About Us: A Brief History

A Century of Psychology at MU

A brief history by Dr. Robert S. Daniel

In the year 2000, MU's Psychological Sciences faculty, staff and students celebrated the department's centennial. Also in 2000, the name of the Department officially became the Department of Psychological Sciences The following brief historical account is meant to start us all thinking about the rich heritage that characterizes our department. As in many other historical accounts, it seems fitting to cast our development into periods, each of which has a distinct flavor, objective, or emphasis.

1900-1930: A one-man performance

Max Meyer was brought to MU by President Richard Jesse in June 1900. Meyer headed the section of Experimental Psychology, one of three making up the Department of Philosophy and Education. His heavy teaching load soon became burdensome, so R.M. Ogden was appointed as an assistant (1903-1905). Ogden's translation of Koffka (1924) introduced Gestalt Psychology to English speaking readers. However, in Ogden and at least four other assistants in the years that followed, Meyer never had a colleague of true academic status. It is not known whether that arrangement was a limitation of the college or Meyer's choice, as presumed by historians. In either case, Meyer tolerated no threats to his authority nor to his position on scientific issues.

Indeed, Meyer's rigid and disciplined background led him to become what has been called a "scientific isolate." Meyer accepted faculty committee work, but he had no close friends on or off campus and few colleagues elsewhere with whom he corresponded on scientific matters. He initiated "grading on the curve" but resigned from the committee when opposition arose. Such anecdotes abound illustrating his characteristic hautiness. But he was widely recognized as an excellent scientist and teacher, especially for the more able students.

In 1929, he became innocently involved in what a local newspaper called a "sex scandal." His role in the scandal was to advise a student on the wording of some questionnaire items for a sociology course and to supply imprinted return envelopes. The student was O. Hobart Mowrer, who later became APA President. Four of the ten questionnaire items referred to extra-marital sex, which is not shocking by today' standards. Nevertheless, quite a stir arose in the local press. Meyer and the sociology professor were subsequently dismissed. Mawrer's diploma was denied, though eventually awarded years later. Meyer then worked one year in South America and two years at the Central Institute for the Deaf in St. Louis. He retired from a research appointment at the University of Miami.

Meyer's chief scientific contributions were his controversial but mathematically precise theory of hearing, and his behavioristic approach to psychology, which anteceded Watson.

1930-1950: Production amid turnover

John McGeoch from Arkansas was appointed to head the department after Meyer's departure. McGeoch, who later became well-known for his research in learning, began to build the department with a small but able professional staff of Fred McKinney (1931) and Henry Peters (1932). McGeoch went to Wesleyan in 1935 and later to Iowa. He was succeeded by Arthur Melton, who also added new faculty: Fred Courts (1938) and Walter Grether (1941). Melton left in 1941 to become USAF School of Aviation Medicine chief of psychology. He, too, was well known for his research in learning, for editing the Journal of Experimental Psychology, and later for becoming APNs chief publication officer.

Despite rather high faculty turnover, the department gained an enviable national reputation for producing outstanding MA graduates. Between 1930 and 1941, 10 MA graduates went to larger departments for their PhDs. Nine of these became distinguished psychologists. Some said their MA research was more rigorous than that required for the doctorate.

Fred Courts succeeded Melton, and new faculty included Robert Daniel (1942) and Melvin Marx (1944). When Courts resigned in 1945, Fred McKinney became chairman.

McKinney's decade-long term (1945-1955) saw significant growth in the faculty. Additions and terms were William Lichte (1945-1976), William Thurlow (1945-1946), Ruth Allee (1946-1975), Brad Reynolds (1947-1952), George Wischner (1947-1948), David Bakan (1949-1961), Kenneth Brown (1949-1976), Robert Callis (1949-1955), Harold Coppock (1950-1951), Tom Burgess (1950-1953), Nissim Levy (1951-1953), Guy Renzaglia (1953-1955), and Tom Pustell (1954-1955). The department continued a vigorous program of undergraduate and graduate (MA) and research.

1950-1994: A full-program department

In 1950, during McKinney's chairmanship, the PhD program was initiated. The program's first graduate was Robert Henderson (1953), who went on to a distinguished career in the specialty of human engineering. Initially only Experimental Psychology was offered at the doctoral level. Counseling was added in 1952, clinical in 1953, and social/personality was added in 1960 in a joint program with sociology. APA accredited the counseling program in 1953 and clinical in 1958. In 1998, the counseling program moved to the Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology and the Experimental Training Program became the Cognition and Neuroscience Program.

A total of 125 have been or are currently employed by the department. Although limited space here precludes listing the faculty members of more recent years, the following data show the department's growth curve:

1900-1930	1	1965	25
1935	4	1970	30
1940	4	1975	28
1945	6	1980	27
1950	11	1985	28
1955	14	1990	33
1960	17	1994	39

Chairmen following McKinney were Robert Daniel (1955-1961), William Lichte (1961-1969), David McDonald (1969-1973), Sam Brown (1973-1985), Joe LoPiccolo (1987-1990), Tom DiLorenzo (1990-1999), Harris Cooper (1999-2002), David Geary (2002-2005), and Ann Bettencourt (2005-present.)

A notable improvement in facilities took place in 1958 with the move from the fourth floor of Jesse Hall to the renovated McAlester Hall. Among the many anecdotes related to occupying the Jesse Hall "Attic," one will suffice to illustrate the ways of academia. During the move to McAlester, a box of Max Meyer's correspondence was found. One of the letters was an apology from the dean for housing the department in such undesirable quarters. The dean's 1901 letter promised new space just as soon as possible. On seeing the document fifty-seven years later during the move, Dean Francis English said, "That's about par for the course."

Prior to the move, the department's expansion had forced it to expand to ten locations in addition to The Attic. Such scattering caused confusion, which was eased by the consolidation into McAlester Hall. The building also housed philosophy until 1970 and geography until 1976. The department's continued growth again sent psychology offices and labs beyond the walls of its headquarters.

Negotiations for additional space began in 1974. Nearly twenty years later in fall 1993, the department's request was granted. The Psychology Building, just across Peace Park from McAlester, meets departmental needs for clinics, laboratories, offices and other dedicated rooms. Also, provisions have been made for modifications to meet future needs.

Information About the Department

About Us: A Brief History

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Department of Psychological Sciences 210 McAlester Hall Columbia, MO 65211-2500 phone: 573-882-6860 fax: 573-882-7710 email: SkylesB@missouri.edu Graduate Program: 573-882-0838 or gradpsych@missouri.edu