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June Etta Downey (July 13, 1875- October 11, 1932) was an American psychologist who studied personality and handwriting. Downey was born and raised in Laramie, Wyoming where she received her degree in Greek and Latin from the University of Wyoming. Throughout her life Downey wrote seven books and over seventy articles. Included in this work, Downey developed the Individual Will-Temperament Test, which was one of the first tests to evaluate character traits separately from intellectual capacity and the first to use psychographic methods for interpretation.

In addition to her many published works, June Etta Downey held several prestigious positions. Downey chaired the Department of Psychology and Philosophy at the University of Wyoming and in doing so became the first woman to hold a head position at a state university. Downey was appointed to the American Psychological Association Council and became a member of the Society of Experimental Psychologists, and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

June Etta Downey
File:Junedowneyprimary2.jpg
Born	(1875-07-13)July 13, 1875 Laramie, Wyoming
Died	October 11, 1932(1932-10-11) (aged 57) Trenton, New Jersey
Resting place	Green Hill Cemetery, Laramie
Nationality	American
Occupation	psychologist
Title	Department Chair of Psychology and Philosophy

Academic career

June Etta Downey started her career in Laramie, Wyoming, where she taught for one year. After graduating from the University of Chicago in 1898, she became an English and philosophy instructor at her alma mater, the University of Wyoming. Downey continued her education of experimental psychology under Edward B. Titchener at Cornell University. She returned to the University of Wyoming in 1905, as a Professor of Philosophy. Downey left Wyoming again to pursue a Ph.D. in psychology at the University of Chicago. She returned to the University of Wyoming and became the chair of the Department of Psychology and Philosophy in 1915. She was the first woman to be named the chair of a University department.

Early influences

At the University of Chicago, she obtained a Master’s degree in philosophy on work with George Berkeley in 1898. In 1901, Downey gained interest in experimental psychology, while attending a summer course taught by Edward Bradford Titchener at Cornell University. After publishing her dissertation, Control processes in modified handwriting: An experimental study involved a study on the analysis of handwriting in the American Journal of Psychology, Downey obtained her Ph.D. in 1907. At the same time, she was appointed as a laboratory assistant under the supervision of James Rowland Angell. Downey, thus developed a systematic and scientific way of conducting research. At the time it was considered unnatural for women to be educated.

Later life

In her later life, Downey focused on teaching at the University of Wyoming and continued her research on handwriting, focusing on imagery and handedness. In her last ten years she was appointed to the APA Council, became one of the first women to be admitted into the Society of Experimental Psychologists founded by Edward B. Titchener, and was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. June Etta Downey died in 1932 at the age of 57 in Trenton, New Jersey.

Major contributions

June Etta Downey primarily did research on handwriting, but included some research on motor processes such as involuntary muscle movement and its connection to the mind and personality. In 1919, Downey developed the Downey Individual Will-Temperament Test. This test was one of her biggest contributions to personality psychology and was one of the first personality inventories. The test measured personality based on handwriting. It contained 10 smaller tests that when combined could be calculated into a total score that represented one’s “will-capacity”. The Downey Individual Will-Temperament Test was arranged to represent three personality types. The three personality types are hairtrigger, which is impulsive and quick, the witful type, succinct and decisive, and the accurate type, which is slow and thoughtful.

Other interests

Similar to William James and other eminent psychologists, Downey was greatly interested in the creative arts. She wrote poems, plays, and stories throughout her life. She even wrote the school song, "Alma Mater", for the University of Wyoming . In 1911, she published The Imaginal Reaction to Poetry, one of her most important experiments involving the arts. This study examined the images people had in response to reading poetry, she believed that variation in such images revealed differences in character.

Major publications

• A Musical Experiment was published in the American Journal of Psychology
• Her next work was her dissertation titled Control Process in Modified Handwriting: An Experimental Study. In this article she studied the relationship between handwriting and temperament or personality.
• Heavenly Dykes published in 1904
• Imaginal Reaction to Poetry published in 1911
• Graphology and the Psychology of Handwriting published in 1919
• Plots and Personalities published in 1922
• The Will-temperament and it's Testing published in 1923
• The Kingdom of the Mind published in 1927
• Creative Imagination: Studies in the psychology of literature published in 1929.

Legacy

She is still honored by the University of Wyoming, which is home to a bronze plaque with her name on it, the use of "Alma Mater" a song written by her, and have named a building after her.