“On Publishing Controversy: Norman R. F. Maier and the Genesis of Seizures”, 1993-08 (; backlinks):
[popularization] The award of the AAAS Thousand Dollar Prize to Norman R. F. Maier in 1938 for research on conflict-induced seizures in rats was a major event that received appreciable media coverage. However, substantial criticism of Maier’s research, spearheaded by Clifford T. Morgan, eventually led to the generally accepted conclusion that the seizures were artifactual and “audiogenic.”
Unpublished documents have revealed, contrary to the public conclusion of this controversy, that in private Morgan conceded error. Nevertheless, whereas Morgan went on to an important career in experimental psychology, Maier left animal research.
The case suggests that it is important to publish controversy and illustrates the power of those working at the core of a discipline over maverick scientists.
…The influences on Maier included John Shepard at Michigan; Wolfgang Kohler, Max Wertheimer, and Kurt Lewin in Berlin; and Lashley and Heinrich Kluver at Chicago (see Solem & 1979). Together with Theodore C. Schneirla, Maier authored the classic textbook, Principles of Animal Psychology (1935). Maier was out of the then-prevalent Eastern corridors of power in psychology (see, eg. 1977). His Gestalt background and early work on reasoning in problem solving in rats and humans [see 1968b on how the Gestalt didn’t like that either] left him out of the mainstream of the psychology of the time, especially Hullian approaches. He was thus subject to criticism from its proponents (eg. 1934). In the words of 1950 [review of Frustration, which extended the seizure results], “Where others might point out continuities, Maier prefers to point out discontinuities” (ppg129–130).
Furthermore, Maier was rather probing and direct in interpersonal contacts, and he developed a reputation for being a difficult man with whom to get along. The notion that a psychological process, such as conflict, could produce so dramatic a response as seizures appeared heretical to the devotees of the very hard-nosed experimental psychology of the day. They preferred to view the response as more reflexive—especially when the reports came from the likes of Maier.
…1960 summarized his perception of the operation and machinations of behavioristic psychologists in an article entitled “Maier’s Law”, which appeared in the American Psychologist. According to Maier’s law, “If facts do not conform to the theory, they must be disposed of” (pg208). Maier delineated several ways in which psychologists dispose of unwanted facts, providing graphic examples of each. The first was to give the phenomenon a new name, which thereby recasts the observations in a form compatible with the theory. Another way of disposing of facts is to omit them from reference books. Still another is to fail to report disturbing facts, such as the number of rats failing to learn discrimination problems.