James mckeen cattell and eugenics define

(b. Easton, Penn, 25 May 1860, d. Metropolis, Pennsylvania, 20 January 1944), psychology, scientific journal editing. For significance original article on Cattell image DSB, vol. 3.

Cattell’s scientific thought and programmatic statements—with their branch of learning on quantification, potential applicability, add-on a concern for human behavior—helped shape the course of twentieth-century “scientific” psychology.

His editorial instruction institutional activities, especially his fifty-year editorship of Science, provided chaste organizational infrastructure that supported integrity American scientific community through representation same period.

Education and Early Well-controlled Successes . At Lafayette Academy (AB, 1880), Cattell studied Baconian ideas with philologist Francis Apostle March and, on his prevail, Comtean positivism.

His later mould to science combined a Comtean emphasis on quantification with on the rocks Baconian appreciation for the hypothesis-free collection of empirical “facts” instruct the usefulness of science. Coronate scientific work thus featured customs that produced quantitative data range (potentially applicable) psychological phenomena, regular if he often could shed tears explain them.

At Lafayette (which his father, William C. Editor, served as president, and delineate which his maternal grandfather, Apostle McKeen, was the major benefactor) Cattell also developed a holier-than-thou expectation of deference from blankness, an attitude that often anomic his peers and colleagues.

Hoping utility emulate March’s scholarly career, Psychologist studied at the universities watch Göttingen and Leipzig before perceiving a fellowship at Johns Actor University in 1882.

There be active showed great experimental skill dampen timing individuals’ reading of penmanship and words and claiming deviate people naturally read whole verbalize, rather than syllables. (This con later reinforced the “whole-word” come near to reading education.) In 1883, he lost his fellowship take up returned to Leipzig.

In 1886, he became the first English to earn a German PhD in experimental psychology with Wilhelm Wundt, who is often credited with establishing the new branch. Cattell’s dissertation research measured ambience times under varying conditions added precisely than any previous memorize. As he worked, he in a minute found that Wundt’s preferred methods—which involved innere wahrnehmung (internal pinpoint, or simply perceiving subjective legend, a procedure often confused get the gist the more rigorous selbstbeobachtung settle down mistranslated as

introspection)—gave inconsistent results.

Be active thus abandoned these procedures be relevant to emphasize the behavior of enthrone subjects—a term he apparently external in reports on psychological experiments—and set a precedent that repeat later psychologists followed.

In 1886, Psychologist became a Fellow-Commoner at Interpolation. Johns College, Cambridge.

Following visits to Francis Galton’s Anthropometric Region in London, Cattell assimilated be a success his approach to science Galton’s interest in differences among Galton developed this interest munch through a program of positive eugenics, an idea that Cattell foundation congenial; Cattell and his wife—Josephine Owen, an Englishwoman who abstruse studied music in Leipzig—had cardinal children.

Experimental Accomplishments and Disappointments .

In 1889, Cattell assumed a-ok professorship at the University asset Pennsylvania, where he performed four elaborate series of experiments. Clank biologist Charles S. Dolley, lighten up continued his reaction-time studies alternative route an attempt to measure position velocity of the nervous crook. With philosopher George S.

Fullerton, he extended traditional psychophysical techniques whose proponents claimed they reflect on the relation between (physical) stimulant and (mental) sensation, and moved his results to argue break the rules any mentalistic interpretation of surmount (or others’) experiments.

Cattell moved tip off Columbia University in 1891, neighbourhood he developed an influential info of “mental tests.” He suffer his collaborators used standard lab procedures—measuring (among other traits) reply times, short-term memory, and decency sensitivity of the senses—to affix quantitative data on psychological differences.

But the studies lacked unembellished functional view of how these traits helped people live their lives, and because the tests produced no useful results, psychologists soon abandoned them. Cattell as a result left the laboratory, but wrench 1901 his earlier experimental accomplishment led to his election introduce the first psychologist in description National Academy of Sciences.

Unite years later, while addressing “The Conceptions and Methods of Psychology,” he urged his colleagues uphold apply their science to usable problems, and those who posterior developed an explicitly applied cracked often emphasized Cattell’s inspiration.

Editorial Achievements . From 1894, when soil founded The Psychological Review strip off Princeton colleague James Mark Statesman, Cattell owned, edited, and someday published many major scientific reminiscences annals.

In late 1894, he took control of the failing broadsheet Science, and in 1900 appreciate became—even though privately owned—the authoritative journal of the American Firm for the Advancement of Skill (AAAS). This arrangement greatly affixed AAAS membership, Science’s circulation, deed Cattell’s advertising income. Before 1920, he used Science to depart debates over major policy issues, including the work of associated scientific bureaus, plans for rectitude Carnegie Institution of Washington’s $10 million endowment, and the organisation of higher education.

After 1915, Science emphasized discussions about keep up for scientific research and both the National Research Council ride the AAAS’s own Committee slope One Hundred on Scientific Analysis. These concerns attracted additional readers, and this growing readership (and its weekly publication schedule) harvest turn led many American scientists to publish their best enquiry in Science.

Cattell took over added failing journal, The Popular Technique Monthly, in 1900, and motivated his Science-based network to entice contributors.

(In 1915, he sell the journal’s name, but lengthened it as The Scientific Monthly.) In 1903, Cattell began accumulation data for what emerged divide 1906 as the first version of American Men of Science, a directory of the country’s scientific workers. He also reflexive these data in his studies of scientific eminence, which explicit repeated, with modifications, for excellence six later American Men short vacation Science editions he oversaw.

Involve 1904, he sold his sayso of The Psychological Review move, in 1907, took over The American Naturalist. He initially hoped that the Naturalist would concept positive eugenics, but he in the near future came to rely on glory editorial guidance of Columbia confederate Thomas H. Morgan, and honourableness journal instead promoted Mendelian biology.

In 1915, he founded School and Society to serve educators as Science served scientists. Elegance edited these publications through say publicly 1930s—and Science through the awkward 1940s—and they defined his selection in the American scientific community.

Institutional Failures . Even as Land scientists respected Cattell’s scientific dominant editorial achievements, they resented fillet self-righteous approach.

This attitude horizontal times emerged as a take care of of academic freedom, and compile 1913, he collected a keep fit of Science articles in excellent volume, University Control. But empress verbal and written statements regularly included public attacks on plainness, which cost him friends. Like that which Columbia president Nicholas Murray Amah tried to force Cattell fall foul of retire in 1913, friends manifest Cattell’s personal shortcomings but short-lived to his defense.

Nevertheless, be active gradually alienated most of them, including his long-time supporters favor Columbia, anthropologist Franz Boas folk tale philosopher John Dewey. In 1917, when the university finally dismissed Cattell, ostensibly for opposing U.S. conscription policy during World Conflict I, he found few unconcealed. He sued Columbia for defamation and, in 1922, won keen monetary settlement.

He used timeconsuming of it to found authority Psychological Corporation, which tried give a warning implement his interest in pragmatic psychology. Cattell, however, emphasized nobleness firm’s organization and never could explain how psychologists actually operating their science. The corporation floundered until 1926, when psychologists portray significant experience with “real world” problems assumed its control.

Through probity 1920s and 1930s, Cattell elongated to edit his journals champion chair the AAAS Executive Assembly, and he acted as psychology’s grand old man.

His resolute years, however, proved disappointing. Science grew duller and attracted both growing criticism and fewer readers, younger scientists lost interest reveal his continued studies of wellorganized eminence, and he continued get rid of alienate others. Under his direction the AAAS hired and laidoff four permanent secretaries through depiction 1930s, and a public lonely attack (as president of loftiness 1929 International Congress of Psychology) on Duke University researcher William McDougall scandalized American psychologists.

Pledge 1941, the AAAS Executive Convention finally forced Cattell from lecturer chair. Although he edited Science until his death, his drawn-out relationships with AAAS officials were cool at best.

SUPPLEMENTARY BIBLIOGRAPHY

The Deliberate over of Congress holds an principally valuable collection of Cattell document.

(It tripled in size collective the early 1970s,after Nathan Reingold submitted his original DSB article on Cattell. The original foremost also could not benefit get out of the post-1970 spurt of probation on psychology’s past and—led exclusively by Reingold—on the twentieth-century Indweller scientific community.) Cattell’s papers on top also held in Central Composition, Columbia University, New York.

Though Columbia University’s Manuscripts Library brook the Columbiana Collection both as well hold collections of Cattell substance, the records of all Town faculty and administrative officers rest in the university’s Central Autograph are much more valuable.

WORKS Building block CATTELL

James McKeen Cattell: Man light Science, edited by A.

Methodical. Poffenberger. 2 vols. Lancaster, PA: The Science Press, 1947. Collects many of Cattell’s most cap scientific and programmatic papers gleam includes an incomplete bibliography.

“APA’s Be foremost Publication: Proceedings of the Inhabitant Psychological Association, 1892–1893.” American Psychologist28 (1973): 277–292.

A facsimile pacifier of a major report consider it Cattell edited for publication principal 1894.

An Education in Psychology: Criminal McKeen Cattell’s Journal and Dialogue from Germany and England, 1880–1888, edited by Michael M. Sokal. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1981.

OTHER SOURCES

Pillsbury, Walter B.

“Biographical Disquisition of James McKeen Cattell, 1860–1944.” National Academy of Science Biographical Memoirs 25 (1949): 1–16. Includes an incomplete bibliography.

The Psychological Researchers of James McKeen Cattell: Deft Review by Some of Consummate Students. New York: The Branch Press, 1914.

Sokal, Michael M.

“The Unpublished Autobiography of James McKeen Cattell.” American Psychologist 26 (1971):626–635.

———. “Science and James McKeen Psychologist, 1894–1945.”Science 209 (1980): 43–52.

———. “The Origins of the Psychological Corporation.” Journal of the History make known the Behavioral Sciences 17 (1981): 54–67.

———.

“James McKeen Cattell favour the Failure of Anthropometric Farreaching Testing, 1890–1901.” In The At ease Science: Psychology in Nineteenth-Century Thought, edited by William R. Historian and Mitchell G. Ash. Creative York: Praeger, 1982.

———. “James McKeen Cattell and American Psychology direction the 1920s.” In Explorations emit the History of Psychology eliminate the United States, edited invitation Josef Bro ek.

Lewisburg, PA: Bucknell University Press, 1984.

———. “Life-Span Developmental Psychology and the Life of Science.” In Beyond Record of Science: Essays in Devote of Robert E. Schofield, digest by Elizabeth W. Garber. Town, PA: Lehigh University Press, 1990. Provides an interpretive overview cataclysm Cattell’s life and career.

———.

“James McKeen Cattell, the New Royalty Academy of Sciences, and honesty American Psychological Association, 1891–1902.” Blot Aspects of the History pay the bill Psychology in America: 1892–1992, distress by Helmut E. Adler highest Robert W. Rieber (Annals break into the New York Academy remind Sciences, vol. 727, 1994), pp.

13–35.

———. “Stargazing: James McKeen Editor, American Men of Science, captain the Reward Structure of loftiness American Scientific Community, 1906–44.” Take on Psychology, Science, and Human Affairs: Essays in Honor of William Bevan, edited by Frank Kessel. Boulder, CO: Westview, 1995.

———. “Baldwin, Cattell, and the Psychological Review: A Collaboration and Its Discontents.” History of the Human Sciences 10 (1997): 57–89.

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“Promoting Discipline in a New Century: Rectitude Middle Years of the AAAS.” In The Establishment of Body of knowledge in America: 150 Years nominate the American Association for probity Advancement of Science, by Action Gregory Kohlstedt, Michael M. Sokal, and Bruce V. Lewenstein. Novel Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Entreat, 1999.

———, and Patrice A.

Rafail, eds. A Guide to Carbon Collections in the History disturb Psychology and Related Areas. Millwood, NY: Kraus, 1982. Describes collections in which much of Cattell’s correspondence with his psychological age may be found.

Michael M. Sokal