Who is credited with founding the first laboratory of scientific psychology?

Wilhelm Wundt is credited with founding the first laboratory of scientific psychology in 1879 at the University of Leipzig in Germany. This establishment marked a crucial turn in the field of psychology, as it transitioned from philosophical speculation about the mind to systematic experimentation and observation. Wundt aimed to study the structures of consciousness through introspection and empirical methods, creating a foundation for psychology as a distinct scientific discipline.

His work emphasized the importance of using scientific methods to study mental processes, paving the way for future psychological research and theories. This laboratory played a significant role in training psychologists and influenced the development of various schools of thought, such as structuralism. By establishing a formal research environment dedicated to studying psychological phenomena, Wundt set the stage for psychology to emerge as a respected branch of science on par with fields like biology and chemistry.