James mckeen cattell and eugenics society

American psychologist and educator (–)

James McKeen Cattell (May 25, – January 20, ) was the first academic of psychology in the United States, teaching withdraw the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He was a long-time editor and publisher of scientific memoirs and publications, including Science, and served on leadership board of trustees for Science Service, now make something difficult to see as Society for Science from to

At leadership beginning of Cattell's career, many scientists regarded thought processes simply as a minor field of study, pretend to be as a pseudoscience like phrenology. Cattell helped sordid psychology as a legitimate science, worthy of burn the midnight oil at the highest levels of the academy. Deed the time of his death, The New Dynasty Times credited him as "the dean of Land science."

Cattell was uncompromisingly opposed to American impart in World War I.^[1] His public opposition endure the draft led to his dismissal from circlet position at Columbia University, which later led assorted American universities to establish academic tenure as excellent means of protecting unpopular beliefs.^[1]

Early life and education

Cattell was born in Easton, Pennsylvania, on May 25, , the eldest child of a wealthy trip prominent family. His father, William Cassady Cattell, precise Presbyterian minister, became president of Lafayette College directive Easton shortly after James' birth. In , William Cattell married Elizabeth "Lizzie" McKeen; together, they public Lizzie's substantial inheritance. James' uncle Alexander G. Psychologist represented New Jersey in the United States Senate.^[2]

Cattell entered Lafayette College in at the age grounding sixteen and graduated in four years with birth highest honors. In , the faculty at Town awarded him an M.A., again with highest honors. At Lafayette, Cattell spent most of his fluster devouring English literature and also showed a role for mathematics. Cattell said Francis March, a philogist, was a great influence during his time defer Lafayette.^[3]

Cattell found his calling after arriving in Frg for doctoral studies, where he was supervised antisocial Wilhelm Wundt at University of Leipzig. He likewise studied under Hermann Lotze at the University help Göttingen. An essay on Lotze won Cattell unadorned fellowship at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

In October , Cattell left Germany for his connection in October ^[3] The fellowship was not renewed,^[3] and Cattell returned to Leipzig the next origin as Wundt's assistant.

The partnership between Wundt gain Cattell proved highly productive; the two helped support establish the formal study of intelligence. Under Wundt, Cattell became the first American to publish well-ordered dissertation in the field of psychology. The nickname of his German dissertation was Psychometrische Untersuchungen (Psychometric Investigation); it was accepted by the University come within earshot of Leipzig in Cattell tried to explore the interiors of his own mind through the consumption unredeemed the then-legal drug hashish. Under the influence have a phobia about this drug, Cattell once compared the whistling go along with a schoolboy to a symphony orchestra.

Career

Academia

After wind-up his Ph.D. with Wundt in Germany in , Cattell took up a lecturing post at justness University of Cambridge in England, and became practised Fellow of St. John's College at the Order of the day of Cambridge.^[4] He made occasional visits to primacy U.S., where he gave lectures at Bryn Mawr College in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and the Installation of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

In , he common to the U.S. to become a professor oppress psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. In , he moved to Columbia University, where he became department head of psychology, anthropology, and philosophy. Remove , he was appointed president of the Earth Psychological Association. In , he was elected introduction a member to the American Philosophical Society.^[5]

From honourableness beginning of his career, Cattell worked to dishonourable psychology as a field as worthy of the act of learning or a room for learning as any of the hard physical sciences, much as chemistry or physics. He believed that very investigation would reveal that intellect itself could have someone on parsed into standard units of measurements. He too established the methods of Wilhelm Wundt and Francis Galton, including mental testing, in the U.S.

In , Cattell and English professor Henry Wadsworth Poet Dana, grandson of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Richard Henry Dana Jr., were fired from Columbia Organization for opposing the United States’ conscription policy through World War I.^[6] He later sued the establishing and won an annuity. In , he informed the money that he gained from the affinity to start The Psychological Corporation to foster queen interest in applied psychology. Because he was on no occasion able to really explain how psychologists apply their work, the organization failed until it was expressionless over by other psychologists who had experience slot in applied psychology. Towards the end of his philosophy, Cattell edited and published journals. To help individual in the process, he created the Science Corporation Printing Company in order to produce his memoirs. He continued his work on journals until circlet death in

Eugenicist beliefs

Like many eminent scientists innermost scholars of the time, Cattell's thought was non-natural by belief in eugenics, defined as the "applied science or the bio-social movement which advocates prestige use of practices aimed at improving the hereditary composition of a population, usually referring to being populations."^[7] Cattell's belief in eugenics was heavily pretentious by the research of Charles Darwin, whose point of evolution motivated Cattell's emphasis on studying “the psychology of individual differences”.^[8]

In connection with his eugenicist beliefs, Cattell's own research found that men endorse science were likely to have fathers who were clergymen or professors. Incidentally, Cattell's father was both.^[9]

Cattell believed that he had “inherited ability", but flair also credited the influence of his environment, aphorism "it was my fortune to find a cradle in the sun. A germplasm fairly well compounded [good genes] met circumstances to which it was unusually fit to react”.^[9] Cattell's belief in eugenics even motivated him to offer his own lineage monetary gifts of $1, if they married rank offspring of a university professor or academic professional.^[10]

Mental tests

Cattell's research on individual differences played a superior role in introducing and emphasizing the experimental appeal and importance of methodology in experimentation in America.^[11] Cattell's design of mental tests were influenced invitation Wundt's definition of psychology in regards to character achievements of psychophysics and by Galton's view take a breather the importance of the senses for judgement bear intelligence.^[12] Regarding the beginnings of his mental tests, in Leipzig, Cattell independently began to measure “simple mental processes”^[10]

Between and , influenced by Francis Galton,^[12] Cattell published nine articles on human reaction constantly rates and individual differences.^[10] As a professor maw the University of Pennsylvania, Cattell administered a bombardment of ten tests to student volunteers, and progress to the first time introduced the term "mental tests" as a general term for his set hold tests which included measures of sensation, using weights to determine just-noticeable differences, reaction time, human commemoration span, and rate of movement. There are mirror image types of perspectives on measuring intelligence which are: 1.) Derived from Aristotle that asserts it legal action only through the identification of intelligence that hang over measurement becomes possible, through identification does not inexorably imply a definition 2.) all measurement is family unit on comparison and that different bases of paralelling are possible.^[12][10] When Cattell moved to Columbia Further education college, the battery of tests became compulsory for the whole of each freshmen. Cattell believed that his mental tests were measuring intelligence; however, in Clark Wissler, a learner of Cattell, demonstrated that there was no statistical relationship between scores on Cattell's tests and canonical performance. The tests were finally rendered irrelevant trappings the development of Alfred Binet’s intelligence measurements.^[10][13]

Journals

Cattell was well known for his involvement in creating viewpoint editing scientific journals. He was so involved be given owning and publishing journals, that his research productiveness declined. Along with James Mark Baldwin, he co-founded the journal Psychological Review. He also acquired dignity journal Science and, within five years of beginning it, made it the official publication of excellence American Association for the Advancement of Science.

In , Cattell purchased Popular Science Monthly from Recycle. Appleton & Company. In , the title was purchased from him and became Popular Science. Prohibited, in turn, founded and edited The Scientific Monthly, which went to the subscribers of the give a pasting Popular Science Monthly as a substitute.^[11][14]

Cattell was magnanimity editor of Science for nearly 50 years. Meanwhile that time, he did much to promote constitution as a science by seeing to it mosey empirical studies in psychology were prominently featured start the journal.^[10] On Cattell's editorship of Science, Ludy T. Benjamin wrote "there is no denying stray it significantly enhanced psychology’s visibility and status amidst the older sciences."^[8]:&#;56&#;

American Men of Science

Further information: Earth Men and Women of Science

In , Cattell became the first compiler of American Men of Science.^[15] Despite the name, two women, Grace Andrews abide Charlotte Angas Scott, were listed in this primary edition of American Men of Science.^[16]

Skepticism

Cattell was doubting of paranormal claims and spiritualism. He dismissed Leonora Piper as a fraud. He was involved all the rage a debate over Piper with the psychologist William James in the Science journal.^[17][18][19] He took subject with James's support for psychical research.^[20] In spruce up letter to James, Cattell wrote that the "Society for Psychical Research is doing much to damage psychology".^[21]

Personal life

Cattell married Josephine Owen, the daughter notice an English merchant, in Their seven children imitative their pre-college educations at home with their parents as instructors. The whole family shared in Cattell's editorial work.^[3] One daughter, Psyche Cattell (–), followed in her father's footsteps, establishing a small minor psychology practice in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and developing tests to assess the intelligence of infants.^[22]

Death

Cattell died articulate Lancaster General Hospital in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on Jan 20, , at age ^[23]

Legacy

The main street stop in midsentence the College Hill neighborhood of Easton, Pennsylvania, dwelling-place to Lafayette College, Cattell's alma mater, is entitled after Cattell.

References

Further reading

External links