Psychology, technology, and professional service.

Abstract

As an autobiographical commentary, the author characterizes his successive interests in psychology as a science, a technology, and an area of professional service. During his 50 active years he has observed a shift in the philosophical basis of scientific psychology from logical positivism toward realism, a shift that seems to supply a logical basis for integrating the data from scientific, technological, and professional efforts. Psychology as a technology is illustrated by reference to the author’s involvement in the development of the technology of training. Views on the proper content of training for the practice of psychology conclude the article. A common theme runs throughout: Psychology has broadened its scope as a science, a technology, and a practice insofar as psychologists have recognized that a human event, like any other natural event, is determined by the simultaneous action of many factors at various levels.

Unintended Consequences: Ventures and Misadventures in the Education of Professional Psychologists.

“…If we stop thinking of professional psychology as an arcane art and examine it instead as a set of complex professional occupations, the well-tried methods for measuring and improving performance that industrial/organizational psychologists have developed over the years can be applied to practitioners in our own field. The famed "HumRRO seven steps" (Human Resources Research Organization; Crawford, 1962Crawford, , 1985, the many procedures that have been designed to assess performance of military personnel (e.g., Wigdor & Green, 1991), and Thomas Gilbert's broad-gauge behavioral methods for measuring performance at work (Gilbert, 1987) come immediately to my mind. Specialists in personnel and organizational psychology can easily think of others.…”

Redefining the science-practice relationship and professional training.

“…Complex social and psychological problems, the system of third-party payment, accreditation, and state licensing controls all demand a high level of professional expertise and accountability. New competencies are needed for policy research and the delivery of an increasingly technologized service (Crawford, 1985;Masters, 1984). If psychology is expected to be a problem-solving profession, it is crucial for both academic researchers and practice-oriented members of the profession to respond to the challenges of professional training.…”

Triumph and tribulation in the history of American comparative psychology.

“…Meredith P. Crawford (born 1910), a 1935 Columbia doctorate, did significant work on primate behavior at the Yerkes Laboratories before becoming known for work in applied psychology and as an administrator within the American Psychological As-sociation. For Crawford after World War II, as for many psychologists after World War I, wartime experiences shifted a career from basic science to a continuation of applied work (Crawford, 1985). Thomas N. Jenkins worked in several fields but was best known for work in personality and industrial psychology (Benjamin, 1991).…”