James Mckeen Cattell, Essay Example

Introduction

Born in 1860 in Pennsylvania, James McKeen Cattell became the first American psychologist professor. He was the first born in his family, and his father served as a Presbyterian minister, prior to becoming the Easton College president. His uncle was a senator in New Jersey. At the age of 16, Cattell  joined Lafayette College to pursue English literature. In 1880, he graduated with a M.A bachelor. His first professional career step was to go study philosophy in Europe. At Gottingen, he heard Lotze lecture, and Wundt at Leipzig and he was amused by the two intellects. He wrote an article on Lotze, which saw him win a philosophy fellowship at John Hopkins (Vandome, 2013). He stayed at Hopkins from the year 1882 to 1883 alongside Joseph Jastrow and John Dewey. While here, Stanley established a psychology laboratory at John Hopkins with the help of students. Specifically, Cattell started ‘psychometric investigations’ focused on timing of diverse mental processes. He took his designs and data on advanced apparatus to Germany, and stayed in the laboratory for another three years.

Thesis

James McKeen Cattell profession was successful as he served as an organizer, editor, influencer, and executive in the psychology field.

Cattell Working with other Psychologists

Cattell worked alongside Wundt, and from the onset, he seemed interested in human performance variability and he took his time studying the observations in order to obtain reliable results. He decided to put up his apparatus in his home at Leipzig to allow him extra time to work alongside Wundt (Sharp, 1898). He conducted extensive and thorough study on reaction times, scaling between simple reactions to discriminated ones all the way to controlled association. His concept on reaction times differed with that of Wundt.

Contributions in the Psychology Field

James McKeen Cattell contributions in the psychology field left a mark that continues to receive recognition to date. However, his early attempts in the psychology experiments were deemed by himself and numerous of his friends as unsuccessful. Following the assistance he got from his mentors Galton and Wundt, he attempted to prove that psycho physiological measures were closely related to general achievement and intelligence. His influence is notable, owing to his contributions as an administrative head and psychology professor in the University of Columbia (Cattell, 1944). While in this institution, he dedicated most of his career towards the advancement and improvement of mental testing. As the head of psychology in this university, it received more psychology doctorates than any other university in the United States.

Influence

His influence on his students was great as he allowed them an opportunity to pursue psychology and find their place in it (Buckhalt, 1991). His contributions are noticeable. He became the first psychologist in the United States to introduce a course on statistical analysis. He later established the merit ranking system. He brought the eugenic theory by Galton in the limelight, and gave support to the sterilization of persons will little intelligence. He supported the idea of paying persons with high intelligence upon mating. He published ‘Measurements of the Accuracy of Recollection’ and ‘Mental Tests and Measurements’, and he was among the founders of ‘The Psychological Review’ alongside J. Mark (Cattell, 1903).

Psychology Today

James McKeen Cattell was very productive in research especially after he established his own laboratory. The current research supports his ideas because he adopted a test-oriented and practical approach in studying mental processes, something that psychologists continue to employ to date. Psychology would be incomplete without his contribution because people would still be devoid of knowledge on the effects of drugs on the mental processes (Sokal, 1971). Were it not for his effort, psychologists would probably be exploring the time it takes an individual to name colors or objects.

Conclusion

James McKeen Cattell profession was successful as he served as an organizer, editor, influencer, and executive in the psychology field. Most of his associations and journals are still in existence to date.

References

Buckhalt, J. (1991). Reaction Time and Intelligence: Contemporary Research Supports Cattell’s Abandoned Hypothesis. School Psychology International 12: 355

Sokal, M. M. (1971). The education and psychological career of James McKeen Cattell, 1860-1902. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University, 1971.

Cattell, J. M. (1903). A statistical study of eminent men. Popular Science Monthly, 62, 359-377.

Woodworth, R. S. and Cattell, J. (1860-1944). Psychological Review, 1944, 51, 201-209.

Vandome, R. (2013). The Advancement of Science: James McKeen Cattell and the Networks of Prestige and Authority, 1894–1915. American Periodicals, Vol. 23 No. 2

Thorndike, E. (1988). Further Contributions, Twentieth Anniversary of the Psychological Corporation and To Honor Its Founder, James Mckeen Cattell. Psychological Corporation.

Sharp, S. E. (1898). Individual psychology; a study in psychological method. American Journal of Psychology, 10, 329-391.