James Drever (psychologist, born 1873) facts for kids

Sir James Drever (born April 8, 1873 – died August 10, 1950) was a famous Scottish psychologist. He was the very first professor of psychology at a university in Scotland. This means he helped make psychology a big subject to study in universities.

Early Life and Learning

36 Lomond Road, Edinburgh

James Drever was born on April 8, 1873, on Shapinsay Island in Orkney, Scotland. When he was young, his family had to move from their home. They went to live in Stromness.

James was often sick as a child, but he loved to read. He was very good at learning new things quickly and remembering them. He could even repeat many pages from his favorite books!

At age fourteen, James started working as a pupil-teacher for four years. He helped the headmaster at a school. But after two years, he decided to leave because he felt he was not learning enough for himself. He was willing to pay a penalty to stop.

University Education

In 1889, James Drever began studying at the University of Edinburgh. He finished his Master of Arts degree in four years. This degree covered seven different subjects, including Latin, Greek, math, and philosophy.

He then studied medicine for two years. However, he had to stop because he was very tired and did not have enough money. After thinking about becoming a church minister or a teacher, he chose to teach.

For the next eleven years, James taught many subjects at different schools. He even spent three years as the Headmaster of the Central School on Stronsay island.

Helping Education Grow

Between 1907 and 1913, James Drever worked as an assistant to the Professor of Education in Edinburgh. He studied how teachers were trained in Germany. He also helped his boss, Professor Darroch, start a special advanced degree in education.

This new degree began in 1914 and was very important for teaching psychology in Scottish universities. It made education a key part of university studies. This also brought many new students to the university.

James Drever taught about the history and psychology of education. His students were training to become teachers. He visited German schools to learn about their teaching methods. This helped him create a new course at the University of Edinburgh about modern education systems.

In 1913, James visited a laboratory in Hamburg, Germany. He wanted to see how they used experiments to study teaching. He learned that he could create a similar course in Edinburgh for advanced students.

Pioneering Psychology

In 1912, James Drever became in charge of a new laboratory he helped create. This was the first teaching laboratory of its kind in the United Kingdom. Its main goal was to show advanced students how to use experiments to solve education problems. It also allowed for new research.

In this lab, they studied things like how tired students got in school and how children learned words. They also looked at how people read and write. Many papers about this work were published in journals over the next six years.

The Department of Psychology at the University of Edinburgh grew a lot from 1919 onwards. Before this, psychology was only a small part of other subjects. But in 1924, the university started making psychology its own separate department.

In 1931, James Drever became the first Professor of Psychology in Scotland. He helped the department grow even more. He was very important in setting up the psychology degree program at Edinburgh.

Some of his colleagues at Edinburgh included Dr. Mary Collins and Dr. W.R.D. Fairbairn. Mary Collins worked with Drever on several books. James Drever retired in 1944. His son, also named James Drever, took over his role.

Honors and Recognition

James Drever is known as an expert in experimental psychology because of his important work in this field. He was the President of the British Psychological Society in 1926. In 1948, he was chosen to be the President of the Twelfth International Congress of Psychology.

He worked hard to organize this big meeting, which took place in Edinburgh. However, he was too sick to attend his own presidential ceremony. His son gave the speech for him instead.

In 1938, James Drever was knighted, which means he was given the title "Sir." He was also interested in how the Norwegian language influenced the dialect spoken in Orkney. Because of this, he was made a Knight of the First Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav.

Family Life

James Drever married Annie May Watson in 1907. They had two sons. One son, also named James Drever, followed in his father's footsteps. He became a psychologist and took over his father's job at the University of Edinburgh. He was also the first Principal of the University of Dundee.

Their other son was Harald Irving Drever, who became a geologist. Sir James Drever passed away on August 10, 1950.

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  36 Lomond Road, Edinburgh