Introspection
Introspection is
contemplation on one's
self, as opposed to
extrospection, the observation of things external to one's self. Introspection may be used synonymously with
self-reflection and used in a similar way.
Cognitive psychology accepts the use of the scientific method, but rejects introspection as a valid method of investigation. It should be noted that
Herbert Simon and
Allen Newell identified the '
thinking-aloud' protocol, in which investigators view a subject engaged in introspection, and who speaks his thoughts aloud, thus allowing study of his introspection.
Introspection was once an acceptable means of gaining insight into psychological phenomena. Introspection was used by German physiologist
Wilhelm Wundt in the
experimental psychology laboratory he had founded in Leipzig in
1879. Wundt believed that by using introspection in his experiments he would gather information into how the subject's minds were working, thus he wanted to examine the mind into its basic elements. Wundt did not invent this way of looking into an individual's mind through their
experiences; rather, it can be dated back to
Socrates. Wundt's distinctive contribution was to take this method into the experimental arena and thus into the newly formed field of psychology.
*Schultz, D. P. & Schultz, S. E. (2004). A history of modern psychology (8th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.
*
Psychophysics*
Choice blindness*
Self-awareness*
Reflection*
A Time to Reflect*
Reflections about Reflections*
Blog Entry on the usage of the term Introspection in the news*
Blog Entry on the usage of the term Reflection in the news*
About.com article on Introspection*
Morganigram - Open introspection and proaction tool based on a self-centered organigram.
