analizar la psicología, centrando la atención de los investigadores en el estudio pormenorizado de la consciencia mediante la utilización del método introspectivo.

ABSTRACT The physician, physiologist and psychologist Wilhelm Wundt has been and is considered the founder of experimental psychology due to his approach to psychological subjects, until then intuitive, through the XIX century methods. Thus, a new discipline, the Scientific Psychology, emerged in the venue of a laboratory in the town of Leipzig, Germany. Nevertheless, Wundt´s labor was not restricted to the study of psychology from a scientific perspective: on one hand, his great convocational, organizing and group-working capacity attracted lots of investigators from around the world to be trained. In n original laboratory, On the other, he substantially modified the study of psychology centering the researchers' attention in the detailed analysis of consciousness through the use of the method called introspection.

Unconscious inferences in perception in early experimental psychology: From Wundt to Peirce.

What are unconscious inferences in psychology? This article investigates their journey from the early philosophical psychology of Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920) to the experimental psychology of the American pragmatist Charles S. Peirce (1839-1914). Peirce's reception of Wundt's early works situates him in an international web of 19th-century experimental psychologists and its reconstruction opens new perspectives on the relation between philosophy, psychology, and epistemology. Moreover, this reception testifies to a heretofore overlooked strand of influence of Wundt on North American experimental psychology. The notion of unconscious inferences, of which Hermann von Helmholtz is usually considered the chief exponent, becomes the backbone of Peirce's theory of perception mostly because of the affinity between Wundt's early philosophy of mind and Peirce's logic-mediated approach to psychology.

Stable Consciousness? The "Hard Problem" Historically Reconstructed and in Perspective of Neurophenomenological Research on Meditation.

Finding a scientific, third-person explanation of subjective experience or phenomenal content is commonly called the "hard problem" of consciousness. There has recently been a surge in neuropsychological research on meditation in general and long-term meditators in particular. These experimental subjects are allegedly capable of generating a stable state of consciousness over a prolonged period of time, which makes experimentation with them an interesting paradigm for consciousness research. This perspective article starts out with a historical reconstruction of the "hard problem," tracing it back to Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz and Emil du Bois-Reymond in the 18th and 19th century, respectively, and the problem of introspection as already acknowledged by Wilhelm Wundt in the 19th century. It then discusses the prospects of research on long-term meditators from a contemporary perspective and with respect to the neurophenomenological research program already advocated by Francisco J. Varela.

Validación de Experimentos Cognitivos con PEBL y Wundts Lab / Validation of Cognitive Experiments with PEBL and WundtS Lab

Resumen Actualmente las herramientas tecnológicas están reemplazando los métodos tradicionales en diversos campos de la psicología, un fenómeno de alto impacto; por esta razón se realizó un análisis de las características de validez y confiabilidad de pruebas expérimentales computarizadas empleando un estudio psicométrico instrumental que contó con 267 participantes que realizaron 589 aplicaciones pareadas de pruebas, en tanto que la mayoría llevó a cabo más de dos tareas cognitivas. Mediante un análisis discriminante, se identificaron cuatro pruebas computarizadas PEBL y tres pruebas computarzadas Wundt's Lab, consistentes con medidas cognitivas validadas, a diferencia de tres pruebas PEBL y cuatro pruebas Wundt's Lab, que no mostraron tal evidencia. Adicionalmente, se encontraron convergencias entre los desempenos de pruebas Mental Rotation de PEBL y Wundt's Lab, así como asociaciones pareadas entre desempenos de pruebas de memoria operativa verbal y visoespacial, de atención y de percepción del movimiento. Finalmente, se evidenciaron asociaciones relevantes entre los resultados de los participantes en las pruebas y la variable "sexo". Los resultados apoyan la existencia de características psicométricas en siete pruebas computarizadas, haciendo relevante su uso en diversos campos de la evaluación cognitiva.

Abstract Currently, technological tools are replacing traditional methods in many fields of psychology, a phenomenon of high impact. For this reason, validity and reliability characteristics analysis of computerized experimental tests were carried out, using an instrumental psychometric study, which had 267 participants taking part in 589 paired applications of tests. Through a discriminant analysis, four computerized PEBL tests and three computerized Wundt's Lab tests were identified, consistent with validated cognitive measures, as opposed to three PEBL tests and four Wundt's Lab tests, which did not show such evidence. Additionally, convergences were found between PEBL and Wundt's Lab's Mental Rotation test performances, as well as paired associations between verbal and visuospatial working memory, and attention and movement perception test performances. Finally, relevant associations were shown between the results of the participants in the tests and the sex variable. Results support the existence of psychometric characteristics in seven computerized tests, making their use relevant in various fields of cognitive evaluation.

Sensory studies, or when physics was psychophysics: Ernst Mach and physics between physiology and psychology, 1860-71.

This paper highlights the significance of sensory studies and psychophysical investigations of the relations between psychic and physical phenomena for our understanding of the development of the physics discipline, by examining aspects of research on sense perception, physiology, esthetics, and psychology in the work of Gustav Theodor Fechner, Hermann von Helmholtz, Wilhelm Wundt, and Ernst Mach between 1860 and 1871. It complements previous approaches oriented around research on vision, Fechner's psychophysics, or the founding of experimental psychology, by charting Mach's engagement with psychophysical experiments in particular. Examining Mach's study of the senses and esthetics, his changing attitudes toward the mechanical worldview and atomism, and his articulation of comparative understandings of sensual, geometrical, and physical spaces helps set Mach's emerging epistemological views in the context of his teaching and research. Mach complemented an analytic strategy focused on parallel psychic and physical dimensions of sensation, with a synthetic comparative approach - building analogies between the retina, the individual, and social life, and moving between abstract and sensual spaces. An examination of the broadly based critique that Mach articulated in his 1871 lecture on the conservation of work shows how his historical approach helped Mach cast what he now saw as a narrowly limiting emphasis on mechanics as a phase yet to be overcome.

O passado e o futuro da psicologia experimental: contribuições de Fechner, Wundt e James / The past and future of experimental psychology: contributions of Fechner, Wundt, and James / El pasado y el futuro de la psicología experimental: contribuciones de Fechner, Wundt y James

Tanto a ideia de uma psicologia experimental quanto a realização de experimentos psicológicos já estão presentes no século 18. Contudo, é no século 19, primeiramente nas universidades alemãs, que a psicologia experimental adquire um novo estatuto, marcando fortemente a identidade da nova psicologia. O objetivo do presente artigo é apresentar uma reflexão de caráter histórico-filosófico sobre a natureza da psicologia experimental, com base nas contribuições de Fechner, Wundt e James. Depois de apresentar sua dimensão histórica, discutimos sua relação com a psicologia experimental contemporânea, no sentido de esclarecer se elas podem iluminar de alguma forma seu caminho futuro. Concluímos que um diálogo efetivo depende da modificação de certas condições estruturais do modelo atual de formação do psicólogo.

Both the idea of experimental psychology and the realization of psychological experiments were already present in the 18th century. However, it was in the 19th century, firstly in German universities, that experimental psychology acquired a new status, thereby marking the identity of the new psychology. The aim of this paper is to present a historical-philosophical reflection on the nature of experimental psychology, based on the contributions of Fechner, Wundt and James. After presenting their historical dimension, we discuss their relation with contemporary experimental psychology, in order to clarify whether they can somehow illuminate its future path. We conclude that an effective dialogue depends on the modification of certain structural conditions in the current training model for psychologists.

Tanto la idea de la psicología experimental como la realización de experimentos psicológicos ya se encontraban presentes en el siglo XVIII. Sin embargo, fue en el siglo XIX, y primero en las universidades alemanas, que la psicología experimental adquirió un nuevo estatus, marcando así la identidad de la nueva psicología. El objetivo de este artículo es presentar una reflexión histórico-filosófica sobre la naturaleza de la psicología experimental, basada en las contribuciones de Fechner, Wundt y James. Después de presentar su dimensión histórica, discutimos su relación con la psicología experimental contemporánea, para aclarar si de alguna manera pueden iluminar su futuro camino. Concluimos que un diálogo efectivo depende de la modificación de ciertas condiciones estructurales en el modelo actual de entrenamiento de los psicólogos.

On making sense. An exploration of Wundt's apperceptionist account of meaningful speech.

In the wake of the critical reorientation in the historiography of psychology, a number of scholars challenged the one-sided structuralist and positivist interpretation of Wilhelm Wundt's work. This paper aims at contributing to these recent efforts, by providing an analysis of the way in which Wundt's apperceptionism conditioned his account of the relation between thought and speech, and by extrapolation, of disorganized thought and speech. While Wundt's pivotal role in the development of the psychology of language is relatively well-known, discussions on this part of his theorizing tend to focus exclusively on his gestural or motor account of language. This obliterates the complex theoretical background of Wundt's theory of language and speech, as well as its systematic place within his psychological system. Highlighting this neglected dimension of Wundt's theorizing, however, could open up a new horizon of pressing research questions in the historiography of psychology.

Merging with the path not taken: Wilhelm Wundt's work as a precursor to the embedded-processes approach to memory, attention, and consciousness.

Early research on memory was dominated by two researchers forging different paths: Hermann Ebbinghaus, interested in principles of learning and recall, and Wilhelm Wundt, founder of the first formal laboratory of experimental psychology, who was interested in empirical evidence to interpret conscious experience. Whereas the work of Ebbinghaus is a much-heralded precursor of modern research on long-term memory, the work of Wundt appears to be a mostly-forgotten precursor to research on working memory. We show how his scientific perspective is germane to more recent investigations, with emphasis on the embedded-processes approaches of Nelson Cowan and Klaus Oberauer, and how it is in contrast with most other recent theoretical approaches. This investigation is important because the embedded-process theorists, apparently like most modern researchers, have recognized few of Wundt's specific contributions. We explore commonalities between the approaches and suggest that an appreciation of these commonalities might enrich the field going forward.

Harmonic Structure Predicts the Enjoyment of Uplifting Trance Music.

An empirical investigation of how local harmonic structures (e.g., chord progressions) contribute to the experience and enjoyment of uplifting trance (UT) music is presented. The connection between rhythmic and percussive elements and resulting trance-like states has been highlighted by musicologists, but no research, to our knowledge, has explored whether repeated harmonic elements influence affective responses in listeners of trance music. Two alternative hypotheses are discussed, the first highlighting the direct relationship between repetition/complexity and enjoyment, and the second based on the theoretical inverted-U relationship described by the Wundt curve. We investigate the connection between harmonic structure and subjective enjoyment through interdisciplinary behavioral and computational methods: First we discuss an experiment in which listeners provided enjoyment ratings for computer-generated UT anthems with varying levels of harmonic repetition and complexity. The anthems were generated using a statistical model trained on a corpus of 100 uplifting trance anthems created for this purpose, and harmonic structure was constrained by imposing particular repetition structures (semiotic patterns defining the order of chords in the sequence) on a professional UT music production template. Second, the relationship between harmonic structure and enjoyment is further explored using two computational approaches, one based on average Information Content, and another that measures average tonal tension between chords. The results of the listening experiment indicate that harmonic repetition does in fact contribute to the enjoyment of uplifting trance music. More compelling evidence was found for the second hypothesis discussed above, however some maximally repetitive structures were also preferred. Both computational models provide evidence for a Wundt-type relationship between complexity and enjoyment. By systematically manipulating the structure of chord progressions, we have discovered specific harmonic contexts in which repetitive or complex structure contribute to the enjoyment of uplifting trance music.

A Questão da Consciência na Psicologia de Wilhelm Wundt / The Question of Consciousness in Wilhelm Wundt’s Psychology

O trabalho apresenta o conceito de consciência de Wilhelm Wundt, formulado na fase madura de sua obra e sustentado por uma definição de Psicologia como ciência da experiência imediata, cujo acesso, para fins científicos, só é possível de forma indireta, mediante o recurso ao método experimental e à observação. A consciência, concebida como um fluxo de processos cuja ocorrência é uma delimitação da totalidade mental, é o objeto por excelência desta psicologia e é estudada em seus aspectos representacional, afetivo e volitivo. O estudo apresenta ainda a consideração dos elementos constituintes da consciência, suas formas compostas e as leis organizadoras de tais associações, concluindo com a discussão acerca da relevância da formulação psicológica wundtiana como exemplo de uma tentativa de estabelecimento da autonomia e coerência da Psicologia.(AU)

This paper explores Wilhelm Wundt's concept of consciousness in its definitive formulation. It is supported by the definition of psychology as the science of immediate experience, which can only be indirectly accessed through experimental method and observation. Consciousness, conceived as a processual flux whose occurrence delimits the totality of mind, is the primary subject matter of psychology, and it is studied in its representational, affective and volitive aspects. The constitutive elements of consciousness, their composite forms and the organizing laws of such associations are also presented. Finally, the relevance of Wundt's psychological formulation as example of a attempt of the establishment of psychology as an autonomous discipline is discussed.(AU)

Breves considerações sobre a concepção do objeto de estudo da Psicologia para Wundt e para Brentano / Brief considerations on the conception of the subject matter of Psychology for Wundt and for Brentano / Breves consideraciones sobre la concepción de lo objeto de estudio de la Psicología para Wundt y para Brentano

O século XIX testemunhou diversas tentativas de constituição de uma Psicologia científica, com o aparecimento de diferentes sistemas psicológicos. Entre eles, destacam-se o de Wilhelm Wundt e o de Franz Brentano. Ambos buscam imputar cientificidade à Psicologia, mas discordam quanto ao ponto de partida para a elaboração de um projeto de Psicologia. Este artigo tem por objetivo introduzir a concepção do objeto de estudo da Psicologia conforme apresentada em suas obras centrais. Wundt defende que o objeto de estudo da Psicologia é a experiência consciente imediata, composta de elementos mentais básicos que podem ser divididos em sensações e sentimentos. Brentano postula que a Psicologia é a ciência dos fenômenos psíquicos, atos mentais que têm direção para objetos cuja existência depende de tais atos.

The 19th century has witnessed several attempts to constitute a scientific Psychology, with the birth of several psychological systems. Among those, the ones proposed by Wilhelm Wundt and by Franz Brentano stand out. Both Wundt and Brentano attempt to impute scientificity to Psychology, but they disagree on the starting point for the elaboration of a project of Psychology. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the conception of the subject matter of Psychology as it is presented in their main works. Wundt defends that the subject matter of Psychology is the immediate conscious experience, composed of basic mental elements that can be divided into sensations and feelings. Brentano postulates that Psychology is the science of psychic phenomena, mental acts which have direction toward objects whose existence depends on such acts.

El siglo XIX fue testigo de varios intentos de constituir una psicología científica, con el surgimiento de diferentes sistemas psicológicos. Entre ellos se destacan los de Wilhelm Wundt y Franz Brentano. Ambos tratan de imputar cientificidad a la psicología, aunque están en desacuerdo sobre el punto de partida para el desarrollo de un proyecto de psicología. Este artículo pretende introducir el concepto del objeto de estudio de la psicología como se presenta en sus obras centrales. Wundt sostiene que el objeto de estudio de la psicología es la experiencia consciente inmediata, que consiste en elementos mentales básicos que se pueden dividir en sensaciones y sentimientos. Brentano defiende que la psicología es la ciencia de los fenómenos psíquicos, acciones mentales direccionadas a objetos cuya existencia depende de esos mismos actos.

A Questão da Consciência na Psicologia de Wilhelm Wundt / The Question of Consciousness in Wilhelm Wundt’s Psychology

O trabalho apresenta o conceito de consciência de Wilhelm Wundt, formulado na fase madura de sua obra e sustentado por uma definição de Psicologia como ciência da experiência imediata, cujo acesso, para fins científicos, só é possível de forma indireta, mediante o recurso ao método experimental e à observação. A consciência, concebida como um fluxo de processos cuja ocorrência é uma delimitação da totalidade mental, é o objeto por excelência desta psicologia e é estudada em seus aspectos representacional, afetivo e volitivo. O estudo apresenta ainda a consideração dos elementos constituintes da consciência, suas formas compostas e as leis organizadoras de tais associações, concluindo com a discussão acerca da relevância da formulação psicológica wundtiana como exemplo de uma tentativa de estabelecimento da autonomia e coerência da Psicologia.

This paper explores Wilhelm Wundt's concept of consciousness in its definitive formulation. It is supported by the definition of psychology as the science of immediate experience, which can only be indirectly accessed through experimental method and observation. Consciousness, conceived as a processual flux whose occurrence delimits the totality of mind, is the primary subject matter of psychology, and it is studied in its representational, affective and volitive aspects. The constitutive elements of consciousness, their composite forms and the organizing laws of such associations are also presented. Finally, the relevance of Wundt's psychological formulation as example of a attempt of the establishment of psychology as an autonomous discipline is discussed.

Una psicología despsicologizada / A depsychologized psychology

El viraje de la psique al comportamiento no fue un movimiento surgido del seno de divagaciones académicas llevadas por la reflexión científica; este viraje fue la consecuencia de la adaptación que realizaron los discípulos europeos de Wundt al llegar al suelo norteamericano; estos, al encontrarse con una tendencia funcionalista y pragmática tratar de converger con ella, y el psiquismo al no poder amoldarse a la tendencia de la psicología en ese lugar es cambiado por la conducta watsoniana, olvidando que el propio Wundt dudara que todo pudiera expuesto a la experimentación, entre esos aspectos que pudieran ser medidos entraba la psique.

The turn of the psyche to the behavior was not a movement arisen from the bosom of academic wanderings led by scientific reflection; this turn was the consequence of the adaptation that the European disciples of Wundt made when they reached the North American ground; these, when encountering a functionalist and pragmatic tendency to try to converge with it, and the psychism not being able to adapt to the tendency of psychology in that place is changed by Watsonian behavior, forgetting that Wundt himself doubted that everything could be exposed to experimentation, among those aspects that could be measured, included the psyche.