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ON SEPTEMBER 19, 1955, one of the world's greatest psychologistspassed from the scene. It is quite appropriate to say that LouisLeon Thurstone was to psychology of the first half of the twentiethcentury what Gustav Theodore Fechner was to the last half of thenineteenth. Fechner was the father of quantitative psychology;Thurstone was its chief torchbearer in recent years. In addition tohis many novel contributions during the past thirty years, we haveas memorials to him the Psychometric Society and the journalPsychometrika, both of which were founded through his initiative.Their motto was essentially his own motto: The development ofpsychology as a quantitative, rational science.
Thurstone was born in Chicago, May 19, 1887, to parents of nativeSwedish stock. The family name was Thunstrom but was laterchanged to a form that would better suit the American scene. Hisfather had been an instructor in mathematics in the SwedishArmy, and later became, in turn, a Lutheran minister, a newspapereditor, and a publisher. His mother was interested in music andmusically talented. Leon and his sister, Adele, two years younger,started piano lessons when quite young. Leon showed a transitoryinterest in composing, whereas Adele later completed a collegedegree in music.
Thurstone's elementary education was obtained at several places—Berwyn, Illinois; Centerville, Mississippi; Stockholm, Sweden (bothpublic and private schools); and Jamestown, New York. Highschool was completed in Jamestown. In high school he won acompetition in geometry. With some of the prize money he purchaseda Kodak, which marked the beginning of a lifelong hobbyof photography, in which he later demonstrated considerable artisticskill. As a sophomore, his first notable literary effort was in theform of a letter on "How to Save Niagara," which appeared in theScientific American. This was an attempt to solve the problem ofutilizing large portions of Niagara's waters for power purposeswhile preserving the beauty of the falls, a lively issue at the time.His second publication, also in the Scientific American, demonstratedhis potentialities for creative thinking. As a high schoolsophomore he developed a geometric method for trisecting anangle, a solution that went beyond Euclidian geometry. Later, incollege, he developed an equation for his solution.
Enrolled in electrical engineering at Cornell, Thurstone took aspecial interest in experiments in physics of the singing arc. Theexperiments took the direction of a method by which sounds couldbe recorded on film. He also worked on the designing of a new typeof motion-picture camera and projector that eliminated flicker completelyby means of a continuously running film.
His first notable interests in psychology arose during his studiesof engineering at Cornell. A course on machine design particularlyappealed to him. In this connection he was struck by the factthat among the problems of machine design are some concernedwith the properties of the men who are to operate the machines.Today, of course, there is a growing effort and body of informationalong these lines, sometimes included under the heading of"human engineering." He also became interested in human learningas a scientific problem and attended a few lectures in psychology.Having constructed a working model of his motion-picture projector,on which he secured a patent, he succeeded in having itdemonstrated at the Thomas A. Edison laboratory. Although Edisonwas reported as being impressed, he did not decide to changeover to the production of Thurstone's model. He did, however, offerThurstone a position in his laboratory, which Thurstone acceptedeffective upon his graduation from Cornell. Thurstone's observationsof the way in which Edison went about his work undoubtedlyhad much to do with his interest in the psychology of creativethinking, later in life.
His stay in the Edison laboratory was brief, owing to his desireto return to an academic setting. In the fall of 1912. Thurstonebecame instructor in engineering at the University of Minnesota,where he taught descriptive geometry and drafting. There he tookhis first course in experimental psychology and started his study ofthe learning function (performance as a function of practice time).In the summer of 1914 he started graduate work in psychology atthe University of Chicago. A fellow student, now rather notedin other fields, was Beardsley Ruml.
In the fall of 1915, Thurstone accepted an assistantship in the newand active Department of Psychology at the Carnegie Institute ofTechnology, where the emphasis was on research in applied psychology.Earning his doctorate from Chicago in 1917, he was rapidlypromoted at Carnegie, until he was Professor and head of the departmentin 1920, a position that he held until 1923. His wartimeservice included work in the trade-test division of the Army, wherehis methods of testing and of test appraising were put to use. In1923 and 1924 he devoted a time to research in the Institute of Government,research aimed at the improvement of civil service practices.His efforts in this connection, and his later counsel, have hadlasting effects upon the civil service.
In the summer of 1924 he was married to Thelma Gwinn whomhe had known as a graduate student in psychology. That fall hebecame Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Chicago.Subsequent academic assignments, briefly listed, includeappointment to full professorship in 1928 and to Charles F. GrayDistinguished Service Professor in 1938. In the meantime, he establishedand directed the Psychometric Laboratory in the SocialSciences Division, in which capacity he continued until his retirementfrom Chicago in 1952. He had much to do with the institutionof the unique examining system at Chicago and with its policiesand practices in the Board of Examinations. During the year 1948-1949 he was visiting professor at the University of Frankfort. Inthe spring semester of 1954 he was visiting professor at the Universityof Stockholm and lectured at other Swedish universities as wellas at the universities of Helsinki and Oslo. Upon his retirementfrom Chicago he became Research Professor and Director of thePsychometric Laboratory at the University of North Carolina,which was his affiliation at the time of his death.
Thurstone's contributions to psychological measurement grew outof his dissatisfactions with psychology as he found it. For example,little or no attention had been given to the description of learningcurves in terms of mathematical equations. In connection with hisdoctoral dissertation Thurstone found that a large number of differentempirical equations might be applied. In 1930 he publishedthe derivation of the first general, rational equation for a learningcurve. He demonstrated that under certain, somewhat standard conditionsthe learning functions is S-shaped. From his general functionhe deduced other relationships, which have been supportedby learning data. For example, he deduced that learning varies asthe 3/2 power of the number of items (beyond the memory span)in a memorized list.
He very early observed that practices of psychological testingwere developing apparently without adequate foundations of theoryto support them. He proceeded to do something about this fromtwo directions, psychological and statistical. A major contributionto psychological theory was in his monograph on intelligence, whichappeared in 1924. He developed and supported the thesis that thedegree of intelligence is related to the degree of incompleteness ofan act at which it becomes focal in consciousness. Becoming highlyaware of an act during its early stages offers much opportunity tobring to bear upon it a wider range of choice or determination.This conception was poorly understood and Thurstone himself didlittle more to investigate intelligence from this particular point ofview, at least explicitly.
n a t i o n a l a c a d e m y o f s c i e n c e s
Any opinions expressed in this memoir are those of the author(s)and do not necessarily reflect the views of theNational Academy of Sciences.
L o u i s l e o n T h u r s t o n e1887—1955
A Biographical Memoir
byJ . P. Guilford
Biographical Memoir
Copyright 1957national academy of sciences washington d.c.
LOUIS LEON THURSTONE1887-1955
BY J. P. GUILFORD
ON SEPTEMBER 19, 1955, one of the world's greatest psychologistspassed from the scene. It is quite appropriate to say that LouisLeon Thurstone was to psychology of the first half of the twentiethcentury what Gustav Theodore Fechner was to the last half of thenineteenth. Fechner was the father of quantitative psychology;Thurstone was its chief torchbearer in recent years. In addition tohis many novel contributions during the past thirty years, we haveas memorials to him the Psychometric Society and the journalPsychometrika, both of which were founded through his initiative.Their motto was essentially his own motto: The development ofpsychology as a quantitative, rational science.
Thurstone was born in Chicago, May 19, 1887, to parents of nativeSwedish stock. The family name was Thunstrom but was laterchanged to a form that would better suit the American scene. Hisfather had been an instructor in mathematics in the SwedishArmy, and later became, in turn, a Lutheran minister, a newspapereditor, and a publisher. His mother was interested in music andmusically talented. Leon and his sister, Adele, two years younger,started piano lessons when quite young. Leon showed a transitoryinterest in composing, whereas Adele later completed a collegedegree in music.
Thurstone's elementary education was obtained at several places—Berwyn, Illinois; Centerville, Mississippi; Stockholm, Sweden (bothpublic and private schools); and Jamestown, New York. Highschool was completed in Jamestown. In high school he won acompetition in geometry. With some of the prize money he purchaseda Kodak, which marked the beginning of a lifelong hobbyof photography, in which he later demonstrated considerable artisticskill. As a sophomore, his first notable literary effort was in theform of a letter on "How to Save Niagara," which appeared in theScientific American. This was an attempt to solve the problem ofutilizing large portions of Niagara's waters for power purposeswhile preserving the beauty of the falls, a lively issue at the time.His second publication, also in the Scientific American, demonstratedhis potentialities for creative thinking. As a high schoolsophomore he developed a geometric method for trisecting anangle, a solution that went beyond Euclidian geometry. Later, incollege, he developed an equation for his solution.
Enrolled in electrical engineering at Cornell, Thurstone took aspecial interest in experiments in physics of the singing arc. Theexperiments took the direction of a method by which sounds couldbe recorded on film. He also worked on the designing of a new typeof motion-picture camera and projector that eliminated flicker completelyby means of a continuously running film.
His first notable interests in psychology arose during his studiesof engineering at Cornell. A course on machine design particularlyappealed to him. In this connection he was struck by the factthat among the problems of machine design are some concernedwith the properties of the men who are to operate the machines.Today, of course, there is a growing effort and body of informationalong these lines, sometimes included under the heading of"human engineering." He also became interested in human learningas a scientific problem and attended a few lectures in psychology.Having constructed a working model of his motion-picture projector,on which he secured a patent, he succeeded in having itdemonstrated at the Thomas A. Edison laboratory. Although Edisonwas reported as being impressed, he did not decide to changeover to the production of Thurstone's model. He did, however, offerThurstone a position in his laboratory, which Thurstone acceptedeffective upon his graduation from Cornell. Thurstone's observationsof the way in which Edison went about his work undoubtedlyhad much to do with his interest in the psychology of creativethinking, later in life.
His stay in the Edison laboratory was brief, owing to his desireto return to an academic setting. In the fall of 1912. Thurstonebecame instructor in engineering at the University of Minnesota,where he taught descriptive geometry and drafting. There he tookhis first course in experimental psychology and started his study ofthe learning function (performance as a function of practice time).In the summer of 1914 he started graduate work in psychology atthe University of Chicago. A fellow student, now rather notedin other fields, was Beardsley Ruml.
In the fall of 1915, Thurstone accepted an assistantship in the newand active Department of Psychology at the Carnegie Institute ofTechnology, where the emphasis was on research in applied psychology.Earning his doctorate from Chicago in 1917, he was rapidlypromoted at Carnegie, until he was Professor and head of the departmentin 1920, a position that he held until 1923. His wartimeservice included work in the trade-test division of the Army, wherehis methods of testing and of test appraising were put to use. In1923 and 1924 he devoted a time to research in the Institute of Government,research aimed at the improvement of civil service practices.His efforts in this connection, and his later counsel, have hadlasting effects upon the civil service.
In the summer of 1924 he was married to Thelma Gwinn whomhe had known as a graduate student in psychology. That fall hebecame Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Chicago.Subsequent academic assignments, briefly listed, includeappointment to full professorship in 1928 and to Charles F. GrayDistinguished Service Professor in 1938. In the meantime, he establishedand directed the Psychometric Laboratory in the SocialSciences Division, in which capacity he continued until his retirementfrom Chicago in 1952. He had much to do with the institutionof the unique examining system at Chicago and with its policiesand practices in the Board of Examinations. During the year 1948-1949 he was visiting professor at the University of Frankfort. Inthe spring semester of 1954 he was visiting professor at the Universityof Stockholm and lectured at other Swedish universities as wellas at the universities of Helsinki and Oslo. Upon his retirementfrom Chicago he became Research Professor and Director of thePsychometric Laboratory at the University of North Carolina,which was his affiliation at the time of his death.
Thurstone's contributions to psychological measurement grew outof his dissatisfactions with psychology as he found it. For example,little or no attention had been given to the description of learningcurves in terms of mathematical equations. In connection with hisdoctoral dissertation Thurstone found that a large number of differentempirical equations might be applied. In 1930 he publishedthe derivation of the first general, rational equation for a learningcurve. He demonstrated that under certain, somewhat standard conditionsthe learning functions is S-shaped. From his general functionhe deduced other relationships, which have been supportedby learning data. For example, he deduced that learning varies asthe 3/2 power of the number of items (beyond the memory span)in a memorized list.
He very early observed that practices of psychological testingwere developing apparently without adequate foundations of theoryto support them. He proceeded to do something about this fromtwo directions, psychological and statistical. A major contributionto psychological theory was in his monograph on intelligence, whichappeared in 1924. He developed and supported the thesis that thedegree of intelligence is related to the degree of incompleteness ofan act at which it becomes focal in consciousness. Becoming highlyaware of an act during its early stages offers much opportunity tobring to bear upon it a wider range of choice or determination.This conception was poorly understood and Thurstone himself didlittle more to investigate intelligence from this particular point ofview, at least explicitly.