Carol Blanche Cotton
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Carol Blanche Cotton | |
|---|---|
| Born | 20 August 1904 |
| Died | 22 November 1971 |
| Other names | Carol C. Bowie, Mrs. William T. Bowie |
| Education | Oberlin College |
| Alma mater | Columbia University and University of Chicago |
| Parent(s) | John Adams Cotton Maude (Brooks) Cotton |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Psychology |
| Thesis | A Study of the Reactions of Spastic Children to Certain Test Situations (1939) |
Carol Blanche Cotton (Carol C. Bowie) (August 20, 1904 - November 22, 1971)[1] was an American psychologist.
She was born in the city of Henderson, North Carolina, the only child of John Adams Cotton and Maude (Brooks) Cotton.[1]
Carol Cotton received her bachelor's degree from Oberlin College, her master's from Columbia University in 1927, and her Ph.D. from Department of Psychology, University of Chicago in 1939.[2][3][4][5] She was elected to the scientific honor society Sigma Xi.[2]
Her dissertation "A study of the reactions of spastic children to certain test situations" studied how children with the condition spastic paralysis performed in cognitive tests compared to matched children who matched similarly by sex, age, and mental age.[6] The study found that spastic children had different test responses such as "bizarre or fantastic responses", more concrete than abstract, and more stereotypical compared to normal children.[6] Their resulting hypothesis suggests that these tendencies are most likely due to cortical injuries from spastic children.[6] A neurological diagnosis would be necessary to confirm this study's hypothesis.[6]
Carol Cotton Bowie first taught at Bennett College and Tuskegee University before being appointed to the position of professor in the Psychology Department of what is now North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina. She served as head of the department before her retirement in 1962.[7]