Resumen de Psychological measurement in Brazil in the 1920s
The paper traces the historical context to show the specificity of the development of Brazilian psychology while discussing the notions of centre and periphery. It focuses on the measuring with psychological tests in the early twentieth century. The great cultural, political, and economic effervescence taking place in the 1920s transformed the experimental laboratories into places where psychological measurement was applied.
Additionally, local laboratories of the so called “Normal Schools” were dedicated to prepare teachers for elementary education. The Brazilian Mental Hygiene League is also presented and its function is compared with that of the New School movement in relation to psychological testing. Our analysis seeks to clarify the relationship between the expanded and consistent presence of psychological measurement and the institutional support of the government, which led in many cases to a transformation of psychological measurement in something like a state project.
