Cecil Alec Mace (22 July 1894 – 7 June 1971) usually cited as C.A. Mace, was a British philosopher and industrial

psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how ...

. He is best known for his work on monetary incentives and goal setting theory.

Life

Mace was born on 22 July 1894 to Mary and Walter Mace in Norwich, England. He left home at 18 for

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, intending to study for holy orders. However, instead he chose to read Moral Sciences at

Queens' College, Cambridge Queens' College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Queens' is one of the oldest colleges of the university, founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou. The college spans the River Cam, c ...

. He studied under the philosopher

G.E. Moore George Edward Moore (4 November 1873 – 24 October 1958) was an English philosopher, who with Bertrand Russell, Ludwig Wittgenstein and earlier Gottlob Frege was among the founders of analytic philosophy. He and Russell led the turn from ideal ...

. The British psychologist

Charles Samuel Myers Charles Samuel Myers, CBE, FRS (13 March 1873 – 12 October 1946) was an English physician who worked as a psychologist. Although he did not invent the term, his first academic paper, published by ''The Lancet'' in 1915, concerned ''shell sh ...

, who started the first experimental psychology laboratory in Cambridge, was another mentor. At the outbreak of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, Mace who shared Moore's pacifism, refused to fight. Instead he was sent to Dartmoor prison where he studied the psychological effects of imprisonment. Following the war, he was appointed Lecturer in Philosophy and Psychology at the

University of Nottingham The University of Nottingham is a public university, public research university in Nottingham, United Kingdom. It was founded as University College Nottingham in 1881, and was granted a royal charter in 1948. The University of Nottingham belongs t ...

. He married Marjorie Lebus in 1922 and they had two sons. In 1925, he joined

St Andrews University (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

to start an experimental psychology laboratory. He introduced the first courses in experimental psychology and set up a laboratory in 1927. In 1932, he became a Reader a

Bedford College, London Bedford College was in York Place after 1874 Bedford College was founded in London in 1849 as the first higher education college for women in the United Kingdom. In 1900, it became a constituent of the University of London. Having played a lead ...

. He worked under the direction of Professor

Beatrice Edgell Beatrice Edgell (26 October 1871 – 10 August 1948) was a British psychologist, researcher and university teacher. She taught at Bedford College in the University of London from 1897 to 1933. She was the first British woman to earn a PhD in psyc ...

, the first woman President of the

British Psychological Society The British Psychological Society (BPS) is a representative body for psychologists and psychology in the United Kingdom. History It was founded on 24 October 1901 at University College London (UCL) as ''The Psychological Society'', the orga ...

. During World War II, Mace was appointed a Head of Psychology at

King's College, London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King' ...

. The department was transferred to Birkbeck in 1944 and Mace became the first Birkbeck Chair of Psychology, a position he retired from in 1961. Mace died on 9 June 1971.

Influence

Mace's work on ''Incentives: Some Experimental Studies'' (1935) discredited the notion that workers are primarily incentivized by money. He also stated that people have a "will to work." In 1935, he conducted the first empirical studies of

goal setting A goal is an idea of the future or desired result that a person or a group of people envision, plan and commit to achieve. People endeavour to reach goals within a finite time by setting deadlines. A goal is roughly similar to a purpose or a ...

. His most influential books were Sibylla; or the Revival of Prophecy and The Psychology of Study.

Awards and honours

*President of the Aristotelian Society, 1948-9 *President of the Psychological Section, British Association, 1951 *President of the British Psychological Society, 1952–53

Literary works

* Sibylla; or, the Revival of Prophecy. 1926 * A Manual of Psychology 1929 * The psychology of study, etc. 1932. * The Principles of Logic. An introductory survey. 1933 * Supernormal Faculty and the Structure of the Mind. 1937 * Current Trends in British Psychology. Edited by C. A. Mace and P. E. Vernon. 1953 * The Psychological Approach to Scientific Management - can this be applied in the home? 1954 * British Philosophy in the Mid-Century. A Cambridge symposium. Edited by C. A. Mace. 1957 * Selected papers. 1973. *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mace British psychologists 20th-century British philosophers 1894 births 1971 deaths People educated at the City of Norwich School Presidents of the British Psychological Society Presidents of the Aristotelian Society Alumni of Queens' College, Cambridge 20th-century psychologists