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EPILOGUE – LINKING THE
PAST AND PRESENT
Dr. Nancy Alvarado
William James was Pessimistic
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“…not a single law in the sense in which physics
shows us laws, not a single proposition from which
any consequence can causally be deduced. We
don’t even know the terms between which the
elementary laws would obtain if we had them. This
is no science, it is only the hope for a science.”
James, 1892, p. 468
Is his pessimism justified?
Where do we stand now?
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Certain psychological phenomena are now
understood and some laws of behavior have been
established.
Knowledge of the structure and functions of the
nervous system and the biological bases of
psychological phenomena has advanced rapidly.
 The
1990’s were called “the decade of the brain.”
 Development of psychoactive drugs has radically
changed clinical practice.
More Advances
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Development of new statistical procedures has
changed the analysis and interpretation of
psychological data.
 Factor
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analysis, modeling.
Computers and electronic instrumentation make
more precise measurement possible.
Cognition has been restored to a central position in
psychology.
The normative approach to development has been
replaced by stage and life-span theories.
Psychology has Grown

There are 51 divisions in the APA, the largest
psychology professional organization.
 Psychology
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has become more specialized into subfields.
Psychology has become one of the most popular
majors on university campuses nationwide.
The bitter split between clinical practitioners and
scientifically oriented psychologists leading to
formation of APS in 1988 has been healed.
 The
groups now coordinate efforts and communicate.
We Stand on their Shoulders

We stand on the shoulders of those who came
before us.
 The
literature review is our contact with past
generations.

We can expect their struggles to be our struggles.
 Perseverance
can be found in the lives of all who made
strong contributions.
 Some people were lucky, with early continuing success.
 Others have been unjustly forgotten. We can find them
and celebrate their lives too.