-Contributed by Michelle Breckon.
Michelle Breckon has now completed her internship working with still images at the Center for the History of Psychology. In today’s blog posting, she shares one last gem with us!
Edwin Garrigues Boring was born on October 23, 1886 and died July 1, 1968. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he was raised as a Quaker. He attended Cornell University where he received a degree in electrical engineering. He later returned to Cornell to get a degree in physics, but was fascinated by psychology, so he stuck with it, becoming a psychologist.
He and his wife, Lucy M. Day had four children together. During World War I, Boring did intelligence testing for the army intelligence program. He worked at Harvard for 27 years and also served as president of the American Psychological Association.
During his career, Boring worked in many different subject areas, including figure-ground phenomena, tonal brightness, and the moon illusion. During World War II he wrote a textbook on military psychology.
Today, Boring is known as being one of the earliest historians of experimental psychology. His first book was A History of Experimental Psychology in 1929. He left his mark on the world of psychology, through his writings, mentorships, and service on countless committees.
But did you know that in 1940 Edwin Garrigues Boring dressed up as Santa Claus for the Harvard Christmas party?
He makes a good looking Santa Claus, doesn’t he?
