APA Members as Experimental

Participants in the Work of June Etta

Downey (1875-1932)

Clare K. Porac, PhD

Sheila M. Ziems

Penn State Erie, Behrend College

Topics

• Who was June Etta Downey?

• Handwriting & handedness research.

• Graphology and the psychology of handwriting (1919).

• Distinguishing right from left (1926); Types of

dextrality and their implications (1927).

June Etta Downey (1875-1932)

• Prominent Wyoming family:

– Father, Stephen, founder of U of

Wyoming.

– Brother, Sheridan, was US Senator.

• Education:

– BA, Univ. of Wyoming, 1895.

– AM, Univ. of Chicago, 1898.

– PhD, Univ. of Chicago, 1907.

• Career:

– Entire career at U of Wyoming.

– Distinctions:

• Department chair, 1915.

• APA Council, 1923-25.

• American Men of Science, 1927.

• Society of Experimental

Psychologists, 1929.

• Fellow, AAAS.

• Early supporter of Psi Chi.

Legacy-Psychology

• The Downey Will-Temperament Scale (1923).

• Handwriting analysis started with doctoral

dissertation (1908).

– Led to interest in handedness/lateral preference.

– Work rarely cited.

• 1926: Further observations on the manner of

clasping the hands. (25)

• 1927: Types of dextrality and their implications.

(51)

• 1933: Laterality of function. (24)

– 1990-2013

– Only 8 citations to 3 most cited papers.

Legacy-U of Wyoming

• American Heritage Center, U of

Wyoming

– June E. Downey Papers

(1887-1950).

• 12 document boxes.

• Professional life.

• Personality testing/

graphology in early 20th

century.

– Downey Family Papers (1866-

1997)

• 7 document boxes.

• Biographies.

• Family writings.

• Photographs; business

records.

Legacy-U of Wyoming

Psychology Dept.

Graphology and the psychology of

handwriting (1919), Chapter VIII

• Influenced by Binet’s interest in character/

intelligence revealed by handwriting.

• Methodology:

– Studied graphic elements (size, slant, pressure, alignment).

– Used graphological scheme (what handwriting elements

revealed about temperament).

– Material=handwriting samples from 36 psychologists.

– Collaborators=12 prominent psychologists who knew 36.

• Used 1-5 scale to rate 36 on 6 dimensions (detail preoccupation, self-

worth, originality and judgment, aggressiveness, temperament,

explosive vs. inhibited).

– Analyzed handwriting on 6 dimensions.

– Did handwriting ratings agree with modal ratings of 12

collaborators who knew psychologists?

Graphology and the psychology of

handwriting (1919), Chapter VIII

Worcester Mass:

Nov 28 ‘17.

My Dear Dr. Downey:

This is a specimen of my

handwriting in duplicate which you

desire. If you are using it as a datum

for any kind of diagnoses of traits I

should like to know the results.

Very truly yours

G. Stanley Hall

Graphology and the psychology of

handwriting (1919), Chapter VIII

22 Billine St., Newton,

28 Nov, 1917

My dear Dr. Downey:

I feel a childish pleasure in

being asked for a specimen of my

writing which is not popular with all

my friends. If this is not a big

enough “bit” of it, I will gladly send

you another.

Yours sincerely,

Mary Whiton Calkins

I see that I have given you my

autograph in two styles.

Graphology and the psychology of

handwriting (1919), Chapter VIII

Columbia University

New York

Feb 4, 1918

Dear Dr. Downey,

What an interesting question

collection! But I should not have put in

Baldwin,-he is quite too discredited to

count still as an American psychologist!

Besides he is no psychologist anyway.

Also, for my part, I cross out at once

G.S. Hall,-he is such a degenerate (much

worse than Baldwin of course) that one

does not like to have anything to do with

him, as long as one does not have to…

Faithfully yours,

Christine Ladd Franklin

Graphology and the psychology of

handwriting (1919), Chapter VIII

“…graphological contentions

deserve more consideration than

they have received. Four of the six

correlations between graphological

and characterological ratings that

were put to the test gave positive

results…the correlation of small,

even, and clear-cut script with a

critical habit of mind; a speculative

tendency with broken script; of

aggressiveness with heavy line-

quality and staccato stroke…” (pgs.

128-129)

Distinguishing right from left (1926)

Types of dextrality and their implications (1927)

• Questionnaire sent to APA

members.

• Multiple dependent variables.

• Connect personality traits

with:

– Handwriting.

– Hand, eye, foot preference.

– Left-right discrimination.

Distinguishing right from left (1926)

Types of dextrality and their implications (1927)

• Handwritten note from J.R.

Angell when questionnaire

returned (received Oct. 23,

1924).

Dear Miss Downey: Herewith

my contribution. Sorry my

hand-writing has not improved

since the unflattering comments

you had made on it.

Best wishes-

James R. Angell

Distinguishing right from left (1926)

Types of dextrality and their implications (1927)

Cannot recall

method of

learning right-left

discrimination

Can recall

method of

learning right-left

discrimination

Right-left

confusions

Right-left

confusions

No right-left

confusions

No right-left

confusions

• Handedness classification:

– RRR=right hand unimanual and

bimanual.

– RLL=right hand, unimanual; left

hand, bimanual.

– RRL=right hand, unimanual; both

right and left hand, bimanual.

– LLL=left hand unimanual and

bimanual.

– LRR=left hand, unimanual; right

hand, bimanual.

– LLR=left hand, unimanual; both

right and left hand, bimanual.

Distinguishing right from left (1926)

Types of dextrality and their implications (1927)

• Sample data sheet.

Distinguishing right from left (1926)

Types of dextrality and their implications (1927)

New York Times, December 30,

1924.

Article describing papers

delivered at the annual meeting

of the American Association for

the Advancement of Science

held in Washington, DC.

Summary: June Etta Downey &

APA

• APA members participated in several

studies.

– Reservations about methodology; wanted trained

observers.

– Combined APA data with other sources to amass

large samples.

• Well-connected to psychology establishment

of early 20th century.

Clare K. Porac, PhD

Professor of Psychology

School of Humanities & Social Sciences

Penn State Erie, Behrend College

4951 College Dr., Erie, PA 16563

Phone: 8148986767 Email: cvp4@psu.edu

http://behrend.psu.edu/academic/hss/HSSFaculty/Porac/Index.htm

Funds from the Penn State Erie Chancellor’s Seed Money Grant Program, the

Penn State Erie School of Humanities and Social Sciences Endowment and a

2013 Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship to Sheila M. Ziems

supported this project.

Thanks to the members of the U of Wyoming psychology department for their

cooperation, especially Dr. Carolyn Pepper, Chair, Dr. Narina Nunez, and the

research assistance of Meagan Hilldebrand.