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: [email protected]
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.