Forensic Psychology Blog
The All About Forensic Psychology Blog will be used to alert readers to all the latest content and resources added to the website.
It will also document a significant person, event or landmark in the history of psychology every day of the year.
Please support my Patreon Page so that I can continue to create free content and resources for psychology students and educators.
May 21, 2018
Hans Berger: Today in the History of Psychology (21st May 1873)
Hans Berger was born. A Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry, Berger began investigating electrical activity of the brain after his original area of research interest - locating the physiological basis of psychic phenomena - proved fruitless.
On July 6th 1924 Berger made history by recording brain activity via electrical impulses on the scalp during a neurosurgical procedure performed by the neurosurgeon Nikolai Guleke. In 1929 Berger published his landmark paper 'Über das Elektrenkephalogramm des Menschen' in which he introduced the term 'electroencephalogram' and the concept of Alpha and Beta brain wave states.
Thanks to the pioneering work of Hans Berger, the electroencephalogram (EEG) revolutionized the diagnosis and management of various medical conditions including epilepsy and encephalitis. It has also proved to be an invaluable research tool within psychology, particularly within the field of neuropsychology.
Information via: On This Day in Psychology: A Showcase of Great Pioneers and Defining Moments
May 20, 2018
John Stuart Mill: Today in the History of Psychology (20th May 1806)
John Stuart Mill was born. A revolutionary thinker, Mill's ideas had a profound influence on the history and development of psychology. A notable example being Mill's empirically driven system of inductive logic, which was adopted and applied by Wilhelm Wundt, a founding figure of modern psychology.
Mill also created a lasting legacy within psychology through his notion of mental chemistry, namely his suggestion that a complex idea is greater than the sum of its parts and constitutes more than just a collection of simple ideas added together. This doctrine of association became a key tenet of Gestalt psychology.
See following link to learn all about the history of psychology.
History of Psychology
May 19, 2018
Alfred Adler: Today in the History of Psychology (19th May 1929)
The Brooklyn Daily Eagle newspaper in New York announces 'Discovered Inferiority Complex' in a headline story about Alfred Adler. This wonderful editorial notes:
'Towering above the whole brood of petty psychologists, mediocre psychologists and even great psychologists, is Dr. Alfred Adler of Vienna...Dr. Adler is the discoverer of the complicated manifestations of the inferiority complex and an international authority on the devious modes of human behavior.'
See following link to learn all about the life and work of psychology legend Alfred Adler.
Alfred Adler
May 18, 2018
Morons, imbeciles, and idiots: Today in the History of Psychology (18th May 1910)
During the annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of the Feeble-Minded in Illinois, psychologist Henry H. Goddard proposed adopting the terms moron, imbecile, and idiot as three distinct classes of mental defect.
Now pejorative terms no longer employed in a psychological context, moron, imbecile, and idiot were standard definitions within the field of 'mental retardation' for many years.
Information via: On This Day in Psychology: A Showcase of Great Pioneers and Defining Moments
May 17, 2018
Helen Peak: Today in the History of Psychology (17th May 1900)
Helen Peak was born. A highly respected scholar and pioneering researcher, Peak was among the first group of psychologists to undertake precise laboratory measurements during social behavior experiments.
Helen Peak was also renowned for helping to bring together social psychology and individual psychology through her innovative work on attitude structure and attitude change.
See following link to learn about some of the most eminent women in the history of psychology.
Eminent Women in Psychology
May 16, 2018
William Bevan: Today in the History of Psychology (16th May 1922)
William Bevan was born. An influential cognitive psychologist, Bevan is best known for founding the Duke University Talent Identification Program (TIP). Established to identify and inspire intellectually gifted children, over 2 million students have benefited from the TIP program since its launch in 1980.
Bevan served as president of the American Psychological Association (APA) in 1982 and received the APA Award for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest in 1989.
Information via: On This Day in Psychology: A Showcase of Great Pioneers and Defining Moments
May 15, 2018
Carl Wernicke: Today in the History of Psychology (15th May 1848)
Carl Wernicke was born. A prodigious talent in the field of neurology, Wernicke published his groundbreaking book 'The Aphasia Symptom Complex' in 1874 at the age of just 26. His revolutionary work on localized brain damage was so influential that the region of the brain associated with neurological connections to language acquisition is known as 'Wernicke's area.'
One of the most outstanding neuroscientists of his time, Wernicke's life was tragically cut short at the age of 56 following a biking accident in June 1905.
Information via: On This Day in Psychology: A Showcase of Great Pioneers and Defining Moments