An Outline of Psychology

The plan of the work is analytic. It sets out from the consideration of the simplest factors in adult mental experience, and endeavours gradually to build up the actual mind from the laws of these simple factors and their groupings. After a general introduction comes a series of four chapters, which deal with the elementary conscious functions. A second series discusses those complex mental processes which are easiest of analysis and lend themselves best to individual treatment. A third series deals in part with still more complicated processes, while in part it pushes the analysis of previous chapters still further. A concluding section surveys the results of the whole enquiry, and indicates the point at which psychology gives place to metaphysics. vi Preface vi Preface The general standpoint of the book is that of the traditional English psychology. The system which is outlined in it, however, stands also in the closest relation to that presented in the more advanced treatises of the German experimental school, Kiilpe's Outlines of Psychology and Wundt's Grundzilge der physiologischen Psychologic. While I have tried to make the present work complete in itself, I have also written with the view of producing a book which should be preparatory to these standard psychologies. At the same time I have not attempted to * boil down ' either of the larger works. The facts recorded have been gathered from them and from many other sources, to which I here make general acknowledgment, — all that is permitted by the scope of my undertaking. But no statements in the text have been taken upon trust, and no experiment is described which I have not myself performed.…