發表論文から見た日本心理學界の趨勢

抄録

The aim of this study is to investigate statistically, based upon the number of published articles, what the general trends are in Japanese psychology since the Association was founded.
The materials that have been reviewed are papers that have been presented at the Conventions of the Psychological Association of Japan, abstracts by Japanese Psychologists appeared in “Psychological Abstract, ” from 1927 to 1942. The papers were collected and they were analized with special attention given to the following five questions.
1. What kind of progress has been made year by year in terms of the number and variety of articles written.
2. What specialized fields have been given the most attention by Japanese Psychologists.
3. The changes brought about in Japanese psychology before the Second World War.
4. The difference between the subjects treated by the Japanese Psychological Association and the Japanese Association of Applied Psychology.
5. What individuals have made the greatest contributions, judging from the number of articles written or papers presented.
The number of studies published each year has fluctuated greatly, (see Fig. I) During the war the Association did not meet all for the three years 1944, 1945 and 1946.
The most conspicuous trend as far as specialized fields of study were concerned was the great interest shown in the fields of SENSATION and PERCEPTION. (see Fig. 2)
Since the close of the war the number of published works has increased greatly, but the subjects are pretty much the same as before the war (Fig. 3). However there seems to be more interest in Social Psychology and in Mental Tests in the year after the war.
The only noticable difference between the Japanese Psychological Association (J.P.A.) and the Japanese Association of Applied Psychology (J.A.A.P) is the great number of articles on SENSATION and PERSEPTION on the part of he former Association, and the great number of articles on Social Psychology on the part of the latter Association.
Finally I have attempted to make a list of the most productive psychologists in the order of the number of articles they have published.
Obonai, Torao 33 articles
Ohwaki, Giichi 17
Watanabe, Tooru 14
Akishige, Yoshiharu 12
Koga, Yukiyoshi 11
Kido, Mantaro 11
Those who made the most studies before the war are in order, Obonai, Kido, Awazi, Chiba, Uchida, Watanabe and Sakuma.
As regards to “Psychological Abstracts” before the war Kuroda, Kido and Obonai were the most frequent contributiors for the J.P.A. and for the J.A.A.P. By hte way, these two associations consisted of the same members with only a few exceptions. In the J.A.A.P. Watanabe and Obonai were most active.
I feel sure that many Japanese psychologists will agree with me that this is a fair summary of the trends in psychology in Japan based only, as I have said before, on the published works of members of the two associations of psychologists in Japan.