Review of A chronicle of the work of the CPA 1938−2010.

Abstract

A Chronicle of the Work of the CPA 1938-2010, by John B. Conway, Archivist & Historian of the CPA. Ottawa, ON: CPA, 2012, 462 pages, $30.00.Reviewed by JOHN B. CONNORSDOI: I0.1037/a003I558There are different types of history: military, social, intellectual, and organizational. This text is an organized history of the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) and how and why it evolved to its present status today with over 4,000 members, several professional publications, task forces, alliances with other organizations, and an annual conference.Although the Canadian Psychological Association has been in existence since 1938, much of its history is unknown to psychology professors and especially their students in Canada. Formed as result of preparation for entrance into World War II, the CPA had its start with the Test Construction Committee for the Department of Defense and the National Research Council in personnel selection procedures. Founding members such as Ned Bott, John MacEachran, George Humphrey, Roy Liddy, Bill Line, George Ferguson, Whit Morton, and Chester Kellogg are little known today. An example is the famous M test given to military recruits in Canada modelled after the Army Alpha and Beta used in World War I. Even after the war, much of its early research was funded by the Defense Research Board and the National Research Council before the universities had developed separate funding sources such as the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.In standard History of Psychology texts and courses almost no mention is made of Canadian contributions with minor exceptions (i.e., Donald Hebb, Wilder Penfield). Much of the organization's work and efforts go unnoticed in the wake of the larger and better known American Psychological Association. In addition, a splinter group of research psychologists called the Canadian Society for Brain and Behaviour and Cognitive Science (CSBBCS) was formed in 1990 which holds its annual conference about the same time of the year as the CPA.The mission of CPA is taken from its website http://www .cpa.ca:Mission and Mandate of the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA)The CPA was organized in 1939 and incorporated under the Canada Corporations Act, Part II, in May 1950. Its objectives are:To improve the health and welfare of all Canadians;To promote excellence and innovation in psychological research, education, and practice;To promote the advancement, development, dissemination, and application of psychological knowledge; andTo provide high-quality services to members.CPA attempts to be French-English bilingual and has 32 separate sections (two are new for 2013) covering all areas of research and applied psychology but with only about 4,000 members. CPA is also an umbrella organization for each of the provincial psychological organizations which provide collegial and regulatory support for psychology as an applied profession.The section on the History and Philosophy of Psychology has less than 50 members but manages to present papers at every conference. Its mission is as follows:The purpose of this Section is to promote the development of History and Philosophy of Psychology as a special interest area in psychology. In pursuance of this purpose, the Section:1 ) provides information to members about current activities, events, research and practice developments in the area;2) organizes sessions at the annual CPA Convention that are of interest to members;3) represents the interests of the Section within CPA through initiating such activities as position papers, policy statements, and special meetings; and4) makes representations, on behalf of its members to external organizations or agencies with the approval of the Executive Committee of the CPA Board of Directors.However, only a small portion of papers presented at the History section specifically examine the contributions of Canadian Psychology to the discipline. …