Table of Contents

Acknowledgements; 1. Introduction; 2. Studying childhood; 3. The invention of educational psychology; 4. Cyril Burt and the psychology of individual differences; 5. Susan Isaacs and the psychology of child development; 6. The structure and status of a profession; 7. Mental measurement and the meritocratic ideal; 8. The psychometric perspective; 9. Psychologists as policy-makers, 1924–44; 10. The measurement of merit anatomised; 11. Equality and community versus merit; 12. Egalitarianism triumphant; 13. Cyril Burt and the politics of an academic reputation; 14. Equality and human nature; 15. The measurement of merit revived; 16. Conclusion; Glossary; Selective bibliography; Index.

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This book describes the history of educational psychology from 1860 to 1990, focusing on a group of psychologists who dominated educational policy-making.

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'… a gem of a book … has the mark of real intellectual distinction …'. Nature