SCIENCE 



Science" there were -listed atwut 4,000 .scien- 

 tific men, in the second edition about 5,500, 

 and in the present edition, published some fif- 

 teen years after the first, the number is about 

 9,600. The present writer was in 1888 the 

 only professor of psychology in the world. The 

 numljer of memibem of the American Pcs^'cho- 

 logical Association, which has a professional 

 qualification, increased from 127 in 1903, Avhen 

 the first selection was made, to 432 in 1920. 

 The average number of doctorates conferred in 

 psychology during ithe five years prior to 1903 

 was 12.6; it was 40 in 1920. Competition for 

 inclusion among our fifty leading j^sycholo- 

 gists or among our thousand leading men of 

 science is thus much more severe at present 

 than was the case when the seleotions were first 

 made. There are now about 500 w-oi'king 

 psyehologisits and about 10,000 scientific men 

 in the United States; the present selection con- 

 sists appi'oximately of those who form in each 

 science the upper tenth in merit of their work. 

 In the case of the psychologists, here used 



as an example, those in the two earlier groups 

 of fifty (except five no longer occupied Aviith 

 psychology or no longer residents of 'the United 

 States), numbering 48, were asked to b^nd the 

 names of 10 or a smaller number of others 

 whose work warranted their inclusion in such 

 a group. Then ithose who i-eceived two or 

 more nominations were in like manner asked 

 to propose 10 or fewer names. The 52 who 

 received "the most voters were added to the 

 original 48 to form a group of 100. These 

 names wei'e placed in alphal>etical order on a 

 list, which was sent to tthem all, with the re- 

 quest to "check (V) about 50 (namely, about 

 one half) of the names to indicate those who 

 have done the besit work in psychology, placing 

 a double check ( V V ) before about five of 

 those whose work has 'been the most impor- 

 tant." Eighty-three (besides one who replied 

 too late) of the 100 returned the blank and, as 

 each was asked not to consider himself, there 

 were 82 votes. When more than five double 

 ohecks were assigned they were weighted in- 



10 



ZO 30 40 vTO 60 70 80 



THE DlbTKUJUTlON OF VOTES TOK ONE HUNDRED PSYCHOLOGIST4 



