Edwin Boring
Edwin Boring | |
---|---|
Born | Edwin Garrigues Boring 23 October 1886 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US |
Died | 1 July 1968 | (aged 81)
Alma mater | Cornell University |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Experimental psychology |
Institutions | Harvard University |
Doctoral advisor | Edward B. Titchener |
Edwin Garrigues (Garry) Boring (23 October 1886 – 1 July 1968) was an American
Early life
Boring was born on October 23, 1886, in
Boring notes that his interest in psychology had already begun in 1905, when he took an elementary psychology class as an elective while pursuing his engineering degree. Bentley's course was under the professorship of Edward B. Titchener and captured Boring's attention. On one test Boring received back, Titchener had written "You have the psychological point of view!" (p. 31).[2] It was that remark that stuck with him and guided him toward psychology when he arrived at Cornell for the second time.[2]
Boring's minor research strayed too far from Titchener's definition of psychology. It was at Titchener's suggestion that he decided to do his thesis on visceral sensibility. He conducted the study by placing a stomach tube in his own stomach to learn more about the sensations of the alimentary tract.[2] The results indicated that the stomach and esophagus were more sensitive to temperature and pressure than had been realized.[3] The studies indicate his interest, from an early age, in the physical and experimental components of psychology. In 1914, Boring's efforts were rewarded when he received his PhD.[2]
While he was completing his studies, Boring and his wife, Lucy M. Day, joined Titchener's lab group and became part of Titchener's selective in-group.[3] Most of their time at Cornell was spent working on Titchener's research projects. During Boring's time at Cornell, he developed a close relationship with Titchener, one that continued until Titchener's death, in 1927.[2] Boring felt deep respect for Titchener and admired his dedication to his work. In his autobiography, he even remarked that he believed Titchener to be the closest to genius of anyone he knew.[2]
Titchener presented Boring with his first opportunity not only to teach but also to practice writing about the history of experimental psychology. Titchener wanted to redesign a systematic psychology course and enlisted his graduate students to do the job.[2] It was a large task; the course covered the entire history of psychology in 3 lectures a week for 2 years.[2] Boring and the rest of the team read through German literature on experimental psychology and many other primary sources of information to complete this project.[2] The finished product was a 200-lecture course.[2] The task sparked Boring's interest in the history that shaped the field; it would also serve as great training for Boring's later publication of his own text, The History of Experimental Psychology, in 1929.[2] The work also gave Boring experience in teaching psychology. He continued to teach psychology at Cornell for 4 years but was glad when the war forced him to leave this position, as he felt that Cornell did not need him.[2]
Intelligence testing in the First World War
During the
Professor of Psychology
Clark University
In 1920, Boring was offered a position at Harvard and was also offered a position to continue working with Yerkes in Minnesota. He chose Harvard because he believed that they had a greater need for him there; he had a mission to "rescue Harvard psychology from the philosophers" (p. 36) and transform psychology into a respectable science.
Harvard University
His tenure at
He was rewarded for his dedication to Harvard by being promoted to laboratory director in 1924; he held that position until 1949, when he resigned.[2] In 1928, he received a full-time professorship; during that same year he was president of the American Psychological Association.[2]
Boring was very interested in building a close relationship between the staff and students. At his suggestion, in 1924 the Harvard philosophy and psychology department began the first colloquium to build a sense of community.[2]
In 1933,
Psychoanalysis treatments
Boring's self-criticism, fear of failure, and need for peer-acceptance became unmanageable and affected the productivity of his work. In 1933, at the suggestion of his friends and family, Boring began psychoanalysis treatment with a former colleague of
Psychological organizations, conferences, and committees
In 1919–1922 Boring served as secretary of the American Psychological Association while James McKeen Cattell was president. The two men were both very passionate about their work and often clashed as a result. In 1928, Boring became president of the American Psychological Association.
Even with Boring's influence on the field of psychology, he influenced other disciplines as well. In 1945, he was elected as the chairman of the Publications Committee of the American Philosophical Society, of which he was a member.[3][6] He was also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the United States National Academy of Sciences.[7][8]
In 1945,
In 1966, Division 26, the Division for the History of Psychology, of the American Psychological Association was formed.[9] During its formation, the Division 26 members made a gesture to honor Boring for his tremendous contribution as a historian of psychology. Boring declined to run for president and was made "honorary president" (p. 308) of the Division as an acknowledgment of his work.[9] He was then asked to introduce the first elected president, Robert I. Watson, at the first official meeting, but old age prevented Boring from making the trip.[9] He introduced him by a written statement he mailed, read by John A. Popplestone.[9] In this speech, Boring made jokes that he was the ghost of history's past, a comment that was echoed by his voice being present without his body.[9]
Family
In 1914, he married fellow psychologist Lucy M. Day. They had four children; the first, a son, was born on January 11, 1916, the birthday of Edward B. Titchener, a colleague whom Boring held in high regard. Boring and his wife considered this to be a "happy omen" (p. 45).[3] On July 1, 1968, Boring died in Cambridge, Massachusetts at 81 from multiple myeloma, a hereditary bone cancer which he acquired later in life.[3] His remains were interred at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts.[10]
Work
Although Boring conducted a lot of research during his career, most of it resulted in minor contributions to psychology. The vast majority of his research centered around sensory and perceptual phenomena. However, most of his time was spent teaching, doing administrative work, writing, editing, or guiding the research of his graduate students.[3]
Figure-ground phenomena research
Later in his career Boring became interested in the perceptual ambiguity of figure-ground phenomena. He discussed cartoonist W. E. Hill's "My Wife and My Mother-in-Law" in a 1930 journal article, explaining that this illustration was an accurate representation of the phenomena because the two different images are interpenetrating one another with no formal dividing line.[12] He contrasted this image to Edgar Rubin's Rubin vase figure, where he felt that there is an obvious dividing line between the human profiles and goblets.[12] This description made Hill's young-woman/old-woman puzzle famous and earned it the title of the "Boring figure".[13]
Tonal brightness research
One graduate student with whom Boring developed a student-professor relationship similar to the one Boring had had with
Moon illusion research
One of Boring's best-known projects is his 1940 study of the Moon illusion.[15] Boring and fellow researcher A. H. Holway hypothesized that the Moon appears larger on the horizon because the eyes view it directly at a leveled position, while the Moon overhead appears smaller because the eyes must look up.[2] They tested this experimentally, and found that for an observer whose eyes were kept in a fixed position while a circle representing the Moon moved up (through the use of a pulley system), the Moon appeared to increase in size.[3] This illusion did not occur when participants were lying down while viewing the Moon, and they also found some evidence of it not occurring when viewing the Moon with only one eye.[3] These results led the researchers to conclude that the illusion of Moon shrinkage depends on the movement of the eyes in the head, not the movement of the actual head, and that it depends on binocular vision, that is, the use of both eyes together.[2] This study exemplifies Boring's interest in misperceptions of sensory experience.
Publications
Although Boring did make some research contributions, he had a larger impact through his writing. His first connection to psychological literature came about in 1926 when Boring became a joint editor of The American Journal of Psychology, which was originally started by G. Stanley Hall and later bought by K. M. Dallenbach for Cornell University and put under Titchener's control.[2] When Titchener withdrew from the journal Dallenbach asked I. Madison Bentley, Margaret Floy Washburn, and Boring to pick up editorship of the journal.[2] Boring accepted and remained an editor for 23 years.[2]
A History of Experimental Psychology, 1929
While studying at Cornell, the 200-lecture course Titchener had Boring and the rest of his graduate students design left an interest in Boring on the historical perspective of psychology.[2] This later inspired him to publish his first book titled A History of Experimental Psychology in 1929 in hopes of making psychologists more "history-conscious" (p. 42).[2] The book did well within the first year, selling 1,316 copies;[2] many in the field enjoyed the text and the manner in which he described the history of the discipline.[3] The text continued to prosper through the years, selling 16,765 copies in 1950.[2] Most people still consider this to be Boring's most important work; the publication made him one of the first historians of psychology.[3]
The Physical Dimensions of Consciousness, 1933
His next work, The Physical Dimensions of Consciousness, appeared in 1933. Here, he attempts to accommodate
Psychology: a Factual Textbook, 1935
Boring was approached by Harry P. Weld to collaborate with him and Herbert Langfeld on a psychology textbook, referred to as the BLW textbooks.[2] The first edition was titled Psychology: a Factual Textbook and was published in 1935.[2] This textbook focused mainly on the hard facts and each section was written by a specialist in the field of focus for that chapter.[2] In 1939 the text was much revised and a second edition was published.[2] The third edition published in 1948 was renamed Foundations of Psychology and it was greatly expanded to include new authors, chapters, and format.[2]
Sensation and Perception in the History of Experimental Psychology, 1942
He considered his most important work to be his second volume of history, Sensation and Perception in the History of Experimental Psychology, which was published in 1942.
Psychology for the Fighting Man, 1943
During the
The National Research Council's Emergency Committee on Psychology decided to create a book that would focus on the psychology of the majority of soldiers in the army, the ordinary GI, instead of focusing on the higher level officers.[2] In 1943, Psychology for the Fighting Man was published.[2] The book focused on practical information, such as boosting the morale of soldiers, personal-adjustment in the army, and obtainment of necessities such as food.[4] The book sold 380,000 copies and brought The National Research Council about $10,000.[2]
With that project complete Boring turned toward creating the military psychology textbook he had originally intended to work on. In 1945 he completed this work with the publication of Psychology for the Armed Services.[3]
"The woman problem", 1951
He published an article on his own in 1951 in the American Psychologist that focused on women in the field and emphasized his beliefs.[18] He wrote about the disadvantages women in psychology face as the result of society which affects their professional advancement. He called this the "woman problem".[18] Boring describes the standard procedure men undergo to achieve prestige in their career: a man must receive a PhD, conduct meaningful research that gets published, and undertake administrative work.[18] If work is done well enough to impress their boss, men are likely to be promoted to higher positions and work in broader tasks such as publishing books, or becoming a dean or college president, allowing them to influence a wider range of people.[18] It was the pursuit of prestige at higher positions that women lacked, largely because they were blocked from the higher-level jobs in the first place.
Psychology One, 1956
Boring appeared on Psychology One, which was the first publicly televised introductory psychology course that aired in 1956.[3] The program was designed to introduce psychology to the general public and provided an entertaining but insightful form of instruction. Among the topics Boring discussed on the show were the physics of sensations such as light and sound, the structures of sense organs, perceptual constancy and illusions and learning.[3]
Psychologist at Large: Autobiography, 1961
In 1961 Boring published a text about his career and life experiences. The book was titled Psychologist at Large: an Autobiography and Selected Essays.[3] It was the extension of a chapter written previously for the series he had edited since 1930, A History of Psychology in Autobiography, which at that time was four volumes and contained autobiographical narratives by 58 eminent psychologists.[3] Psychologist at Large was Boring's last book to be published.[3]
Contemporary Psychology
In his seventies he continued to make contributions to the field through his writing. He founded and edited a journal that was dedicated exclusively to psychology book reviews, Contemporary Psychology.[2] In this journal, Boring was able to shape the psychological works that were published. He demanded a high degree of quality which challenged psychologists to rise to his standard.
Legacy
Boring left his legacy on the field of psychology in many ways. He was a historian, researcher, professor, critic, editor, and served in positions on many committees and intellectual societies.[3] He acted through a wide range of faculties to leave his mark on psychology.
Boring taught psychology at Harvard University for 27 years.[3] He had a profound impact, training many students who would go on to become influential in the field of psychology such as Stanley Smith Stevens. He pushed psychologists to adopt better writing habits which ultimately benefited the audiences that would later read these works. Instead of focusing on gaining success through his students' work, Boring led a professional life full of integrity, and was willing to sacrifice his own needs for those of his students.[3]
His textbooks also provided his interpretations of the field and were read by thousands of people.[15] In this way, his written work influenced countless students and fellow psychologists with whom he never came into physical contact.
Through the years Boring's rigidity softened and he was able to contribute to many areas in psychology. He was a man of experimental psychology, objective science, but also philosophical science. His research was based on sensory and perceptual phenomena, but he was also a statesman and advocate for women in psychology and military psychology.[3]
The many contributions Boring made in psychology were recognized later in his lifetime. In 1956 Clark University offered him an honorary degree.[3] Then a year later in 1957 the Society of Experimental Psychologists, a group he was a charter member of, held a special dinner in his honor where students and colleagues gave donations to Harvard to start the Boring Liberty Fund.[3] Perhaps the greatest recognition Boring received for his work in progressing the field of psychology was in 1959 when the American Psychological Association honored him with the gold medal, praising him for "his varied and distinguished contributions to psychology as investigator, teacher, historian, theorist, administrator and statesman, popular expositor, and editor" (p. 796).[19]
Boring had such a profound impact on psychology that Robert Yerkes even dubbed him "Mr. Psychology" (p. 445).[15]
Selected publications
- A History of Experimental Psychology (1929)
- The Physical Dimensions of Consciousness (1933)
- Sensation and Perception in the History of Experimental Psychology (1942)
- Introduction to Psychology (1938)
- Sensation and perception in the history of experimental psychology. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts. (1942)
- Psychology for the Fighting Man (1943)
- Psychology for the Armed Services (1945)
- Foundations of Psychology (1948, with Herbert Langfeld and Harry Weld)
- A History of Experimental Psychology (1950) (2nd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
- Psychologist at Large: an Autobiography and Selected Essays (1961)
- History, Psychology, and Science: Selected Papers (1963)
- A Source Book in the History of Psychology (1965, as editor, with Richard J. Herrnstein)
- History of Psychology in Autobiography (vols I-IV, 1930–1952)
References
- S2CID 145668721.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk Boring, E. G. (Ed.) & Gardner, L. (Ed.). (1967). A history of psychology in autobiography. The Century Psychology Series, 5, 449-475. Connecticut: Appleton-Century-Crofts.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah Stevens, S. S. (1973). Edwin Garrigues Boring. National Academy of Sciences, 38-76.
- ^ a b c d "Edwin Garrigues Boring - Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com.
- ^ "Today in Science History". Retrieved 2006-12-29.
- ^ "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
- ^ "Edwin Garrigues Boring". American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
- ^ "Edwin G. Boring". www.nasonline.org. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
- ^ a b c d e Hilgard, E. R. (1982). Robert I. Watson and the founding of Division 26 of the American Psychological Association. Journal of the History of the Behavioral Science, 18, 4, 308-311
- ^ "Edwin G. Boring at Mt Auburn Cemetery". www.remembermyjourney.com. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
- ^ Quinlan, P., & Dyson, B., Cognitive Psychology (London: Pearson Education, 2008), p. 157.
- ^ a b Boring, E. G. (1930). A new ambiguous figure. The American Journal of Psychology, 42, 3, 444-445.
- ^ "Perceptual Ambiguity". Archived from the original on 2004-03-30.
- ^ a b c Boring, E. G., Stevens, S. S. (1936). The nature of tonal brightness, The National Academy of Sciences, 22, 514-521.
- ^ a b c d e f Winston, A. S. (2000). Boring, Edwin Garrigues. In A. E. Kazdin (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Psychology, Vol. 1, 444-445. Washington D. C.: American Psychological Association.
- S2CID 86689184. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
- ^ Ray, C. Claiborne (19 March 2012). "A Map of Taste". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
- ^ a b c d Boring, E. G. (1951). The woman problem. American Psychologist, 6, 679-682.
- ^ Gold Medal and distinguished scientific writing awards: 1959. American Psychologist, 14, 12, 794-796.