S. R. Coleman

Psychology of the Scientist: LXXXII. Coverage of Classical Conditioning in Textbooks in the Psychology of Learning, 1952–1995

Objective information was obtained from 89 textbooks in the psychology of learning published from 1952 through 1995 to answer questions about their coverage of classical conditioning. We found (a) that classical conditioning consistently received less coverage than instrumental and operant conditioning, (b) that the distinction of classical and instrumental conditioning has become established as a textbook-construction device, (c) that use of the classical-instrumental distinction by textbook authors has “hardened” after a period of “fluidity” in the 1970s, (d) that the currency of references in the basic classical (as well as instrumental) conditioning chapters diminished from 1952 to 1995. Findings are discussed in regard to the possibility that, as a class, and in comparison to other textbooks, the textbooks of the psychology of learning fall short of fulfilling some of their recognized roles.

Contributions to the History of Psychology: LXXX. The Hyperbolic Structure of Eminence Updated, 1975—1986

Designations of major figures (max. = 3) were obtained in each of 1767 history-of-psychology publications (mostly journal articles) from 1975 to 1986. The distribution of these major-figure designations of psychologists was compared with the distribution of a measure of eminence that was developed by Zusne in 1985 and is based on the amount of textbook-page-space given to an individual. The two measures correlate significantly but are not equivalent. Those judged to be major figures in contemporary history-of-psychology journals overlap less than 20% with those designated eminent by virtue of large page-space coverage in history-of-psychology textbooks. Advantages and disadvantages of major-figure designations as an index of the importance or eminence of psychologists are discussed.

PSYCHOLOGY OF THE SCIENTIST: LXXIX. VISIBILITY OF PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH AND THE FICKLENESS OF AUDIENCES: A CASE STUDY

An analysis of citations shows that the “visibility” of a productive experimental psychologist (Isidore Gormezano of the University of Iowa) differed substantially across four different “audiences.” These audiences were literature-users whose citations to his work were identified in the following sources: classical-conditioning chapters in psychology-of-learning textbooks; instrumental/operant-conditioning chapters in the same; publications scanned by the Social Science Citation Index; and those scanned by the Science Citation Index. Aspects of this audience-specific visibility are described and then are discussed in regard to the presumptive unitariness of scholarly reputation.

Empirical Assessment of Methodology in the History-of-Psychology Literature, 1975-1986

Psychological Abstracts was used to identify 1,161 history-of-psychology publications that appeared between 1975 and 1986. Information was obtained from each publication on the type of history (biographical, institutional, etc.), its historiography, the historical period that had been studied, and the quantitativeness of results. We found that the literature was mostly presentist in style and that the nineteenth and twentieth centuries received the bulk of attention. Publications that adopted an internalist perspective greatly outnumbered those with an externalist perspective. Quantitative methods were infrequently used. Results are discussed in reference to historiographic recommendations that had accompanied the institutionalization of the history of psychology in the late 1960s

Contributions to Psychohistory: XX. Ethnocentricity in the Recent History-Of-Psychology Literature

Literature in the history of psychology that had been published from 1975 through 1986 was identified in Psychological Abstracts (1975–1988). From each of the 1478 publications information was obtained on the historical setting of the narrative and the geographical location of the (first) author. Austria, Germany, and the United States were the most often chosen settings, and these three accounted for 43% of the settings chosen. Scholars in Mexico, Japan, and the USSR were the most likely to choose their own country as the historical setting (i.e., “ethnocentric”), and those in Canada were the least ethnocentric.

Contributions to the History of Psychology: LXXXVI. Hull and His Critics: The Reception of Clark L. Hull's Behavior Theory, 1943–1960

In the twelve-year period following the publication of Principles of Behavior in 1943, Clark L. Hull was regarded as a leading proponent of systematic behavior theory. By the end of the 1950s, his visibility in the psychological literature had greatly diminished and his contributions to psychological theory were judged by many to have been misguided. Drawing from reviews and assessments of Hulls theorizing which appeared in the period 1943–1960, this paper treats Hulls impact and subsequent decline as inevitable outcomes of the programmatic nature of Hulls behavior theory.

Sources of Increasing Agedness of References in Psychology-of-Learning Textbooks, 1952–1995

This article identifies sources of a significant increase in the agedness of references in 89 learning textbooks published from 1952 through 1995.

Contributions to the History of Psychology: XCVIII. Topical Content of History-Of-Psychology Literature, 1975–1986

Psychological Abstracts was used to identify history-of-psychology literature published from 1975 through 1986. Perusal of these 1478 publications provided information on the principal topics of each. Disciplines, theories, and methodology were the most popular subjects of historical treatment; psychological apparatus was the least popular. Although psychoanalytic and behavioral topics were well-represented in the literature, topical diversity was the most prominent feature. Our findings were discussed in relation to (a) relevant factors that affect topical visibility, (b) the disciplinary status of the history of psychology, and (c) the issue of disunity in contemporary psychology.