Paul Kline (1937 – 25 September 1999) was a British psychologist noted for his contribution to

psychometrics Psychometrics is a field of study within psychology concerned with the theory and technique of measurement. Psychometrics generally refers to specialized fields within psychology and education devoted to testing, measurement, assessment, and ...

. Lea, Stephen (1999)
Paul Kline 1937-1999
. ''Exe Psychologists''. Issue 3.

Career

Kline was originally educated in classics, in

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...

, and in statistics: he studied at the

University of Reading The University of Reading is a public university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as University College, Reading, a University of Oxford extension college. The institution received the power to grant its own degrees in 192 ...

University College Swansea , former_names=University College of Swansea, University of Wales Swansea , motto= cy, Gweddw crefft heb ei dawn , mottoeng="Technical skill is bereft without culture" , established=1920 – University College of Swansea 1996 – University of Wa ...

, the

University of Aberdeen , mottoeng = The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom , established = , type = Public research universityAncient university , endowment = £58.4 million (2021) , budget ...

and the

University of Manchester , mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity , established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univ ...

. When he first joined the University of Exeter, it was as a staff member in the university's then Institute of Education. However, in 1969 he joined the Department of Psychology as a Lecturer, rising eventually to become the university's first Professor of Psychometrics.

Research

Kline was interested in

depth psychology Depth psychology (from the German term ''Tiefenpsychologie'') refers to the practice and research of the science of the unconscious, covering both psychoanalysis and psychology. It is also defined as the psychological theory that explores the rel ...

, especially theories of

Sigmund Freud Sigmund Freud ( , ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating pathologies explained as originating in conflicts ...

, the founder of

psychoanalysis PsychoanalysisFrom Greek: + . is a set of theories and therapeutic techniques"What is psychoanalysis? Of course, one is supposed to answer that it is many things — a theory, a research method, a therapy, a body of knowledge. In what might b ...

. He was also an expert in

and carried out extensive research in the statistical analysis of

personality Personality is the characteristic sets of behaviors, cognitions, and emotional patterns that are formed from biological and environmental factors, and which change over time. While there is no generally agreed-upon definition of personality, m ...

and

intelligence Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. More generally, it can be des ...

. In his 1972 book ''Fact and Fantasy in Freudian Theory'', widely translated, he brought these two interests together, examining the objective evidence for various ideas of Freudian theory, finding that some, but not all, were supported by the evidence. He also wrote introductory books to psychometrics, for example ''An easy guide to

factor analysis Factor analysis is a statistical method used to describe variability among observed, correlated variables in terms of a potentially lower number of unobserved variables called factors. For example, it is possible that variations in six observed ...

'' (1994). He was a prolific author, writing or editing at least 14 books, and over 150 scientific papers are listed under his name in Web of Science. Among colleagues, Kline had a reputation as an opinionated controversialist who remained a genial and supportive colleague; he was revered by students for the wit and clarity of his lectures.Paul Barrett's memories of Paul Kline. .

Publications

* Fact and fantasy in Freudian Theory (1972/1981) * Psychometrics and psychology (1979) * Personality : measurement and theory (1983) * A handbook of test construction : introduction to psychometric design (1986) * Intelligence : the psychometric view (1991) * The Handbook of Psychological Testing (1993/2000) * An easy guide to factor analysis (1994) * The new psychometrics : science, psychology, and measurement (2000/2014)

References

1937 births 1999 deaths English psychologists Academics of the University of Exeter 20th-century British psychologists Alumni of the University of Reading Alumni of the University of Aberdeen {{UK-psychologist-stub