Psy 525 - Development of Psychological Testing

Development of Psychological Testing

PSYCH/525

Development of Psychological Testing

Psychology it is a very interesting subject, it is the study of the human mind and behavior. For one to understand the human mind, one needs to understand how the mind functions. Wilhelm Wundt recognized the importance of exploring, and researching what causes individual's to act and react to certain things in different ways. Wundt conducted researches with those who he deemed qualified to understand and explain why people think and act a specific way by examining one's self and actions.

History

Wilhelm Wundt a German philosopher, physician, physiologist, psychologist and a professor who is known as the father of experimental psychology. Wundt developed the experimental psychology based on his interest in separating philosophy from psychology by concentrating on how people's minds function and its similarities. "The new discipline was but another arena in which Wundt sought to remove further the discipline of psychology from the realm of philosophic speculation by employing the experimental method. Physiology and the experimental approach were to be employed as aids in the investigation of a subject matter unique to psychology, the manifold of conscious processes" (Sabat, 1979, p. 635).

Wundt was the founder of the first psychology laboratory at the University of Leipzig that brought controversy and at the same time was very influential to others especially students. "This laboratory became a focus for those with a serious interest in psychology, first for German philosophers and psychology students, then for American and British students as well" (Pluker, 2010). Students came for several semesters to study the techniques and some utilized this experience and training to learn, expand, and develop new laboratories.

Significance

The purpose of the experimental laboratory was to prove that psychology was a science, that research and experiments would have outcomes and results. Wundt's experimental psychology seminars consisted of three components. The first component was the introductory course of 15 sessions that consisted of the introduction of the various types of experiments conducted in the laboratory and the apparatus utilized and needed.

The students had to critique and discuss the date collection and were responsible to participate, ask for clarifications during the professor's discussion because at the end of the course students were responsible for developing and presenting a subject of original design. Based on the student's knowledge and solutions to the problems the professor would determine if the student appeared to have learned and gained knowledge in the course. The training provided to the students the impact it caused and