Hull, Clark L

Hull, Clark L(eonard)

(born May 24, 1884, Akron, N.Y., U.S.—died May 10, 1952, New Haven, Conn.) U.S. psychologist. He taught at the University of Wisconsin (1918–29) and was a member of Yale University's Institute of Human Relations (1929–52). Hull engaged in three distinct research endeavours. His study of psychometrics culminated in Aptitude Testing (1929). His study of hypnosis resulted in Hypnosis and Suggestibility (1933). His major effort was reserved for an intensive study of learning that produced the dominant learning theory of the 1940s and '50s—that learning was based on “habit strength.” His important Mathematico-Deductive Theory of Rote Learning (1940) was followed by his highly influential Principles of Behavior (1943). Relying on the work of Edward L. Thorndike and John B. Watson, he attempted to develop a rigorous theory of learning that would account for all behaviours, human and animal. He and his followers produced many experiments and theoretical concepts, and their work dominated the experimental literature for more than two decades, but it eventually was replaced by a more cognitive psychology that provided a role for mental events.