Abstract

ARAUJO, Saulo de Freitas. The past and future of experimental psychology: contributions of Fechner, Wundt, and James. Psicol. pesq. [online]. 2020, vol.14, n.3, pp. 23-43. ISSN 1982-1247.  http://dx.doi.org/10.34019/1982-1247.2020.v14.30297.

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.

Keywords : Experimental psychology; History of psychology; Gustav Fechner; Wilhelm Wundt; William James.

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