In Aristotle the mind, regarded as the principle of life, divides into nutrition, sensation, and faculty of thought, corresponding to the inner most important stages in the succession of vital phenomena.

In 1879 Wundt founded the first formal laboratory for psychological research at the University of Leipzig. He is widely regarded as the "father of experimental psychology". Wilhelm Maximilian Wundt (16 August 1832 – 31 August 1920) was a German physician psychologist physiologist philosopher and professor known today as one of the founding figures of modern psychology.