Ladd, George Trumbull

American preacher and psychologist (1842-1921). Ladd was one of the most important figures in the foundation of the new psychological profession in America in the 1880s and 1890s, despite being a trenchant critic of what he perceived to be the materialism and determinism of William James’ ‘cerebral science’.   He held the chair in philosophy at Yale from 1881 to 1905, founded the psychological laboratory there in 1892, and was the second president of the American Psychological Association. His major works included Elements of Psychology (1887) and Psychology, Descriptive and Explanatory (1894).   Ladd had been a Christian minister and preacher for ten years before turning to academic philosophy and thence psychology.   He published on The Doctrine of Sacred Scripture (1883) and, later, on The Philosophy of Religion (1905).

Related Topics:

The Cognitive and Neurosciences

Contributed by: Thomas Dixon