Uncover the fundamentals of early psychological measurement and the science of attention.
This volume presents the Yale Psychological Laboratory’s first-year investigations, led by Charles B. Bliss and edited by Edward W. Scripture. It explains how researchers designed precise experiments to measure reaction-time, attention, and perceptual judgments, using carefully controlled environments and specialized timing devices.
The book blends practical setup with the theory behind early methods. It details the challenges of isolating a test subject from noise and distraction, and it explains how scientists sought accuracy to thousandths of a second. Readers will see how apparatus, from chronoscopes to kymographs, was chosen and tested, and how measurements were interpreted to understand fatigue, depth perception with one or both eyes, and the reliability of perceptual judgments under fatigue.
What you’ll experience
- Clear descriptions of experimental design, data analysis, and the pursuit of measurement accuracy.
- Insights into how fatigue and environmental factors influence perception and reaction times.
- A window into the daily work of a pioneering psychological laboratory, including the role of collaboration and apparatus innovation.
- Real-world examples of how early researchers confronted methodological limits and refined their tools.
Ideal for readers interested in the history of psychology, experimental methods, and the development of objective measurement in the behavioral sciences. This edition offers a historical snapshot of how theory, technique, and careful observation came together in the birth of modern psychophysics.
Ideal for students and researchers curious about the roots of reaction-time studies, attention research, and the practical challenges of conducting precise psychological experiments in a university laboratory.