The Science of Human Nature: A Psychology for Beginners

by William Henry Pyle

William Henry Pyle, a professor of educational psychology, wrote this introduction to psychology for students in teacher training schools, in a series edited by W. W. Charters. Starting from the development of the race and of the individual, he explains the relation of mind and body, inherited tendencies, feeling and attention, habit, memory, imagination, thinking, individual differences and the psychology of learning, always with an eye to the classroom. Each chapter ends with class exercises and references for further reading, and short prefaces address the teacher and the student directly. It is a clear example of how the new experimental psychology was presented to American teachers in the early twentieth century. It is available to read online in your browser on Vinteuil, and the first chapter is free.