PSYC 3125 Chapter Notes - Chapter 6: Lightner Witmer, Lewis Terman, Leta Stetter Hollingworth
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First tests, james cattell 1890, coined term mental test. Adding numbers to psychological qualities quantifies them + makes them scientific objects. Fits in with wanting to make psychology practical, social utility + having scientific status. Testi(cid:374)g (cid:449)as ps(cid:272)(cid:455)holog(cid:455)(cid:859)s (cid:373)ai(cid:374) e(cid:374)dea(cid:448)ors u(cid:374)til after ww(cid:1006) May seem sexist/misguided now, but people at the time thought they were legitimately helping + wanted to preserve social order. Did reaction time, found differences, so became interested in individual differences. Galto(cid:374)(cid:859)s (cid:271)ooked hereditar(cid:455) ge(cid:374)ius, (cid:449)rote o(cid:374) (cid:858)e(cid:373)i(cid:374)e(cid:374)(cid:272)e(cid:859) ru(cid:374)(cid:374)i(cid:374)g i(cid:374) fa(cid:373)ilies. From this believed mental abilities could also be passed on. Galton ignored environmental factors that contributed to eminence. Galton would test people + identify those likely to be eminent while they were young and could procreate. Wanted to show new modern, urban, industrial world. Psychology set itself apart from the everyday psychology (phrenology, mesmerism etc) Contributed to education, first psych clinician was to solve educational problems. Lightner witmer + the preshistory of clinical psychology.
