Raymond B Cattell: Life and Works - Term Paper Example

Raymond B Cattell Raymond B Cattell: life and works Abstract In his long career spanning over 70 years, Raymond Cattell has made great contributions to the field of psychology. These include factor analytic mapping of the domains of personality, using different mediums of assessment, separating fluid and crystallized intelligence and numerous other methodological advancements. He has also inspired numerous students to take up research and inspired many to author books. This can be demonstrated by the huge amount of respect and admiration which his coworkers and students possessed for him. He is one of the very few people in this century who have modified psychology as a science in this century. Introduction Raymond Bernard Cattell was a British-American psychologist who was known for his work in different domains of psychology. These domains included personality and temperament, cognitive abilities, the dynamic dimensions of motivation and emotion, and various other scientific methods. During the course of his 92 years, Cattell continued making contributions to the world of psychology. He authored and co-authored over 50 books, 500 articles and above 30 standardized tests. He was considered as the 16th most influential psychologist of his time. Cattell’s claim to fame was his identification of the different dimensions of personality. He also studied basic dimensions of other domains too. These include intelligence, motivation and vocational interests. Cattell explained the theory of the existence of fluid and crystallized intelligences to elaborate on the human cognitive ability. He has also inspired numerous students to take up research and inspired many to author books. This was a result of the great affection which he had for his work. This can be demonstrated by the huge amount of respect and admiration which his coworkers and students possess for him. Early life Raymond Bernard Cattell was a British-American psychologist born in Hilltop, England in 1905. His father designed, manufactured and supplied new parts for automobiles, engines and machines and his mother was a daughter of a wealthy manufacturer. Thus the family was financially sound. A comfortable economic state allowed the family to move to the shores of Devon where he developed a love of sailing and the sea which stayed with him for the rest of his life. A great deal of his childhood was spent outside the house, which he spent sailing, swimming and exploring caves. In short he had a happy, fulfilling childhood unlike many other personality theorists. In his words "1905 was a felicitous year in which to be born. The airplane was just a year old. The Curies and Rutherford in that year penetrated the heart of the atom and the mystery of its radiations, Binet launched the first intelligence test, and Einstein, the theory of relativity" (G, 1973). In spite of the fact that his family was fairly comfortable, emphasis was not laid on higher education. Both his parents never attended college and he was the only one from his generation to attend college. He attended the Torquay boys Grammar school from 1915 to 1921 and won a scholarship there. He also won a scholarship at the University College London to study chemistry and he graduated from there at the age of 21. Education and work His literary and scientific interests and diligence were extraordinary for a boy in his environment. Even when he was studying Chemistry at college, he delved into sciences and subjects beyond his reading. He attended lectures by various influential people who included Bertrand Russell, H. G. Wells, Huxley, and Shaw during his stay in London. He directly observed the level of destruction caused by the First World War and was greatly affected by it. He rejected the standard remedies provided by political parties and religious affiliations and decided to study the working of the mind himself. He gave up chemistry to study human behavior and related fields. In his own words "he felt that his laboratory table had begun to seem too small and the world's problems so vast" (G, 1973). He started studying for a PhD in psychology from the UCL .He received it in 1929. He believed that psychology could be studied as a serious science and could be used to solve human problems. The decision to pursue psychology was a courageous one. This was because psychology was considered a subject for cranks and there were very limited development opportunities in it at that time. Even then Cattell was lucky to be working with Charles Spearman, who was working on the quantification of intelligence at that time. He also started teaching and counseling at the Exeter University but he was disappointed by the job as it did not provide ample resources for research. He did not like teaching groups but was an excellent one-to-one mentor to his graduate students. He also got married during his stay in Exeter. Work and Research It was in Exeter, that he got directions regarding his life's work. Till then domains of personality, motivation and morality were identified but not completely verified. Cattel made it his life's mission to use scientific methods in domains of intelligence, ability and cognition. He taught and wrote research papers and by the age of 25 had six publications to his credit. (Raymond Bernard Cattel) In 1937 E.L Thorndike of the Columbia University, after reading one of Cattell's papers, invited him to the United States. As Britain had still not completely recovered from the great depression and conditions were not very feasible for research, Cattell reluctantly left Britain for the United States. In 1938 he joined Clark University where he developed objective behavioral measures of personality and intelligence. He also clarifies his theory of fluid vs. crystallized intelligence. In 1941 he joined Harvard University as its faculty. The three years spent at Harvard were very important as they laid down the foundation of the research work which he did later in life. At Harvard, Cattell began mapping and defining personality using factor analytic methods. World War II marked his years as a Civilian consultant to the United States government. He developed tests for selecting officers in the army. In 1945, Cattell accepted the position of the Professor of psychology at the University of Illinois. He managed to gather enough subsidies to start his own research work. One of the reasons for moving to the UIC was the ability to use the Illiac, a computer which was being developed over there then. The computer enabled large scale factor analyses which were previously impossible. At the University of Illinois, he also found the laboratory of personality assessment and group behavior. In 1960, he convened an international symposium to increase communication amongst researchers using multivariate statistics to study human behavior. He remained at the University of till his retirement after which he completed research work in Boulder. In 1977, he moved to Hawaii as it gave gratification to his life-long love of the ocean. He also served as a part time professor and the advisor at the University of Hawaii. He died peacefully at home in Honolulu on February 2, 1998, at the age of 92. Works Multivariate research and factor analysis Raymond Cattell used multivariate data, which is the use of more than one variable, in his research. He believed that behavioral dimensions were too complex to be studied in isolation. (Cattell, 1965). This multivariate analysis allowed for the study of real life situations which could not be studied in the laboratory. He applied his research to personality traits, motivational traits and the diverse dimensions of ability. In 1960, he organized an international meeting of research-oriented psychologists, which led to the birth of the Society for Multivariate Experimental Psychology, and its journal, Multivariate Behavioral Research. (Cattell, Handbook of Multivariate Experimental Psychology., 1966) Factor analysis stems from Cattell's early studies with Charles Spearman. Spearman was using factor analysis to understand the basic dimensions of human abilities. It is dependent upon the use of the correlation coefficient which relates numerous variables. Cattell thought that if factor analysis was applied to the basic dimensions, research of social behavior could be made easy. View of traits and personality tests The trait theory states that personality can be categorized into broad dispositions. Raymond Cattell reduced these personality traits to 171 and then using factor analysis reduced them to 16 basic personality traits. He found that the personality was multi level and hierarchal. And was a structure of interdependent primary and secondary traits. Cattell not only sought to measure personality traits like all other tests do but first went on to identify basic traits found in human beings. 16 PF Questionnaires Cattell’s trait theory was published in 1949 under the name of 16 Primary factors. Cattell considered traits as abstract concepts and sought to systematically and methodologically describe personality. The 16 primary factors of Cartel’s personality test included 1. Warmth Warmth is demonstrated by easy-going, participating and attentive personality. 2. Reasoning Reasoning is demonstrated by abstract thinking and higher general mental capacity. 3. Emotional stability Emotional stability is signified by adaptive and mature nature. 4. Dominance Dominance is demonstrated by forceful, assertive and aggressive nature. 5. Liveliness Liveliness is demonstrated by lively, spontaneous and cheerful nature. 6. Rule consciousness Rule consciousness is dependent upon dutiful, moralistic and conforming nature. 7. Social boldness Social boldness is signified by a venturesome and thick-skinned nature. 8. Sensitivity Sensitivity is demonstrated by a refined, intuitive and aesthetic nature. 9. Vigilance Vigilance is signified by a skeptical, vary and oppositional nature. 10. Abstractedness Abstractedness is demonstrated by an imaginative and absent-minded nature. 11. Privateness Privateness is demonstrated in an astute, discreet and un-disclosing nature. 12. Apprehension Apprehension can be best viewed in a guilt prone nature full of self doubt. 13. Openness to change Openness to change can be demonstrated by a liberal, flexible and analytical nature. 14. Self reliance Self reliance is characterized by a resourceful, individualistic and self sufficient nature. 15. Perfectionism Perfectionism is a characteristic of a compulsive, organized and exacting personality. 16. Tension. Tension is visible in people who are energetic, over-driven and over wrought. Research on these traits has been very useful in the understanding and predicting of life’s behaviors. It also resulted in the publication of five different books which are fundamental in identifying personality levels. Some of these include The Description and Measurement of Personality (1946) Personality: A Systematic, Theoretical, and Factual Study (1950) Personality and Motivation Structure and Measurement (1957) Fluid and crystallized theory of intelligence. Raymond Cattell developed the theory of fluid and crystallized intelligence which he later elaborated with his student John Horn. Fluid intelligence is the capacity to think logically and solve new problems regardless acquired knowledge. It includes both inductive and deductive reasoning. (Cattell R. B., 1987) Crystallized knowledge is the ability to use acquired skills. It is the acquisition on information from long term memory and is the result of interaction with fluid intelligence. Thus crystallized abilities stem from learning and acculturation and can be tested by vocabulary, general knowledge and information. Fluid intelligence is more physiological in nature and thus not dependent on education.(Cattel, 1971) Fluid intelligence peaks in adulthood and tends to decline after that whereas crystallized intelligence remains stable throughout adult life and starts to decline after age 65. There are various measures that can measure fluid intelligence. Top noted are the Cattell Culture Fair IQ test which is a non verbal multiple choice test. Takers are required to complete drawings and choosing relevant objects from an array of objects. (R B Cattell) Publications Raymond Cattell authored and co-authored more than 55 books and 500 scientific articles. His works are the 7th most cited in psychology journals. Some of his books include The Screed Test for the Number of Factors 1966, Handbook for the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16 PF) Personality and Ability Testing. The Scientific Use of Factor Analysis in Behavioral and Life Sciences. 1978 Abilities: Their Structure, Growth, and Action. 1971 Personality and Motivation Structure and Measurement. 1957 The Scientific Analysis of Personality. 1965 Handbook of Multivariate Experimental Psychology. 1966 The Meaning and Measurement of Neuroticism and Anxiety. 1961 The Meaning and Strategic Use of Factor Analysis 1966 Refinement and test of the theory of fluid and crystallized intelligence." Journal of Educational Psychology 1966 Description and Measurement of Personality. 1946 Factor analysis. 1952 Personality and Mood by Questionnaire. 1973 Intelligence: Its Structure, Growth, and Action. 1987 The description of personality: Basic traits resolved into clusters." Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1943 A Biometrics Invited Paper. Factor Analysis: An Introduction to Essentials II. The role of factor analysis in research 1965 Personality a systematic theoretical and factual study. 1950 A comprehensive trial of the scree and KG criteria for determining the number of factors. 1977 Handbook for the IPAT Anxiety Scale Questionnaire 1963 These books were widely read and laid the ground for scientific research all over the world. For example his work on anxiety and neuroticism has become the core of the modern anxiety theory. Cattell was chosen for the lifetime gold medal by the American Psychologist Association but some controversies arose accusing his theories for being controversial. Raymond declined the gold medal politely and passed away peacefully after some months. Conclusion Raymond Cattell was born and raised in the 20th century. His unbending love for science and his diligence to painstakingly develop methods to quantify behavior make him unique amongst contemporary psychologists. He used mathematical and statistical methods to identify and map personality and behavior traits. He was also a lone crusader of his times in using multivariate data. His work was both exact and numerous. He has authored and co –authored 55 books and 500 scientific articles. Some of his books were dependent upon other scientific principles and though some of them were controversial, nonetheless they were helpful in developing and measuring personality at different moments in time. In his long career spanning over 70 years, Raymond Cattell has made great contributions to the field of psychology. These include factor analytic mapping of the domains of personality, using different mediums of assessment, separating fluid and crystallized intelligence and numerous other methodological advancements. He has also inspired numerous students to take up research and inspired many to author books. This was a result of the great affection which he had for his work. This can be demonstrated by the huge amount of respect and admiration which his coworkers and students possess for him. He is one of the very few people in this century who have modified psychology as a science in this century. References Cattel, R. (1971). Abilities: Their structure, growth, and action. Newyork: Houghton Mifflin. Cattell, R. B. (1965). The Scientific Analysis of Personality. Cattell, R. B. (1987). . Intelligence: Its structure, growth, and action. . Newyork: Elsevier Science Pub. Co. Cattell, R. B. (1966). Handbook of Multivariate Experimental Psychology. Chicago: Rand McNally. G, L. I. (1973). A history of psychology in autobiography. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts. R B Cattell, 5. 1.-2. (n.d.). Theory of fluid and crystallized intelligence: A critical experiment. Journal of Educational Psychology , 1-22. Raymond Bernard Cattel. (n.d.). Retrieved October 17, 2010, from http://www.stthomasu.ca/~jgillis/bio.htm Read More