Thinking and the New Psychology: Imageless Thought 4

Although the birthdate of an experimental psychology can be argued, Wilhelm
Wundts assumption of paternity cannot. It was Wundt in 1874 who marked out the
“new domain of science” and who made the break with -self-observation by
insisting that “all accurate observation implies . . . that the observed object is
independent of the observer.” The psychical processes had to be properly
controlled in order to make objective observation possible. But the transition of
psychology to the laboratory also brought with it some Wundt-imposed restrictions
on the subject matter of experimental psychology.