The materials on this page are the copyright of the Bodleian Libraries and the Oxford University Department of Experimental Psychology.
Before Computer Science
Electro-mechanical instruments were used for recording physiological responses of participants. Some psychologists designed their own devices to carry out their research (Kenneth Craik, William McDougall). Their instruments would then be manufactured by C.F. Palmer Ltd, one of the major commercial firms supplying physiological apparatus for experimental science. Instruments for psychology appeared in their 1934 catalogue.
Sykes, A.H. (1995) A short history of C.F. Palmer (London) Ltd, physiological instrument makers. Journal of Medical Biography, Vol. 3, Part 4, pp. 225-231.
View K. Craik's Control of Velocity Test and W. McDougall's McDougall-Schuster Dotter, provided by the History of Science Museum.
Today
Computers are used to measure brain activity in a number of brain imaging techniques. These techniques allow researchers to see how areas of the brain are responding when a participant performs specific cognitive tasks. They are non-invasive and facilitate observation and “measuring the human brain at work”.
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Click on the document below, Experimental Psychology Objects, to view the whole collection.
