Gaining a perspective on the evolution of psychological concepts can show students the power of theory and societal perspective in shaping scientific ideas across time. In this article, the author uses two constructs, the broad concept of intelligence and the narrow concept of combat stress reaction, to illustrate how psychologists have grappled with these ideas over the past century. These examples can provide a model for using the history of psychology to explain how ideas have taken their shape. These illustrations also show the difficulty in developing ideas that are scientifically useful and that periodic changes in the conceptualization of ideas are a normal feature of a dynamic discipline.
BeinsB. C. (2010). Teaching measurement through historical sources. History of Psychology, 13, 89–94. doi:10.1037/a0018561
2.
BenjaminL. T. (2007). A brief history of modern psychology.
Malden, MA: Blackwell.
3.
BinghamW. V. (1937). Aptitudes and aptitude testing.
New York, NY: Harper & Brothers.
4.
BoringE. G. (1923, June 6). Intelligence as the tests test it. New Republic, 35–37.
5.
BurnsN. R.NettelbeckT.McPhersonJ.StankovL. (2007). Perceptual learning on inspection time and motion perception. Journal of General Psychology, 134, 83–100. doi:10.3200/GENP.134.1.83-100
6.
CattellJ. M. (1890). Mental tests and measurements. Mind, 15, 373–381.
7.
CautinR. (2011). Invoking history to teach about the scientist-practitioner gap. History of Psychology, 14, 197–203. doi:10.1037/a0022897
8.
CohenD.GunzA. (2002). As seen by the other… : Perspectives on the self in the memories and emotional perceptions of easterners and Westerners. Psychological Science, 13, 55–59. doi:10.1111/1467–9280.00409
9.
Council of National Psychological Associations for the Advancement of Ethnic Minority Interests. (2000). Guidelines for research in ethnic minority communitiesWashington, DC: American Psychological Association.
10.
DearyI. J.StoughC. (1996). Intelligence and inspection time: Achievements, prospects, and problems. American Psychologist, 51, 599–608.
11.
Denny-BrownD. (1943). “Shell shock” and effects of high explosives. Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine, 28, 509–514.
12.
DunnD. S. (in press). Situations matter: Teaching the Lewinian link between social psychology and rehabilitation psychology. History of Psychology,
13.
FloreyK. B. (2009). Script and scribble: The rise and fall of handwriting.
Brooklyn, NY: Melville House.
14.
FoxM. C.RoringR. W.MitchumA. L. (2009). Reversing the speed-IQ correlation: Intra-individual variability and attentional control in the inspection time paradigm. Intelligence, 37, 76–80. doi:10.1016/j.inte11.2008.08.002
GardnerH. (1983). Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligences.
New York, NY: Basic Books.
17.
GardnerH. (1999). Intelligence reframed: Multiple intelligences for the 21st century.
New York, NY: Basic Books.
18.
GardnerH. (2006). Multiple intelligences: New horizons.
New York, NY: Basic Books.
19.
GesellA. L. (1906). Accuracy in handwriting, as related to school intelligence and sex. American Journal of Psychology, 17, 394–405.
20.
GoodwinC. J. (2010). Using history to strengthen a research methods course. History of Psychology, 13, 196–200.
21.
HelmusT. C.GlennR. W. (2005). Steeling the mind: Combat stress reactions and their implications for urban warfare. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation. Retrieved fromhttp://www.rand.org
22.
JonesE.FearN. T.WesselyS. (2007). Shell shock and mild traumatic brain injury: A historical review. American Journal of Psychiatry, 164, 1641–1645. doi:10.1176
MottF. W. (1917). Mental hygiene in shell-shock, during and after the war (Chadwick lecture, April 26th, 1917). Journal of Mental Science, 63, 467–488.
26.
MyersC. S. (1916). Contributions to the study of shell shock, being an account of certain cases treated by hypnosis. Lancet, 187, 65–69.
27.
RaeR. (2007). An historical account of shell shock during the First World War and reforms in mental health in Australia 1914-1939. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 16, 266–273.
28.
RoglerL. H. (1999). Methodological sources of cultural insensitivity in mental health research. American Psychologist, 54, 424–433. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.54.6.424
29.
RusselC. (1919). The management of psycho-neuroses in the Canadian army. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 14, 27–33. doi:10.1037/h0071932
30.
SpearmanC. (1904). “General intelligence,” objectively determined and measured. American Journal of Psychology, 15, 201–293. doi:10.2307/1412107
31.
SpearmanC. (1920). Manifold sub-theories of “the two factor.”. Psychological Review, 27, 159–172. doi:10.1037/h0068562
32.
SpencerH. (1897a). Principles of psychology
(Vol. 1, 3rd ed.).
New York, NY: Appleton.
33.
SpencerH. (1897b). Principles of psychology
(Vol. 2, 3rd ed.).
New York, NY: Appleton.
34.
SternbergR. J. (1985). Beyond IQ: A triarchic theory of human intelligence.
New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
35.
WechslerD. (1926). On the influence of education on intelligence as measured by the Binet-Simon tests. Journal of Educational Psychology, 17, 248–257. doi:10.1037/h0071969
36.
WechslerD. (1932). Analytic use of the Army Alpha. Journal of Applied Psychology, 16, 254–256. doi:10.1037/h0072688
37.
WechslerD. (1943). Non-intellective factors in general intelligence. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 38, 101–103. doi:10.1037/h0060613
38.
WhittakerR.KempS.HouseA. (2007). Illness perceptions and outcome in mild head injury: A longitudinal study. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, 78, 644–646. doi:10.1136/jnnp.2006.101105
39.
WisslerC. (1901). The correlation of mental and physical tests. Unpublished manuscript, Columbia University. Retrieved fromhttp://books.google.com
