Pioneers Who Shaped Psychology's Historical Development
In the late 19th century, the field of psychology began to take shape with the establishment of the first psychology laboratory at the University of Leipzig by Wilhelm Wundt in 1879. This marked a significant milestone in the study of the human mind, setting the stage for the works of many influential psychologists to follow.
One such psychologist was Edward Thorndike, known for his experimental methods using puzzle boxes with animals to study learning. His research paved the way for the development of educational psychology. Thorndike studied under William James at Harvard, who himself made history by offering the first course in "physiological psychology" in the United States and was the first to grant a doctoral degree in psychology in the U.S.
Another notable figure is Harry Harlow, an American psychologist who studied the behavior of monkeys in a laboratory environment. Harlow's research demonstrated that baby monkeys needed psychological and emotional contact in order to thrive, contradicting traditional child rearing advice of the day.
Mary Whiton Calkins, a student of James and Hugo Müsterberg at Harvard, is best known for her studies and writings in self-psychology. Despite completing all of the necessary coursework and requirements for a doctoral degree in psychology, Calkins never received one from Harvard due to the institution's policy against conferring degrees to women. However, she established her own psychology laboratory at Wellesley College in the United States.
Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, Sigmund Freud, an Austrian physician, was making strides in the field of psychoanalysis. Freud is known as the father of psychoanalytic theory, and he began referring to his work as "psychoanalysis" in the late 1890s. He started the International Psychoanalytic Congress in 1908. Freud and his family fled Austria for London in 1938 to escape the Nazi Party, and he passed away in 1939, only a year later.
Alfred Adler and Carl Jung were students of Freud, but their views eventually diverged from his own. Adler developed the concept of individual psychology, while Jung is known for his theories on personality types.
B.F. Skinner, another prominent psychologist, received his doctorate from Harvard in 1931 and spent the majority of his professional career there. Skinner is best known for his work on operant conditioning, a form of behavior modification, and created the operant conditioning chamber, also known as a "Skinner box." His theories of behavior reinforcement led to the creation of token economies, forms of behavior modification still in use today.
Ivan Pavlov, a Russian physiologist, developed the theory of classical conditioning to help explain behavior. He is known for his experiments with dogs and their anticipatory salivation.
Lastly, Alfred Binet, a French psychologist, developed the first attempt to objectively measure intelligence in children, known as the Binet-Simon Scale. His work has laid the foundation for modern intelligence testing.
These pioneers of psychology have left an indelible mark on the field, shaping the way we understand and study the human mind. Their groundbreaking research and theories continue to influence psychology and related fields to this day.
