hide
Free keywords:
Introspection; Method of thinking aloud; Thought protocols; Verbal self-reports; Assessment of thought processes
Abstract:
A century ago Karl Bühler and Wilhelm Wundt had a controversy concerning the accuracy of self-reports on
thought processes. Whereas Bühler was willing to accept self-reports as valid empirical data, Wundt argued against the validity
of such self-reports. In this article, we discuss this controversy from the perspective of contemporary cognitive psychology
and by taking into account recent empirical data. The focus of the article is on the problems of reactivity and veridicality of
verbal reports and on the topic of unconscious thought processes. The discussion leads to the conclusion that many of the
newer empirical findings discussed support the view once held by Wilhelm Wundt.
