Ernst Heinrich Weber

Ernst Heinrich Weber (Wittenberg, Saxony, June 24, 1795 – Leipzig, January 26, 1878) was a German physician who is considered one of the founders of experimental psychology. Weber was an influential and important figure in the areas of physiology and psychology during his lifetime and beyond. His studies of sensation and touch, together with his emphasis on good experimental techniques, opened up new directions and areas of study for future psychologists, physiologists, and anatomists.

Ernst Weber was born into an academic background, with his father serving as a professor at the University of Wittenberg. Weber became a physician, specializing in anatomy and physiology. Two of his younger brothers, Wilhelm and Eduard, were also influential in academia, both as scientists with one specializing in physics and the other in anatomy. Ernst became a lecturer and professor at the University of Leipzig and remained there until his retirement.

Early Years

Ernst Heinrich Weber was born on June 24, 1795 in Wittenberg, Saxony, Holy Roman Empire, the son of Michael Weber, a professor of theology at the University of Wittenberg. At an early age, Weber became interested in physics and the sciences after being heavily influenced by Ernst Chladni, a physicist often referred to as the "father of acoustics". Weber completed secondary school in Meissen. and began studying medicine at the University of Wittenberg in 1811. He then went on to receive his doctorate in 1815 at the University of Leipzig. The fighting and the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars forced Weber to relocate from Wittenberg. He became an assistant at the JC Clarus & # 39; in Leipzig in 1817 and then professor of comparative anatomy in 1818 at the University of Leipzig. He became an exponent of human anatomy at the university in 1821. Ernst Weber's first direct contribution to psychology came in 1834 when he tried to describe the sensation of touch.

Contributions

Just-Noticeable Difference: Weber describes it, as follows, "by observing the disparity between things being compared, we do not perceive the difference between things, but the reason for this difference in the magnitude of the things compared." That is, they are able to distinguish the relative difference, not the absolute difference between the elements. Or, we can discern between some constant relationship, not a constant difference. Weber's first work with JND had to do with differences in weight, in that JND is the "minimum amount of difference between two weights necessary to distinguish them". Thus, Weber found that the best discrimination between the weights was when they differed by 3%. For example, if you were holding a 100g block, the second block would have to weigh at least 103g in order to tell a difference. Weber also suspects that a constant fraction applies to all senses, but is different for each sense. When comparing differences in line length, there must be at least 0.01 difference in order to distinguish the two. When comparing music, there has to be at least 0.006 vibrations per second difference. So for all senses, some increase in measurement is needed in order to tell a difference.

Weber's Law: Weber's Law, named after Gustav Theodor Fechner, helps teach which psychological events can be studied in conjunction with measurable physical stimulant values.

ΔR/R = k

ΔR: amount of stimulation that needs to be added to JND

A: amount of existing stimulation

K: constant (different for each sense)

Weber's law has been found to be invalid at the extremes of a range of intensities. Fechner was inspired by Weber's law and developed what we know today as Fechner's law. Fechner's law varies and was further advanced in the fact that Fechner had developed new methods for measuring JND in directions, making them more precise.

Experimental Psychology: For most of his career, Weber worked with his brothers Wilhelm and Eduard, and with their partner Gustav Theodor Fechner. Throughout these working relationships, Weber completed the research on the central nervous system, auditory system, brain anatomy and function, circulation, etc., and much of the research on sensory physiology and psychology. The following items are part of Weber's contributions to experimental psychology:

Experimental Wave Theory: studied the flow and movement of waves in liquids and elastic tubes.

Hydrodynamics: discovering the laws and applying them to circulation in 1821, Weber launched a series of experiments in the physics of fluids in 1821 with his younger brother Wilhelm. This investigation was the first detailed account of hydrodynamic principles in the circulation of the blood. Weber continued his blood research and in 1827, he made another significant find. Weber explained the elasticity of the blood vessels in the movement of blood in the aorta in a continuous flow to the capillaries and arterioles.

Two-Point Threshold Technique: Helped map tactile sensitivity and acuity in the body using the compass technique. The points of a compass would be set at different distances to see how far apart the points of the compass are perceived as two points rather than a single separate point. Weber also wrote about this and tested other ideas about sensation including a terminal threshold, which is the highest intensity that an individual could detect before the sensation becomes undetectable any longer.

Weber illusion: an "experience of two points diverging when stimulation moves over insensitive areas and converging on two points when moving over sensitive areas" The use of Weber's techniques such as multivariate testing, precise measurements, and research on sensory psychology and sensory physiology lay the groundwork for the acceptance of experimental psychology as a field and provide new insights for fellow psychologists. from the XIX century to expand knowledge.

Last years of his career

In 1817, Weber was appointed to the Dozent of Psychology in Leipzig. He moved on to become Professor of Anatomy the following year (1818). He held the position for many years, eventually becoming Professor of Psychology towards the end of his life.In his later life, Weber became less involved in testing and experimentation, although he was still interested in psychology. sensory physiology. Ernst Heinrich Weber retired from the University of Leipzig in 1871. He continued to work with his brother, Eduard, and his work with nerve stimulation and muscle suppression led to inhibitory responses as a popular therapy of the time. Ernst Weber died in 1878 in Leipzig, Germany.

Posts

In a book titled De Tactu, which translates to "As soon as I touch" in Spanish, he decided that there was a sensitivity threshold for each individual. The two-point threshold, the shortest distance between two points that a person determines to be two points and not one, was Weber's first discovery and was written about in his book, One touch: anatomical and physiological notes. Weber's greatest influence was in the field of experimental psychology, as he was one of the first scientists to test his ideas on the human being. Meticulous notes from him and new ideas from test subjects described in his book Der und das Tastsinn gemeingefühl (in Spanish: & # 34; The sense of touch and common sensitivity & # 34;). They led EB Titchener to call the work "the cornerstone of experimental psychology". The book describes the blood circulation research, Wellenlehre, auf Experimenten gegrϋndet (in Spanish: "Wave Theory, Founded on Experiments") became instantly recognized as very important to physics and physiology. This research paved the way for future instruction, although it was not formally published until 1850, with the culmination of the rest of his blood research in a book entitled Ueber die Anwendung der Wellenlehre auf die Lehre vom Kreislauf des Blutes und auf die insbesondere Pulslehre. (in Spanish: "Regarding the application of the wave theory to the theory of blood circulation and, in particular, on the teaching of pulse")

• Anatomy comparta nervi sympathici (1817)
• De aure et auditu hominis et animalium (1820)
• Tractatus de motu iridis (1821)
• Wellenlehre auf Experimente gegrűndet (1825)

Works together with his brothers Wilhelm Eduard Weber and Eduard Friedrich Weber:

• Zusätze zur Lehre vom Bau und von der Verrichtung der Geschlechtsorgane (1846)
• Die Lehre vom Tastsinn und Gemeingefühl (185l)
• Annotationes anatomicae et physiologicae (1851)

Influences and legacy

Weber is often cited as the pioneer or father of experimental psychology. He was the first to carry out true psychological experiments that remain valid. Although most psychologists at the time carried out work behind desks, Weber was actively conducting experiments, manipulating only one variable at a time in order to obtain more precise results. This paved the way for the field of psychology as an experimental science and opened the way for the development of even more precise and intense research methods. One of Weber's greatest influences was on Gustav Fechner. Weber was appointed the Dozent of Psychology at the University of Leipzig the same year that Fechner enrolled. Weber's work sensationally inspired Fechner to further the work and go on to develop Weber's law. At the time of the sensation of his work, Weber did not fully realize the implications that his experiments would have on stimulus comprehension and sensory response.