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A history of psychology in autobiography volume III.Edward Lee Thorndike.

A history of psychology in autobiography volume III.: Edward Lee Thorndike. I have recorded my beginning as a psychologist in detail because it illustrates what is perhaps the most general fact about my entire career as a psychologist later, namely, its responsiveness to outer pressure or opportunity rather than to inner needs. Within certain limits set by capacity and interest I did in those early years and have done since what the occasion seemed to demand. We are especially urged in these psychological autobiographies to describe our methods of work, but I seem to have little or nothing useful to say in this regard. In the actual work of advancing knowledge of human nature we may use three methods. We may observe and think about the facts that come our way; we may deliberately gather by observation or experiment facts which we see can be got and which seem likely to be instructive; we may put a question that we know is important and then do our best to get facts to answer it. I have done all three; most often the last. The most fruitful methods often come to mind late in the course of an investigation. When one does everything that he can think of, the doing often makes him think of something else. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png

A history of psychology in autobiography volume III.Edward Lee Thorndike.

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Publisher
Clark University Press
Copyright
Copyright © 1936 American Psychological Association
Pages
263 –270
DOI
10.1037/11247-011
Publisher site
See Chapter on Publisher Site

Abstract

I have recorded my beginning as a psychologist in detail because it illustrates what is perhaps the most general fact about my entire career as a psychologist later, namely, its responsiveness to outer pressure or opportunity rather than to inner needs. Within certain limits set by capacity and interest I did in those early years and have done since what the occasion seemed to demand. We are especially urged in these psychological autobiographies to describe our methods of work, but I seem to have little or nothing useful to say in this regard. In the actual work of advancing knowledge of human nature we may use three methods. We may observe and think about the facts that come our way; we may deliberately gather by observation or experiment facts which we see can be got and which seem likely to be instructive; we may put a question that we know is important and then do our best to get facts to answer it. I have done all three; most often the last. The most fruitful methods often come to mind late in the course of an investigation. When one does everything that he can think of, the doing often makes him think of something else. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Published: Dec 11, 2006

Keywords: Edward Lee Thorndike; history; autobiography; psychology

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