Chapter 9 : Addressing the “Two Disciplines” Problem: Linking Theories of Cognition and Learning With Assessment and Instructional Practice

On September 2,1957, Lee Cronbach delivered his visionary presidential address to the American Psychological Association (APA), calling for the unification of differential and experimental psychology, the two disciplines of scientific psychology. He described the essential features of each approach to asking questions about human nature, and he strongly hinted at the benefits to be gained by unification. Cronbach was calling for linking theories and research on learning and instruction, especially the instructional treatments that logically and psychologically followed from such research, with the tradition of assessing individual differences in cognitive abilities. In his opinion, such work would probably yield information of profound educational relevance. In describing some illustrative examples, he stated, quite boldly, "Such findings . . . when replicated and explained, will carry us into an educational psychology which measures readiness for different types of teaching and which invents teaching methods to fit different types of readiness" (p. 681). He subsequently went even further and argued that this work had broader theoretical impact and meaning. "Constructs originating in differential psychology are now being tied to experimental variables. As a result, the whole theoretical picture in such an area as human abilities is changing" (p. 682).