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The Psychology Department in the Faculty of Arts and Science is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2024. Psychology became a department at Queen’s University in 1949 but teaching and research in psychology was happening since the first Mental and Moral Philosophy course in 1846. Before it became a separate department, most of the teaching of psychology took place in the philosophy department, but also in biology, economics, and more. The first course covered the history of philosophy, physical and intellectual nature of man, and the importance of mental science and ethics.

The first mention of a psychology lab was in 1932, when it was mentioned that labs were being conducted in Theological Hall with the Biological Laboratories that provided material for dissection, microscopes, and other instruments.

Dr. Alistair MacLean and current Psychology head Dr. Kate Harkness discuss the 75th anniversary of the department.

In honour of this 75th milestone, former department head Dr. Alistair W. MacLean and current head Dr. Kate Harkness participated in a reflection on the history and the impact of the Psychology Department at Queen’s.

Q: How has the Department changed over the last seven and a half decades?

Dr. MacLean: While I cannot, from first-hand experience, comment on the whole seven and a half decades, I have – apart from two years when I was a Post Doctoral Fellow in Edinburgh – been associated with the Department, from a graduate student to a Professor Emeritus, for 47 years. In that time period three major changes come to mind: (1) the shift in gender balance; (2) the increase in regulation; (3) the change in program structure.

The shift in gender balance is, of course, part of long overdue societal trend and still has a long way to go. Even in psychology, where the change came perhaps a little earlier than other departments, the evolution was not without struggle.

In my early days in the Department both as a graduate student and faculty member there was no association to represent graduate students in psychology, there was no evaluation of teaching, and there was no procedure for the ethical evaluation of research. I played a small part in changing the first two of these. As a graduate student I was a signatory to a memorandum that created the forerunner of AGSIP (Association of Graduate Students in Psychology); as a young faculty member I took part in a Faculty committee that sought to introduce teaching evaluations. At the time both were regarded by established faculty as threats from the lunatic fringe. But times have changed.

In both my time as a graduate student and a junior faculty member the Department was polarized into experimental and clinical programmes. While personal relationships often transcended the divide, there were fierce and sometimes emotional debates. It took many years – and many debates – for the present program and course structures to emerge.

Dr. Harkness: Like Dr. MacLean, I can only comment on the period of my association with the Department, which for me has been the past 25 years. A lot has changed in the world and at Queen’s over that time, but I will note two changes in our department that particularly come to mind: (1) prioritization of equity, diversity, inclusivity, and indigeneity (EDII); (2) a shift from single-lab to team-based, collaborative research.

We now understand that by fostering a diverse and inclusive campus community, universities promote a culture of mutual respect, understanding, and acceptance, which not only enhances the learning experience but also prepares students to thrive in an increasingly interconnected and multicultural world. The last several years have been a period of growth for our department, and we have engaged in reflection and some controversial and heated conversations. While we still have a long way to go, we have launched several initiatives that promote EDII, including several graduate student awards for EDII research and leadership, the Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP) for BIPOC undergraduate students, and the Indigenous Art Competition that saw the installation of a large and beautiful mural in our main foyer representing themes of Indigenous ways of knowing in Psychology. We have also instituted policies and procedures aimed at recognizing and celebrating diversity in our recruitment and evaluation of faculty, students, and staff.

When I became a faculty member back in 2000, the goal for a young scientist was to strike out on her own and develop an independent lab where she would toil alone with her students in the safe and siloed confines of the ivory tower. Fortunately, what we have realized in the past 25 years is that answering complex and important research questions requires a team. Team-based science now involves the development of strong collaborative networks of experts that can attack complex questions from multiple levels – from cell to society. Members of our department play crucial leadership roles on multiple national and international multi-disciplinary teams, and our students benefit from these diverse perspectives and professional opportunities.  

Q: What impact has Queen’s Psychology had on research?

Dr. MacLean: Queen’s Psychology was – and I hope still is – a department committed to an empirical approach to the understanding of behaviour. This has not always found favour with others. I recall a reviewer who described the Department’s approach as “dustbowl empiricism”. We regarded it as a complement!

In today’s world, when anyone can communicate any notion worldwide, I think it is more than ever vital that Psychology continues to train students in the intellectual and practical skills needed to empirically evaluate ideas. I hope that Queen’s Psychology will continue to foster its strong empirical tradition.

Dr. Harkness: Psychology is one of the most research-intensive departments at Queen’s. Our 35 faculty members currently hold over $50 million in research funding, which has translated into extensive knowledge outputs and a global reach. Our department includes three Canada Research Chairs, and winners of multiple prestigious awards, including the Order of Canada, Order of Ontario, and Fellowship in the Royal Society of Canada.

The scientific scope of our department is vast. Our faculty and students are addressing pressing global social and public health problems, such as ending gender-based violence, preventing teen suicide, improving health communication, and enhancing quality of life and decreasing stigma for those with severe mental illness. Our scientific questions also cut to the core of what it is to be human: How do children learn about other minds? How do we experience gender and sexuality? How does the way we think contribute to our well-being? What is particularly noteworthy about research in Psychology at Queen’s is our collaborative approach and the strong inclusion of students at all levels of training directly in the research endeavour.

Q: What are some of the Department’s milestones that you remember fondly?

Dr. MacLean: My fondest memories are, of course, of the people I have met, worked with, and formed friendships with. Given my time of life, unfortunately many are no longer here but I am fortunate in keeping in touch with many retirees with whom I can still share memories and complain about the modern world and with those who are still active in teaching, research, and administration.  I am particularly grateful for continuing contact with students who I taught or supervised who have gone on to become colleagues and friends.  

Looking back on my own time, although there have been challenges and disappointments, some of the memories that stand out are the thrill of having a class go well or a student coming up and saying “now I understand this”, the pleasure of seeing thesis students become self-starters, and the excitement of having an experiment work out. Although it is often despised, administration too has had its rewards when people can be brought together and persuaded to plan for a common purpose.

Dr. Harkness: My fondest memories involve the close friends I have made in the Department over the past 25 years and the important professional and personal milestones we have shared together (e.g., marriages, children, professional accomplishments). I feel so fortunate that I get to see my best friends at work every day.

Two milestones come to mind. First is the creation of the Psychology Clinic. Started in 2005, the Clinic is now a bustling service that is training the next generation of Clinical Psychologists and providing a vital service to our community. Even though the Clinic only provides training to the students in our clinical psychology area, all members of the Department have consistently strongly supported the Clinic and its mission.  

The second isn’t really a milestone because it happens every year – our holiday party. For the first few years of my time at Queen’s, the holiday party was a staid, formal affair for only faculty members and their spouses. It has been wonderful to see this important social event evolve with the changes in the demographics of our department. When our young faculty members (including me) started families, the holiday event became a more casual curling party and opened to include staff, graduate students, and children. The curling teams formed during those parties still talk about their epic wins and losses. Then, when the graduate students decided that they wanted an excuse to dress up, we returned to a more formal event, but continued to include the whole department and a focus on fun and togetherness. I hope regardless of how our department continues to evolve over the next 25 years that these core values will remain.  

Q: What advice would you have for current and prospective students in the field of Psychology today?

Dr. MacLean: One of the remarkable aspects of Psychology as an academic discipline is that it stands at the nexus of so many others. From the study of the single cell to the understanding of broad social movements, Psychology has a role to play in the understanding of the world in which we live. I have been very fortunate in being able to do most of my research in collaboration with colleagues trained in other disciplines. This has involved collaboration and the reciprocal sharing of knowledge with physiologists, pharmacologists, mathematicians and statisticians, neuroscientists, psychiatrists, respirologists, neurologists, surgeons, immunologists, computer scientists, engineers, fire services personnel, police, and industry. I have also been fortunate to see the importance of the role that Psychology plays in disciplines like economics, sociology, philosophy, politics, linguistics, drama, business and many others. Nor is Psychology’s importance limited to the academic world. Health, education, industry, airline and driving safety – to name only a few – have benefitted from the knowledge developed and applied by psychologists. It has also been enormous fun.

Dr. Harkness: My biggest piece of advice, not necessarily specific to Psychology, is to follow your interests and take chances. Life is not always a straight and narrow path to a particular career, and if you ask most professionals with psychology undergraduate and/or graduate degrees about their trajectories you will hear stories of multiple twists and turns and tangents along the way to their chosen profession. Being open to experiences that you had not ever considered will not only be enriching but may uncover your dream path. Second piece of advice: Travel. You will have very few other opportunities in your life for the freedom to simply roam.