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Overview of Kenneth Craik
Kenneth James William Craik was born March 29th, 1914. He attended Edinburgh Academy, furthered his education at University of Edinburgh, and obtained his PHD at St Johns College, University of Cambridge. His late studies focused around understanding how the mind perceives its surroundings (like a machine performing calculations?). His work paved way the study of cognitive science, or the study of the mind and intelligence. -
Study of senses
Upon joining the Cambridge Psychological Laboratory, Craik aimed to study the five senses, eventually focusing on visual light and dark adaptation (Bartlett). His work investigated the differential threshold of intensity discrimination (at one point one could tell the difference between the brightness of lights) at specific light adaptation levels and created scientific instruments that allowed the measurement of a variety of sensory and motor functions, leading to his PHD (Bartlett, Craik). -
The Nature of Explanation
The Nature of Explanation aimed to explain that the process of human reasoning derived from the mind's translation of external events (Hayward, 631). In effort to shorten time and save energy, the mind would take these external events and build models of how the individual perceives the event. The mind could then call upon the model rather than re-investigate the external event. This process of thinking would evolve into the idea of "Mental Models" -
Work During World War II
Craik would be the director of the Medical Research Council's "Applied Psychology Unit" where he would spearhead the understanding of human information processing to aid in training soldiers in military practice and improving room and cockpit designs to decrease fatigue / mental stress (MRC-BSU). -
Posthumous writings
After his death, research conducted by Craik but not yet published were consolidated as the "The Nature of Psychology". His work examined the brain through 'analytic' and 'synthetic' angles by studying its behavior through feedback, systems diagrams, sensory quantification, and further investigated the idea of model making (Rosenblith).