How Did Witmer Contribute To Psychology

After he received his BA he took a teaching position at Rugby Academy. During his second year at Rugby, James Cattell entered the faculty and influenced Witmer to transfer to the field of psychology. Witmer assisted Cattell on gathering data reaction times on individual with differences. Witmer traveled to Leipzig and studied under Wilhelm Wundt, where the two often disagreed on issues regarding individual differences. When Witmer returned from Europe, he viewed himself as an experimental psychologist. He joined the University of Pennsylvania faculty where he taught different classes and explored different areas of research under the area of experimental psychology. In 1894, Witmer taught a class offered at the university, which was for public

The physician assessed the child first to see if the could treat any physical pain that was in the way of learning. Next, a social worker helped to make sure that the child’s parents were doing everything that they could in order to help their child. Witmer believed that a teacher was the most person most important for helping a person get to their goal. Witmer needed to see a child in their natural environment, learning, in order to make a proper diagnosis. He would observe the teacher teaching the child and then make his diagnosis, as the role of the psychologist (Baker, 1998). Witmer would use tests in order to test the children, but really didn’t like them, as they didn’t provide anything significant. He found better results in clinical experience as he could personally observe what each child was doing and then conclude based on his observations rather on someone else’s test (Fagan, Compulsory Schooling, Child Study, Clinical Psychology, and Special Education, 1992). The field of clinical psychology was developing at the same time the Binet Test was developing (Routh, 1996). Witmer didn’t like to use the Binet Test, as he thought it to be very statistical, and it didn’t give an individual the value they deserved (McReynolds, 1987). Instead, he created his own tests, the Witmer Cylinders and Witmer Foam Board in his evaluations. His tests consisted of a child placing a block on the foam board over and over again, and wanted to see if the teacher could teach the child to do it correctly (Routh, 1996). Witmer constantly saw the value of what the individual person brought and thought intelligence tests couldn’t measure a person’s true capacity (Baker,