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Wundt and the founding of his laboratory in 1879
Abstract
The establishment of Wilhelm Wundt's Leipzig Institute for experimental psychology during the Winter Semester of 1879-1880 has been regarded as a major accomplishment in the institutionalization of psychology as a modern science. It is unfortunate that little information is available about the circumstances under which Wundt established and developped his laboratory. Only the date of 1879 has found its way into almost all histories of psychology and in many introductory books. In the first part of the paper, Wundt's early life and his call to Leipzig is presented. In the second part of the paper, the origin, development, and organization of Wundt's laboratory is chronicled. Emphasis is placed on the use of archival materials, documents, and eyewitness accounts.
This article deals with a question raised by the Société Binet's branches in Lyon and Ain, France, about the psychology's role in school-teaching. Though school teachers are not destined to become psychologists, they could take into account some contributions of experimental psychology when teaching and identifying the pupil's aptitude. Chabot and Locard, two theoreticians from Lyon, try to show that the scientist's approach and the teacher's unique stand point are compatible. According to unionist school teachers, who administer the branch in Ain, scientifically-based teaching methods could stimulate the unionist commitment and strengthen the school s democratic ambition.
EnglishThis paper is intended to present the history of the laboratory of psychology at the Sorbonne established by the physiologist Henry Beaunis (1830-1921) and to estimate the contribution of Alfred Binet (1857-1911) at the brilliance of this structure of research. The reconstruction of this history thanks to little known or unpublished documents brought to us to think about the inheritance left by Binet whose laboratory was entrusted after his death to Henri Pieron (1881-1964) then to Paul Fraisse (1911-1996). The article ends by asking the question of the inheritance of the laboratory of psychology at the Sorbonne directed by Binet. francaisCet article est destine a presenter l�histoire du laboratoire de psychologie de la Sorbonne fonde par le physiologiste Henry Beaunis (1830-1921) et a evaluer l�apport d�Alfred Binet (1857-1911) au rayonnement de cette structure de recherche. La reconstitution de cette histoire grâce a des documents peu connus ou inedits nous a amenee a reflechir sur l�heritage laisse par Binet dont le laboratoire a ete confie apres sa mort a Henri Pieron (1881-1964) puis a Paul Fraisse (1911-1996). L�article se termine en posant la question de l�heritage du laboratoire de psychologie de la Sorbonne dirige par Binet.
There is a rich tradition of writings about the foundation of psychology laboratories, particularly in the United States but also in France. Various documents exist concerning former German laboratories in American and French literature. But the most interesting French paper was certainly written by a young psychologist named Victor Henri (1872-1940) who was a close collaborator of Alfred Binet (1857-1911) in the 1890s. Visiting various psychology laboratories, he wrote, in 1893, a clear description of the laboratories of Wundt, G. E. Müller, Martius and Ebbinghaus. An English translation is given of Henri's paper and the historical importance of his contribution is here expounded by contrasting the German and French psychologies of the time.
Between 1892 and 1904, Alfred Binet (1857-1911) produced, in the psychology laboratory of the Sorbonne, a whole set of original works that still remains little known today. He integrated the laboratory, directed by the psychophysiologist Henry Beaunis (1830-1921), in 1891. We describe the circumstances that led Binet to take the direction of this laboratory in 1895 and present scientific investigations that were conducted there by Binet and his collaborators. For Binet, the laboratory was not narrowly limited to a set of rooms where experiments were conducted by means of sophisticated devices (experimental psychology), it was also a working area, regularly organized, where all the psychological documents were classified, whatever their origin (descriptive psychology). We show that Binet was a pioneer who is still little recognized in various areas of experimental psychology. Binet suffered, at the time, from the indifference of his contemporaries, but he especially regretted not being able to attract students to his laboratory due to the absence of diploma-offering programs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).
Since 1890, more than 100 articles about American psychology laboratories and departments have been published, written mostly by and for psychologists. This article explores the development of this genre and shows how psychologists attempted to reconcile their scientific ideals with institutional realities in describing their academic homes. After these accounts are reviewed, it is argued that this historiographic tradition has been shaped by a pervasive ideology of experimentalism and a fascination with the technology of experimentation. In conclusion, it is suggested that the persistent "technophilia" of American psychologists warrants further investigation and offers a promising connection to emerging themes in the history and social studies of science. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Argues against the view that W. Wundt's adult personality and achievements can be attributed to the constricting influences of a neurotic childhood in provincial surroundings. It is hypothesized that Wundt underwent radical changes during his Heidelberg years (1845-1874). (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
This article describes Wundt's laboratory at Leipzig in 1891 as viewed by a Belgian psychologist, J.J. Van Biervliet (1859-1945). Although few French-speaking psychologists worked in Wundt's laboratory, several of those who did reports wrote on how students were trained there. Van Biervliet decided to visit Wundt's laboratory at Leipzig in order to strengthen the foundation of his own laboratory at the University of Ghent and to become familiar with Wundt's experimental techniques. A translation of J.J. Van Biervliet's (1892) article "Experimental Psychology. Wundt's Institute at Leipzig" is presented here as one of the first and most complete articles in French describing the functioning of Wundt's laboratory.
The present paper has two aims : (1) to celebrate the bicentenial of Fechner's birth, and (2) to present an analysis of his fundamental book on psychophysics entitled Elemente der Psychophysik. (1860). Three elements are highlighted : (1) the importance of philosophy and metaphysics in the elaboration of his psychophysics; (2) the importance of Weber's works (1834, 1846) which are analysed here and (3) the importance of the distinction between inner psychophysics (the relation between neurolectric responses and sensation strength) and outer psychophysics (the relation between intensity and the response reflecting sensation strength).
Who was Victor Henri (1872-1940) ?
Victor Henri (1872-1940) was Binet's first collaborator. This article contains a short biography and a presentation ofthe work in psychology of this surprising person forgotten by history. Beginning his scientific studies at the Sorbonne, he met Théodule Ribot, and then Alfred Binet. In 1892, he began experimental work in psychology in the laboratory of physiological Psychology at the Sorbonne. Working with Binet at first in the fields of memory and suggestibility, he then chose a new subject of research : the localisation of tactual sensations. From October 1894 to March 1896, he went to Leipzig to work at Wilhelm Wundt's laboratory in order to continue his work on the tactile sense. In April 1896, he joined Georg Elias Müller's laboratory in Goettingen and submitted a thesis under his direction on this same theme, 5 June 1897. During this long period of time in Germany, Victor Henri was in contact with Binet and even became associated with the program of individual psychology brought into operation by the latter. However, in a very short space of time, Henri deserted psychology integrating in 1898 the physiological laboratory direc- ted by Dastre (1844-1916) in the Sorbonne. Under his direction he submitted a thesis in physico-chemistry (on the 20 February, 1903) before continuing an international scientific career in this field.
Key words : Henri, Binet, history of psychology.
During the 1979–80 academic year psychologists from all over the world will celebrate the centennial of the Institute for Experimental Psychology at Leipzig University, established by Wilhelm Wundt during the winter of 1879–80. First, this paper will present the historical context in which the laboratory method of research instruction developed in nineteenth-century Germany. Next, Wundt's extensive experience with laboratory research before coming to Leipzig will be described. Finally, the origin, development, and organization of Wundt's laboratory will be chronicled, beginning with his call to Leipzig. The implications of Wundt's achievement for modern psychology will be discussed. Emphasis is placed on the use of archival materials, documents, and eyewitness accounts.
Translations are provided of extracts from reports by the French-speaking scholars Alfred Grafé and Emile Durkheim concerning the instructional procedures in place at Wundt's Institute for Experimental Psychology in Leipzig in the summer of 1886. It is stressed that reports such as theirs were of importance, not only to researchers, but also to teachers and administrators concerned with how the new experimental psychology should be taught, especially with respect to practical classes.