Louise Leon Thurstone, often referred to as Louis L. Thurstone, was an American pioneer in the fields of psychometrics and psychophysics. Born on May 29, 1887, in Chicago, Illinois, he was the son of Swedish immigrant parents and returned to Sweden as a child before settling in Jamestown, New York. Thurstone received a master's degree in mechanical engineering from Cornell University in 1912 and worked as an assistant to Thomas Edison before enrolling in psychology at the University of Chicago, where he earned a Ph.D. in 1917.
After his graduation, Thurstone held several positions within academia and industry, including a faculty post at the Carnegie Institute of Technology and an Institute for Government Research in Washington, D.C. He returned to the University of Chicago in 1924, where he taught psychology and established the L.L. Thurstone Psychometric Laboratory. Thurstone's research focus was on mental measurement and testing, and he developed statistical techniques for multiple-factor analysis of performance on psychological tests.
One of his most notable contributions was the theory of primary mental abilities, which he introduced in 1938. This model challenged the prevailing view of Charles Spearman's unitary theory of intelligence, advocating instead the existence of seven independent factors that he called primary abilities. Thurstone argued that these abilities emerged not from a single general factor but rather from the combination of distinct primary and secondary abilities.
Thurstone's work laid the groundwork for future researchers who proposed hierarchical theories and theories of multiple intelligences. His legacy also extends to the development of statistical techniques, multiple-factor analysis, and the Measurement of Values, a book he co-wrote with E.J. Chave in 1959. Additionally, Thurstone was a founding member of the Psychometric Society and the journal Psyckometrika, which he established in 1936.
Louise Leon Thurstone's contributions to psychology were profound and far-reaching. His innovative approaches to mental measurement and testing have had a lasting impact on the field, and his discoveries continue to inspire researchers and practitioners alike. His work is a testament to the power of intellectual curiosity and perseverance, and his legacy is securely rooted in the annals of心理学 history.