Oswald Külpe
Encyclopedia
Oswald Külpe was one of the structural psychologists of the late 19th and early 20th century.
, Courland, and in 1879 graduated from the Gymnasium at Libau
, where he taught for the next two years.
Külpe was a student of history at the University of Leipzig
when he encountered Wilhelm Wundt
and decided to change his major to work with Wundt. When he graduated, he became Wundt's assistant. He was influenced strongly by Wundt, but later disagreed with him on the complexity of human consciousness that could be studied.
At Leipzig, he became somewhat impatient with the strictures that Wundt had placed on what could and could not be studied and left Leipzig for the University of Würzburg
. There, he began to practice what he called systematic experimental introspection
. His subjects would complete complex tasks and then provide a retrospective account of their cognitive processes during the task. His main finding, known as "imageless thought" seemed to be that thoughts can occur without a particular sensory
or imaginal
content.
Külpe left Würzburg in 1909. After three years at the University of Bonn
, Külpe moved to the University of Munich in 1912. Ernst Bloch and Henry J. Watt
were among his pupils.
Biography
He was born at KandauKandava
Kandava is a town in Latvia. As a settlement, it is first mentioned in written sources in 1230.-See also:*List of cities in Latvia...
, Courland, and in 1879 graduated from the Gymnasium at Libau
Liepaja
Liepāja ; ), is a republican city in western Latvia, located on the Baltic Sea directly at 21°E. It is the largest city in the Kurzeme Region of Latvia, the third largest city in Latvia after Riga and Daugavpils and an important ice-free port...
, where he taught for the next two years.
Külpe was a student of history at the University of Leipzig
University of Leipzig
The University of Leipzig , located in Leipzig in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, is one of the oldest universities in the world and the second-oldest university in Germany...
when he encountered Wilhelm Wundt
Wilhelm Wundt
Wilhelm Maximilian Wundt was a German physician, psychologist, physiologist, philosopher, and professor, known today as one of the founding figures of modern psychology. He is widely regarded as the "father of experimental psychology"...
and decided to change his major to work with Wundt. When he graduated, he became Wundt's assistant. He was influenced strongly by Wundt, but later disagreed with him on the complexity of human consciousness that could be studied.
At Leipzig, he became somewhat impatient with the strictures that Wundt had placed on what could and could not be studied and left Leipzig for the University of Würzburg
University of Würzburg
The University of Würzburg is a university in Würzburg, Germany, founded in 1402. The university is a member of the distinguished Coimbra Group.-Name:...
. There, he began to practice what he called systematic experimental introspection
Introspection
Introspection is the self-observation and reporting of conscious inner thoughts, desires and sensations. It is a conscious and purposive process relying on thinking, reasoning, and examining one's own thoughts, feelings, and, in more spiritual cases, one's soul...
. His subjects would complete complex tasks and then provide a retrospective account of their cognitive processes during the task. His main finding, known as "imageless thought" seemed to be that thoughts can occur without a particular sensory
Sense
Senses are physiological capacities of organisms that provide inputs for perception. The senses and their operation, classification, and theory are overlapping topics studied by a variety of fields, most notably neuroscience, cognitive psychology , and philosophy of perception...
or imaginal
Mental image
A mental image is an experience that, on most occasions, significantly resembles the experience of perceiving some object, event, or scene, but occurs when the relevant object, event, or scene is not actually present to the senses...
content.
Külpe left Würzburg in 1909. After three years at the University of Bonn
University of Bonn
The University of Bonn is a public research university located in Bonn, Germany. Founded in its present form in 1818, as the linear successor of earlier academic institutions, the University of Bonn is today one of the leading universities in Germany. The University of Bonn offers a large number...
, Külpe moved to the University of Munich in 1912. Ernst Bloch and Henry J. Watt
Henry J. Watt
Henry Jackson Watt was a Scottish experimental psychologist. He was student of Oswald Külpe and a member of the Würzburg School. He is perhaps best known for his pioneering work on mental set in problem solving, what he referred to as "einstellung" or "task mental set".Watt was born and raised in...
were among his pupils.
Major works
- Grundriss der Psychologie (Outlines of Psychology), 1893.
- Einleitung in die Psychologie (1895; sixth edition, 1913; English translation, 1897)
- Philosophie der Gegenwart in Deutschland (1902; fifth edition, 1911)
- Immanuel KantImmanuel KantImmanuel Kant was a German philosopher from Königsberg , researching, lecturing and writing on philosophy and anthropology at the end of the 18th Century Enlightenment....
(1907; third edition, 1912) - Psychologie und Medizin (1912)
- Die Realisierung (Realization) 3 volumes, 1912-23.