ABSTRACT

Few graduate students in educational psychology know much about the history of this field, and few of them can make solidly anchored projections of its future. There are few courses in North America on the nature and history of educational psychology. This chapter summarizes some of the historical efforts and discussions, before prognosticating about the future. It starts with some stagesetting quotations: Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe. In 1948 a special committee of Division 15 chaired by Donald Snygg attempted to define and outline the field. Cognitive psychology has provided a coherent unifying theory and viewpoint about human nature and mental life that is researchable and relevant to education. It has captured the imagination of a majority of researchers in educational psychology. Research and scholarship in educational psychology is vigorous and exciting, fueled by powerful theory.