August 14, 1903.] 



SCIENCE. 



197 



TEN YE-VKS INSIDE THE ASSOCUTIOX. 



The increasing objectivity of psychology 

 in America was augmented by the organ- 

 ization of our association in 1892. When 

 the American Journal of Psychology 

 moved to the ' Heart of the Commonwealth ' 

 of I\Iassachusetts, its editor found himself 

 near the center of things psychological, at 

 least in New England. In the hope of 

 conserving the great gains which had been 

 made for the science, and with the desire 

 of having an exchange where psychological 

 efforts might be pooled and where a more 

 personal and direct mode of checking off 

 results might be available than through the 

 existing channels of publication, President 

 Hall nursed the idea of a society of psy- 

 chologists, and took counsel by pen and by 

 mouth with many workers in this field. 

 Everybody consulted was in sympathy 

 with the idea, and wanted to become a 

 member of Avhatever organization might be 

 effected, pledging his hearty cooperation. 

 Fortified and clarified by these prelim- 

 inaries, including a conference of some 

 length with Professor Ladd, he issued a 

 letter of invitation to more than a score of 

 psychologists to meet at Clark University, 

 on July 8, 1892. A company of men 

 gathered at the appointed time and place, 

 and the preliminary meeting was held, six 

 papers being presented and discussed, and 

 plans pro.jected for a permanent organiza- 

 tion. The first annual meeting was held 

 on the 27th and 28th of the December fol- 

 lowing, at the University of Pennsylvania. 

 Annual meetings have been held in the 

 meantime. The following table presents 

 a summary statement of the features of 

 these meetings, detailing for purposes of 

 ready comparison the items of place, presi- 

 dent, election to membership, total mem- 

 bership, attendance of members at each 

 meeting, papers, reports and discussions 

 presented, the number of contributing 



members and readers not members, re- 

 search grants, and the treasury balances.* 



It is interesting to note that most of the 

 organizing psychologists were interested in 

 the project for the sake of fellow.ship, 

 friendship and the enjojnnent of person- 

 alit}^ In reviewing the history of the asso- 

 ciation, and in attempting to ascertain just 

 what it may have done for its object of 

 advancing the science, we can not simply 

 regard it as a social club, meeting for jolly 

 good times. On the contrary, we must 

 look to the woi-k it has actually accom- 

 plished or stimulated and recognized. The 

 annual notice of its meetings .sent to its 

 members calls for the title of papers to be 

 read. And to this type of activity our 

 attention must primarily be directed. 



I therefore adopted the plan of classi- 

 fying topically the varied material which 

 has been brought in and given a place at 

 the several meetings, in the form of papers, 

 set discussions and research reports, in order 

 to gather up, in a summary fashion, the 

 actual cooperative achievements within the 

 association. The value of such a summary 

 doubtless depends upon the comprehensive- 

 ness of the rubrics selected as representing 



* The data are compiled from the reports of the 

 meetings to be found as follows: 



' Proceedings of the American Psychological 

 Association.' Macmillan and Co., New York (no 

 date), pp. 29. (Contains accounts of the Pre- 

 liminary, the First Annual, 1892, and the Sec- 

 ond Annual, 1893, meetings.) Third Annual 

 meeting, 1894, in Psychological Review, II., 1895, 

 pp. 149-172. Fourth Annual meeting, 1895, in 

 Psychological Review, III., 1896, pp. 121-133. 

 Fifth Annual meeting, 1896, in Psychological Re- 

 view, XV., 1897, pp. 107-141. Sixth Annual meet- 

 ing, 1897, in Psychological Review, V., 1898, pp. 

 145-171. Seventh Annual meeting, 1898, in Psy- 

 chological Review, VI., 1899, pp. 140-179. Eighth 

 Annual meeting, 1899, in Psychological Review, 

 VII., 1900, pp. 125-158. Ninth Annual meeting, 

 1900, in Psychological Review, VIII., 1901, pp. 

 158-180. Tenth Annual meeting, 1901, in Psy- 

 chological Review, IX., 1902, pp. 134-155. 



