Final answer:
Wilhelm Wundt and William James were founders of psychology, while Sigmund Freud, a neurologist whose work influenced psychology, was critical of its ability to comprehend the unconscious mind. Noam Chomsky influenced the cognitive revolution by highlighting the need to incorporate mental processes back into psychological studies.
Step-by-step explanation:
Two of the most influential figures in the founding of psychology were Wilhelm Wundt and William James, yet neither claimed that the study of psychology was impossible. Wilhelm Wundt is often credited with creating the first laboratory dedicated to psychological research and is one of the founders of psychology as a science separate from philosophy. Conversely, William James, an American psychologist, provided significant contributions to psychological thought and was fundamental to its establishment as a discipline in the United States.
However, an influential figure related to this sentiment might be Sigmund Freud. He was not a psychologist by the current understanding because the field did not exist in the same form during his time. Rather, he was a neurologist whose work laid the groundwork for psychoanalytic theory, which remains impactful despite its empirical challenges. Freud expressed views that the human subconscious held much over which we have little control or awareness, indicating an element of human psychology that may be beyond empirical study or full understanding.
Noam Chomsky later criticized the behaviorism movement and argued that psychology needed to refocus on mental processes to truly understand behavior, implying limitations within previous psychological paradigms.