- Used Introspection extensively; much training was required to get it right.
- Sought description of basic, raw sensations (elements of thought). Must not report labels, meanings, etc
- Ultimate goal: Identify basic elements of the mind and how they interact. He used a physical science model of psychology.
Sensations can be described in terms of 4 dimensions: - mode, quality, intensity, duration
Feelings accompany sensations and they can be described by three dimensions:
- pleasantness-unpleasantness, excitement-calm, strain-relaxation.
Perception is Passive; Apperception is active.
- rearrangement of elements into new configurations - Creative Synthesis.
Used Reaction Time as a tool to study consciousness and mental processes.
Volkerpsychologie (last 20 years of his life)
- Language, religion, morality art, etc could be explained by sensation, apperception, and other basic elements of his system. However, these complex higher functions could not be studied experimentally.