William George Smith

William George Smith (1866–1918) was an early Scottish psychologist.

Education Smith studied at George Watson's College, Edinburgh. He then proceeded to the University of Edinburgh from which he graduated with an MA in Philosophy in 1889. He then worked as an assistant to the philosopher Henry Calderwood for two years before proceeding to the University of Leipzig where he worked under Wilhelm Wundt. His doctorate thesis was on "Mediate association of ideas". He then conducted research at European and American institutions including the universities of Strasbourg and Freiburg and Harvard University.

Career In 1895 he was appointed to faculty at Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts but returned to Britain in 1901 to take charge of the newly established Department of Experimental Psychology in connection with the Pathological Laboratory of the London County Council Asylum at Claybury. Here he conducted research on association and memory.

He was also appointed Lecturer in Experimental Psychology at King's College London.