Describe Titchener’s method of introspection. How did it differ from Wundt’s?
Titchener when conducted introspection analysis was interested in knowing the elements of the subject’s conscious. He was not interested in knowing the detailed description of the object.
He realized that all the subjects, described their experience about the stimulus. For example, a black rose, the subjects talked about the object like they do in their everyday life. This was also important, but Titchener did not want this type of description of the stimulus for his experiments.
Titchener besides being Wundt’s follower, followed the Kuples method of introspection. He wanted a detailed qualitative description. He disagreed with the objective and quantitative view of Wundt.
Titchener wanted to know the components that made up the conscious experience. He was not interested in knowing the synthesis of the elements. Titchener wanted to discover the elements that made up the mind. In terms of British empiricists he wanted to know the atoms that helped build the mind.
Titchener laid emphasis on the elements that make up the mind, while Wundt laid emphasis on the whole matter. Titchener was also inspired by James Mill, and had formed his different view on introspection even before he went to study under Wundt.