SCIENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO. 795 



psychology. The former is, of course, in Prof. Donaldson's hands. 

 The department is equipped with all the necessary illustrative ap- 

 paratusdiagrams, models, etc. ; the laboratory is supplied with 

 needed material and appliances. The courses offered are intended 

 (a) to furnish an exposition of the architecture and functions of 

 the nervous system ; and (b) to offer opportunity for the investi- 

 gation of new problems and critical discussion of current work in 

 the subject. In the outline of courses reference is had to the im- 

 portance of the anatomy and physiology of the nervous system to 

 the student of medicine. Special study is attempted of the varia- 

 tions in intelligence correlated with the changes in the central 

 nervous system (1) in the vertebrate series, (2) during the growth 

 and development of any individual, and (3) as the consequence of 

 disease or experimental injury ; such variations have an impor- 

 tance which is psychological as well as biological. The study of 

 the nervous system is capable of throwing light upon some of the 

 questions of phylogeny, and emphasis is laid upon this fact. 



Experimental psychology, which has assumed recently great 

 prominence in the universities, is here in charge of Prof. James 

 R. Angell. Two chief ideas are held constantly in view in the 

 work : (a) to give thorough practical training for the carrying on 

 of experimental investigation ; (b) to directly conduct such inves- 

 tigation. The instrumental equipment is adequate, placing the 

 university among the first half dozen in America. The new quar- 

 ters in the Anatomical Laboratory furnish ample space for labora- 

 tory work, apparatus rooms, and lecturing. The relation between 

 this work under Prof. Angell and neurology under Prof. Donald- 

 son is naturally close, and the two work in harmony. In psy- 

 chology proper no work in nervous anatomy is undertaken, but 

 students are impressed with its importance and urged to pursue 

 it in the other department. The nominal relation of the work is 

 with the Department of Philosophy, and some of the results of 

 research have appeared in the publication of the university enti- 

 tled Contributions to Philosophy. The first number of this pub- 

 lication is, in fact, devoted to psychology. Among its contents 

 the paper on Reaction Times is fundamental and perhaps the 

 most thoroughgoing statement yet made in this direction, so far 

 as the processes themselves are concerned. Much attention has 

 been given to memory processes, especially the visual and audi- 

 tory elements of such processes. The work upon simultaneous 

 sensations visual, auditory, tactile, electric is perhaps the most 

 careful yet made. The study of the psychology of attention has 

 been much emphasized during the past year. An investigation, 

 the results of which are just about to be published, upon the 

 growth of habit is among the first on this subject to be pursued 

 from the primarily experimental point. 



