Zur Lage der psychophysischen Sehforschung in Deutschland. Rückblicke - Ausblicke.
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CONTRIBUTORS:
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JOURNAL:
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YEAR:
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2005
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PUB TYPE:
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Journal Article
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SUBJECT(S):
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psychophysical vision research, Wolfgang Metzger, Gestalt psychology, Gestalt theory, history of psychology
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DISCIPLINE:
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Psychology
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HTTP:
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http://gestalttheory.net/gth/
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LANGUAGE:
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German
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PUB ID:
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103-416-290
(Last edited on
2005/05/31 03:19:45 GMT-6)
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SPONSOR(S):
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ABSTRACT:
This article has been written in 1974 on the occasion of Wolfgang Metzger’s 75th birthday but has remained unpublished until now.
The article pays tribute to Prof. Metzger, the director and patriarch of the Psychological Institute in Münster/W., and recounts the author ’s experiences there as a student from 1959-64. It describes Metzger as a teacher and educator, evaluates missed opportunities, discusses the status of experimental psychology between the faculties, and gives an outlook on vision
research in Germany combined with suggestions for the future. Metzger, already at the end of his active career in 1964, was the most respected representative in his field – highly regarded not just in Germany, but also in Italy, Belgium and Japan. His major books, 'Psychologie' and 'Gesetze des Sehens', were unique enabling anyone to learn who wanted to learn. The institute provided all the prerequisites for successful study, inspired and inspiring lectures by the master, a demanding experimental 'Praktikum', an advanced seminar, a library, a photo laboratory, and a mechanics workshop. In addition, students were encouraged to take courses in physiology,
human genetics,and zoology. What was missing were apparatus and laboratory space.
There were not enough new ideas either that would have motivated ambitious students to strive for a revival of the splendid past by embarking on ground-breaking experiments. Regrettably, there was little attempt to participate in the re-orientation of psychology as a discipline in search of neuronal correlates,such as pioneered by Wolfgang Köhler and Hans-Lukas Teuber in the United States and Richard Jung in Freiburg/Br. Rather the institute in Münster remained essentially within the phenomenological tradition of the Gestalt movement, to which Metzger paid ever-lasting tribute in word and print. In turn, students, especially within the inner circle, worshipped Metzger with great adoration. The resulting hierarchy hampered the school by fostering a restrictive atmosphere that made it difficult for nonconformists to
gain recognition. Innovative research was rare; the majority was content by staying within the Gestalt doctrine and only few students aspired to the Ph.D. The association within the philosophical faculty added to the isolation.
An improvement of this situation would have required invited talks by visitors, exchange with neurophysiological laboratories and vigorous competition with international groups. However, none of this was to be found. The demise of the 'Psychologische Forschung', once the leading journal, characterizes the situation. To recover perception research and psychophysics need to be integrated in experimental psychology with positions of their own. Better long-term funding is another prerequisite.
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