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Marion LeRoy Billings, Ph.D.
November 21, 1882 - March 24, 1950
Head, Department of Psychology, 1931-1950
Photo courtesy of
WKU University Archives |
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Academic Degrees
- Ph.D., University of Michigan, 1931 - Psychology. Thesis: "An experimental study for the purpose of comparing the ability for solving problems in the different fields of endeavor."
- Graduate Work, University of Chicago, Educational Psychology
- M.A., University of Michigan, 1910
- B.A., University of Michigan, 1909
Academic Positions
- 1931-1950, Head, Department of Psychology, Western Kentucky State College
- 1926-1950, Professor of Psychology, Western Kentucky State College
- 1910-1920, Psychology Instructor, Central Michigan State Teachers College
Academic Genealogy
Biography
Marion L. Billings joined the Western faculty in 1926 and began the process of forming an independent Department of Psychology in 1929. He served as head of the newly formed Department from 1931 until his death in 1950. By the time of the 1930-1931 academic year, enrollment in psychology classes had grown from 50 in 1907 under A. J. Kinnaman to 1,038.1 The classes offered at this time and the instructors were:2
| Psy 102 Introduction to Psychology |
M. B. Jensen, Billings |
| Psy 207 Educational Psychology |
Jensen |
| Psy 307 Social Psychology |
Billings |
| Psy 308 Psychology of Elementary School |
Billings |
| Psy 309 Psychology of High School Subjects |
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| Psy 319 Abnormal Psychology |
Jensen |
Billings served as vice-president of the Kentucky Academy of Science from 1949-1950. He was also a member of the American Psychological Association, the National Education Association, and the Kentucky Education Association. In 1948 Billings was named by Governor Earle C. Clements as one of three men to certify and license practicing psychologists in Kentucky.
Billing's Ph.D. dissertation, directed by W. B. Pillsbury, investigated problem solving in geometry, history, physics, geography, arithmetic, sociology, mechanics, and economics. Participants received two hours of instruction on information expected to facilitate problem solving in a particular domain. Two days later they were tested both for their retention of the information provided during instruction, and for their ability to solve problems in that domain. In general, retention of the instructional information was very good, but this was unrelated to problem solving. Rather, participants who were good at solving problems in one domain tended to be good at solving problems in the other domains.3
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Notes
1Teacher's College Heights, November, 1931, p. 51; courtesy WKU University Archives.
21932 Schedule Buletin, courtesy WKU University Archives.
3A letter dated November 12, 1930 from Billings to a Mr. Washington Platt in which Billings provides a sketch of his dissertation research and results (courtsey WKU University Archives). Platt had apparently sent a letter to W.B. Pillsbury, Billing's dissertation director at Michigan, inquiring about Billing's dissertation which Pillsbury then forwarded to Billings at Western.
Sources
1. Park City Daily News obituary, March 25, 1950; courtesy WKU University Archives.
2. Louisville Courier Journal obituary, March 25, 1950; courtesy WKU University Archives.
3. University of Michigan Psychology Department History
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