What criticisms had been made of the method of introspection before the work of Titchener?
Introspection, over the years had received a lot of criticism. The way Titchener and Kuple experimented it was also criticized. Over a century before, a German writer said that any ways employed, to study introspection had altered conscious experience.
It is also said that the mind is the observing organ, then how can it observe itself. In order to observe one must halt all its activity to notice and observe. Many argued that how could the observing mind, stop and observe its activity.
This was also a point of debate among many. Introspectionists hardly ever agree because of a well trained effort, they have a bias in their observations and are not able to come to a common ground.
There were a huge number of amounts even before Titchener. He tried to overcome some of those doubts, but till the criticism on introspection continued. According to Comte, if the mind had to observe its own activity, it would have to split itself in two parts and that is not possible.