David W Carroll – författare

American Psychology and the Great War provides the first comprehensive examination of the research of psychologists during the Great War in early twentieth-century America, spanning efforts that produced a mix of successes, controversies, and unforeseen consequences.When the United States entered the Great War, psychologists seized an unprecedented opportunity to advertise the usefulness of their discipline to the military. They developed an ambitious set of plans to support the war effort, including large-scale intelligence tests on army recruits, personnel organization systems, identification of soldiers capable of managing emerging military technologies, and rehabilitation protocols for injured veterans.This study traces how psychologists navigated the complex process of establishing scientific credibility while delivering practical results under wartime pressures. It examines both their notable successes and significant controversies, analyzing how military psychology research subsequently influenced civilian applications, particularly in public education systems. By contextualizing wartime efforts within the broader development of applied psychology in the pre-war years, the book illuminates how psychological work with the military accelerated the transformation of the discipline from an academic curiosity into a profession with real-world applications.A unique and fascinating insight into the history of American psychology, this book is essential reading for scholars in the history of psychology and early twentieth-century American social and intellectual history.

This book discusses the development of Edward Tolman's purposive behaviourism from the 1920s to the 1950s, highlighting the tension between his references to cognitive processes and the dominant behaviourist trends. It shows how Tolman incorporated concepts from European scholars, including Egon Brunswik and the Gestalt psychologists, to justify a more purposive form of behaviourism and how the theory evolved in response to the criticisms of his contemporaries. The manuscript also discusses Tolman's political activities, culminating in his role in the California loyalty oath controversy in the 1950s. Tolman was involved in a number of progressive causes during his lifetime, activities that drew the attention of both state legislators in California and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It treats Tolman's theoretical and political activities as emanating from the same source, a desire to understand the learning process in a scientific manner and to apply these concepts to improve the human condition.