Abstract

For the last few decades, the historical reconstruction of scientific developments has been an increasingly relevant topic of study. This paper presents partial results of a major research project dealing with students perceptions of power and gender influences on historical registries of psychology. This is a quantitative study, based on a survey applied to 484 psychology students (99 males, 385 females) from major Chilean universities. An ad hoc constructed survey (previously evaluated in a pilot study), consisting of two closed questions, two open questions, and 25 Likert type items, was applied. The obtained results are reported as frequencies, and percentages with chi-square analysis to gender related differences. In general, students considered that both history of psychology and women's contributions were matters of great importance (although they are not requiered courses in the psychology curriculum in Chile). Howerer, when asked to remember important contributors to psychology, students were only able to mention male contributions; the large majority of women's contributions went unacknowledged. The student sample valued theoretical contributions as criteria to be included in the historical registry. In assessing gender related attributions for the absence of females in the historical record, the sample presented ambivalence and contradictory attributions.