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  • Born April 19, 1801
  • Excelled in school, began medical studies at 16
  • Practiced physics instead of medicine
  • University of Leipzig
  • Injured his eyes in 1839
  • When he recovered he invented psychophysics
  • Died November 18, 1887 at age 86

Psychophysics - a very useful study of the relationship between stimulus intensity and subjective experience (detection) of the stimulus.

Sensation and Perception

  • Was interested in vision
  • Sun after-images
  • Damaged his eyes
  • Pleasure principle
  • Seek pleasure, avoid pain
  • A connection between the mind and the body could be made through a relationship between mental sensation and material stimulus.
  • Stimulus could be easily measured by physical intensity.
  • Stimulus is present at all and can be sensed, or if the stimulus is absent and can not be sensed.

Famous Works:

  • The Little Book of Life After Death
  • On Life After Death
  • Nature From Within

Influences:

  • Fechner’s work also had an impact on Freud.
  • Fechner was interested in the unconscious.
  • He suggested that the unconscious was like an iceberg in that the greater part of the mind lay below the surface and is interacted upon by unseen forces.
  • This suggestion influenced Freud and the development of psychoanalysis.

Citations

"Gustav Theodor Fechner Facts." Gustav Theodor

Fechner - Definition of Gustav Theodor Fechner. Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2010. Web. 7 Oct. 2013.

Jacks, A.. N.p.. Web. 9 Oct 2013.

<http://www.psych.utah.edu/gordon/Classes/Psy4905Docs/PsychHistory/Cards/Fechner.html>.

Johnson, L.. N.p.. Web. 9 Oct 2013.

<http://people.bethel.edu/~johluc/history-

resource/fechner.html>.

Schallhorn, Charles. "Psychophysics." YouTube.

YouTube, 29 Apr. 2012. Web. 7 Oct. 2013

Smith, A. M.. N.p.. Web. 9 Oct 2013.

<http://faculty.frostburg.edu/mbradley/psyography/fechner.html>.

Wozniak, R.. N.p.. Web. 9 Oct 2013.

<http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/Mind/Consciousness.html>.

Activity

Physical Stimulus and Mental Sensations

*We will need 5 volunteers

*Each person will be blindfolded

*Blindfolded, each person will use their other senses to describe what they hear, feel, smell, and taste (if edible)

*Each person will explain what memories/feelings the the object the stimulate

Biography

Video Clip

School of Thought

Gustav Fechner

1801-1887

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