August 24 in Psychology

APA Historical Database: Selected Entries

On August 24:

1870 - Willard S. Small was born. Small was the first person to use the behavior of rats in mazes as a measure of learning.

1921 - Wilbert J. McKeachie was born. McKeachie is known for research, writing, and training in psychology teaching methods and curriculum, and for his work in personality and social behavior, motivation, and learning. APA President, 1976; American Psychological Foundation Distinguished Teaching in Psychology Award, 1985; APA Award for Distinguished Career Contributions to Education and Training in Psychology, 1987.

1923 - Arthur Jensen was born. Jensen's research has been in individual differences and the relative contributions of genetic and environmental factors in intelligence. Jensen stirred a storm of controversy with a 1969 article contending that the extent to which environmental enrichment can influence IQ is limited by genetic factors and that these factors are related to race.

1953 - Sexual behavior researcher Alfred Kinsey appeared on the cover of Time magazine.

1966 - The Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) issued a Gottfried Leibniz postage stamp.

1966 - The first federal legislation to protect animal research subjects was enacted. The Animal Welfare Act charged the Secretary of Agriculture with developing humane standards of handling, care, treatment, and transportation of dogs, cats, nonhuman primates, guinea pigs, hamsters, and rabbits used in research.

1982 - U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop addressed the annual convention of the APA in Washington, DC. His talk was titled "Perspective on Future Health Care." Koop was known for taking stands on issues such as smoking, AIDS, abortion, and birth control that followed research and medical evidence regardless of political sensitivities.

1984 - Pediatrician Benjamin Spock delivered an invited address to the APA's annual convention. Spock's paper was titled "Can Our Society Be Saved?"

1985 - The first APA Committee on Women in Psychology Leadership Awards were given to Florence Denmark, Carolyn Payton, and Laurie Eyde.

1986 - The APA Council of Representatives admitted APA Division 45 (Ethnic Minority Issues).

1986 - The APA Council of Representatives admitted APA Division 46 (Media Psychology).

1986 - The APA Council of Representatives admitted APA Division 47 (Exercise and Sport Psychology).

Copyright © 1995, American Psychological Association. Web version by permission. Source: Street, W. R. (1994). A Chronology of Noteworthy Events in American Psychology. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. The American Psychological Association and Central Washington University have supported the development of the APA Historical Database.

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