Time Capsule

1632

On Aug. 29, John Locke was born in England. Locke was the founder of empiricism, laying the foundation for scientific psychology. His 'An Essay Concerning Human Understanding' proposed that ideas are derived from sense experience, not from innate or divine sources.

1785

The first documented use of the term 'social science' appeared in a Sept. 10 letter written by John Adams, later president of the United States.

1889

The International Congress of Psychology first met on Aug. 6 in Paris.

1948

At a meeting in London on Aug. 20, the International Congress on Mental Health formed the World Federation for Mental Health. The group?s purpose was to promote world peace by curbing individual aggressiveness.

1952

On Aug. 1, the final draft of APA?s first 'Ethical Standards of Psychologists' was submitted to the APA Council of Representatives, which formally adopted it as policy the next day. APA members submitted more than 1,000 cases involving professional ethics in the process of generating this first code of ethics.

1972

On Aug. 28, the first doctorates were awarded by the California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP), the nation?s first independent professional school of psychology.

1990

At his last public appearance on Aug. 10 at APA?s Annual Convention, B.F. Skinner was presented with the first APA Citation for Lifetime Contributions to Psychology and delivered a spirited address to the audience. He died of leukemia eight days later.

Source: APA Historical Database, created and maintained by Warren R. Street, Central Washington University, and published as 'A Chronology of Noteworthy Events in American Psychology' (APA, 1994).