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335 BCE
Aristotle and the Human Heart
Aristotle suggested that the human heart is the mechanism for mental processes. -
Franz Mesmer's cure
Fran Mesmer detailed his cure of some mental disease that was originally called mesmerism, but now known as hypnosis. -
Skull Shape and Personaility
Franz Gall wrote about phrenology which is the idea that a person’s skull shape and placement of bumps on the head can reveal personality traits. -
perception theory
Ernst Heinrich Weber published his perception theory of Just Noticeable Difference now known as Weber’s Law. -
G. Stanley Hall
G. Stanley Hall becomes the first American to earn a Ph.D. in psychology. Hall eventually founds the American Psychological Association. -
Therapy to patients
Sigmund Freud begins providing therapy to patients in Vienna, Austria -
First professor of psychology
James McKeen Cattell becomes the first professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. -
Mental Tests and Measurements
James McKeen Cattell publishes Mental Tests and Measurements, marking the beginning of the practice of psychological assessment. -
First psychology lab
Alfred Binet forms the first psychology lab devoted to psychodiagnosis -
British Psychological Society
The British Psychological Society is formed -
First women president of the American Psychological Associarion
Mary Whiton Calkins is elected the first woman president of the American Psychological Association -
First Psychology Book
Calkins publishes A First Book in Psychology. -
Experimental Studies of the Perception
Max Wertheimer publishes Experimental Studies of the Perception of Movement, leading to the development of Gestalt Psychology. -
Thematic Apperception Test
Henry Murray publishes the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT). -
Dianostic and Statistical Manual
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is published. -
Bobo Doll Experiment
Albert Bandura conducts his now famous Bobo doll experiment. -
Concept of observational learning
Albert Bandura first describes the concept of observational learning to explain personality development. -
Noam Chomsky
Noam Chomsky publishes On Nature, Use and Acquisition of Language -
Mapping human genes
Genetic researchers finish mapping human genes. Scientists hope to one day isolate the individual genes responsible for different diseases. -
Tabula Rasa
Steven Pinker publishes The Blank Slate, arguing against the concept of tabula rasa.
