Influential RESEARCHERS of psychology

INFLUENTIAL RESEARCHERS OF PSYCHOLOGY

BEHAVIORAL

B.F. Skinner1904-1990American BehavioristInventorUniversity Of Indiana/Harvard University

Influenced by Pavlov and Watson

Known for his work on operant conditioning and schedules of reinforcement

Author of Walden Two novel

Notably debated language acquisition with Chomsky

Named Most Influential Psychologist in 2002

SOCIAL/CULTURAL

G. Stanley Hall1844-1924American Educational andDevelopmental PsychologistPresident of Clark University

Studied under William James and earned 1st Psychology PhD in the United States

First president of the American Psychological Association

Adolescent “Storm and Stress”

Studied gender and racial differences among people

FUNCTIONALISM

William James1842-1910American Functionalist andPhilosopherHarvard University

Wrote Principles of Psychology, the first psychological textbook

Contributor to James-Lange Theory of Emotion (Experience of emotion follows physiological arousal)

Studied mysticism and psychology

Mary Calkins1863-1930American Researcher andEducator/Philosopher/PioneerWellesley University

First Female President of the APA

Satisfied requirements for Psychology PhD from Harvard but was denied the degree due to her gender.

Explored dreams and the self in her research

STRUCTURALISM

Edward Titchener1867-1927British Structuralist/EducatorCornell University

Studied under Wilhelm Wundt

Established Structuralism and developed introspection to explore structure of the mind

Coined the term “empathy”

Instructed Margaret Floy Washburn, the first female to be granted a PhD in Psychology

Wilhelm Wundt1832-1920German Physician/Professor/Psychologist/ResearcherUniversity of Leipzig

Considered the father of experimental psychology, Wundt established the first research laboratory for psychology at the University of Leipzig

Credited with making psychology a science of its own

Established the first journal for psychological research

Margaret Floy Washburn1871-1939American Experimental Psychologist/PioneerWells College/University of Cincinnati

Was the first female awarded the first PhD (Mary Calkins having been denied due to gender)

Wrote on comparative psychology and animal psychology

APA President 1921

PSYCHODYNAMIC

Sigmund Freud1856-1939Austrian Physician/Therapist/Pioneer

Best known for work on the unconscious mind, Freud developed psychoanalysis and the psychoanalytic perspective

Theorized personality as the Id, Ego, and Superego and introduced defense mechanisms, free association, and psychosexual development

Perhaps the most recognized psychologist of all time and the face of psychology to millions worldwide

Franz Gall1758-1828German Anatomist/Physician

Developed phrenology to explorepersonality and mental faculty through skull shape

Although empirically refuted, phrenology hinted at brain structures with specific functions supported by modern neuroscience

Gall and phrenology were criticized by the Roman Catholic Church and Napoleon

SOCIAL/CULTURAL

Mary Ainsworth1913-1999American Developmental PsychologistJohns Hopkins University/University of Virginia

Developed theories of attachment style in children

1985 Award for Distinguished Contributions to Child Development

APA Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award 1989

PSYCHODYNAMIC

Karen Horney1885-1952German PsychoanalystInstitute For Psychoanalysis/The New School (NY)

Often labeled as a Neo-Freudian, Horney did differ from him on the issue of childhood sexuality and aggression

Countered Freud’s idea of female penis envy with male womb envy

Pioneer in female psychiatry

PSYCHODYNAMIC

Anna Freud1895-1982Austrian Psychoanalyst

Daughter of Sigmund Freud, Anna Freud made a name for herself exploring the unconscious mind

Anna Freud is considered a founder of psychoanalytic child psychology, emphasizing the role of the ego in development

EVOLUTIONARY

Sir Francis Galton1822-1911English Psychometrician/Statistician/Geneticist

Coined the term eugenics and was first to refer to nature versus nurture

A cousin of Charles Darwin, Galton was heavily influenced by his cousin’s work. He studied genetic and environmental influence on human abilities

Galton either developed or promoted statistical concepts such as correlation, regression to the mean, standard deviation, and the normal curve

BIOLOGICAL

Paul Broca1824-1880French Physician andAnatomistUniversity of Paris MedicalSchool

Influenced by Charles Darwin

Discovered brain regions responsible for speech production (Broca’s Area) while studying aphasia

His work led to further exploration of brain lateralization

BIOLOGICAL

Carl Wernicke1848-1905German Physician/Anatomist

Identified area of temporal lobe, now known as Wernicke’s Area, responsible for language comprehension. Impairment known as Wernicke’s Aphasia

Also contributed to understanding of brain damage in an alcoholic (Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome)

BIOLOGICAL

Roger Sperry1913-1994American Neurobiologist/Nobel Laureate University of Chicago/Caltech

Further explored effects of split-brain surgery in which the corpus callosum is severed to treat epileptic seizures. Sperry and Michael Gazzaniga confirmed the lateralization of brain functioning

Won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1981

Died as a result of complications from the neurodegenerative disorder Kuru, which he acquired through frequent exposure to brains

BIOLOGICAL

Robert Sapolsky1957American Biologist/Educator/NeurologistStanford University

Sapolsky is known for his studies on the effects of stress in primates. He has studied baboon troops in Kenya for a quarter century

His work has led to a better understanding of stress and the physical damage humans can experience as a result of psychological states

Is working on gene therapies to fight neurological damage due to stress

Ernst Weber1795-1878German PhysicianAuthorLeipzig University

Founder of experimental psychology

Studied sensation

Developed Weber’s Law to explain the just-noticeable difference

BEHAVIORAL

John Garcia1917American BehavioristUCLA/Harvard Medical School/University of Utah/SUNY Stony Brook

Identified the “Garcia Effect” or conditioned taste aversion. These experiments altered the prevailing view that for conditioning to work, the US had to be presented immediately after the NS

His work expanded understanding of classical conditioning principles first identified by Ivan Pavlov

HUMANISTIC

Martin Seligman1942American Cognitive/HumanisticPsychologist/EducatorUniversity of Pennsylvania

Best known for developing Positive Psychology movement, scientifically exploring what can go right as opposed to what can go wrong

Wrote positive DSM (Character Strengths and Virtues)

Developed theory of learned helplessness

APA President 1998

GESTALT

Max Wertheimer1880-1943German Gestalt PsychologistUniversity of Berlin/The NewSchool New York

Considered one of the founders of Gestalt Psychology along with Kurt Koffka and Wolfgang Kohler

Gestalt was used to explain human perception (figure-ground relationships)

BEHAVIORAL

Ivan Pavlov1849-1936Russian Physiologist andPsychologist/Researcher

While researching the salivary reflex in dogs, Pavlov stumbled across principles of classical conditioning, identifying conditioned and unconditioned stimuli, conditioned and unconditioned response, neutral stimuli, generalization, discrimination, and spontaneous recovery.

This discovery led to the founding of Behavioral Psychology

Won the Nobel Prize in Physiology in 1904

BEHAVIORAL

Edward Thorndike1874-1949American BehavioristTeachers College/ColumbiaUniversity

Identified the Law of Effect (a behavior that is reinforced is likely to recur) which inspired the experiments of BF Skinner. Thorndike’s experiments had cats freeing themselves from a puzzle box to receive a reinforcer

APA President 1912

Created two early versions of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery

BEHAVIORAL

Albert Bandura1925Canadian Social-CognitivistStanford University

Conducted the famous Bobo doll experiment in 1961, emphasizing the roll of aggressive modeling on aggressive behavior in children

Expanded on social-cognitive theory, and contributed the notion of reciprocal determinism which explained human behavior in terms of an exchange between cognitive, environmental, and behavioral factors

APA President 1974

BEHAVIORAL

John B. Watson1878-1958American Behaviorist/Researcher

Inspired by Pavlov, founded Behaviorist perspective in psychology

Best known for controversial “Little Albert” study in which a child is conditioned with a fear

After the Albert study, Watson turned to advertising, using conditioning principles to sell products like Maxwell House coffee

COGNITIVE

Albert Ellis1913-2007American Therapist/Pioneer

Credited with founding Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

Developed Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)

Ranked 2nd most influential therapist, placing between Carl Rogers (1st) and Sigmund Freud (3rd)

Prolific writer on research into love, sexuality, and religion in psychology

COGNITIVE

Elizabeth Loftus1944-American Researcher/EducatorUC Irvine

Known for research into the misinformation effect and false memories

Highest ranking female on a list of the 100 most influential psychological researchers

Former president of Association for Psychological Science

Often called as an expert in trials in which eyewitness testimony is under question

COGNITIVE

Noam Chomsky1928American Linguist/Educator/RadicalMassachusetts Institute ofTechnology

Developed idea of universal grammar and a language acquisition device

Publicly debated language acquisition with BF Skinner

Prolific author on subjects including language, politics, and media

COGNITIVE

Hermann Ebbinghaus1850-1909German Experimental PsychologistUniversity of Berlin/Universityof Breslau

Best known for the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve, confirming that memory is strengthened through rehearsal

Also identified the serial-position effect, developed sentence completion tests to assess implicit memory, and discovered an optical illusion known as the Ebbinghaus Illusion

COGNITIVE

Daniel Kahneman1934Israeli Cognitive Psychologist/Nobel LaureatePrinceton University/UC Berkeley/Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Along with Amos Tversky expanded on human cognitive errors (heuristics and biases)

Won Nobel Prize in Economics for Prospect Theory (value of losses or gains)

Also studies Hedonic Psychology (exploring happiness and what makes us happy)

COGNITIVE

Aaron Beck1921American Cognitive TherapistUniversity of Pennsylvania

Considered the father of cognitive therapy

Developed self-assessments for depression and anxiety

Influenced Martin Seligman to work on learned helplessness

COGNITIVE

Lev Vygotsky1896-1934Russian DevelopmentalPsychologist

Developed theories on childhood internalization, play, thought, and language

Unlike Piaget, Vygotsky is considered a continuum rather than stage theorist

Created the theory of Zone of Proximal Development in which children learn how to complete increasingly complex tasks with assistance from a more experienced individual

COGNITIVE

Richard Atkinson1929American Educator/AdministratorStanford University/UC San Diego

Along with Richard Shiffrin, Atkinson developed the theory of human memory/memory model with sensory, short-term, and long-term memories being distinct parts of memory at large

17th President of the University of California and former chancellor of UC San Diego.

Atkinson urged the University of California to drop the SAT-I as part of its admission assessments, leading to significant changes in the new SAT

BIOLOGICAL

Walter Cannon1871-1945American Physiologist andEducatorHarvard School of Medicine

Former president of the American Physiological Society

Coined the term “fight or flight response” and expanded understanding of homeostasis

Co-developer of the Cannon-Bard theory of emotion (physiological arousal and experience of emotion are simultaneous)

COGNITIVE

Alfred Binet1857-1911French Psychologist

Along with Theodore Simon, Binet developed a rating scale to help identify Parisian school children, the first intelligence test

Binet and Simon’s rating scale was later adapted by Lewis Terman in the United States into the Stanford-Binet test, yielding a comparative IQ score

COGNITIVE

Raymond Cattell1905-1998British Personality/Trait TheoristColumbia University/Clark University/Harvard University/University of Illinois

Sought to study personality scientifically, and expanded on factor analysis

Developed 16PF (Sixteen Personality Factor) Questionnaire

Explored the existence of both crystalized and fluid intelligence

APA Gold Medal Winner for Lifetime Achievement in Psychological Science

COGNITIVE

L.L. Thurstone1887-1955American Psychometrician andResearcherUniversity of Chicago/University ofNorth Carolina

Helped to develop factor analysis

Studied intelligence and applied standard deviation and the normal curve to intelligence testing

Believed in seven primary mental abilities rather than a singular overall intelligence

APA President 1932

David Wechsler1896-1981Romanian PsychometricianBellevue Psychiatric Hospital

Developed the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) and a number of variants

The WAIS is the most widely used psychological assessment used today

COGNITIVE

Stanley Schachter1922-1997American Social Psychologist/EducatorColumbia University

Along with Jerome Singer developed the Schachter-Singer Two-Factor Theory of Emotion (physiological arousal and cognitive labeling yields experience of emotion

COGNITIVE

Howard Gardner1943American Cognitive PsychologistHarvard University

Best known for theory of multiple intelligences, which emphasizes human learning/processing as a range of different possibilities

Gardner originally identified 7, then 8, intelligences including spatial, linguistic, logical, kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic

Gardner’s theory has been influential in education, leading to several reforms

Lewis Terman1877-1956American Educational PsychologistStanford University

Created the Stanford-Binet IQ test, once the most widely used measure of intelligence

Researched genetic links to intelligence, even joining the eugenics movement

Conducted longitudinal studies of gifted children

APA President 1923

Paul Ekman1934American Psychologist/EducatorUC San Francisco

Conducted studies on the universality of facial expression of emotion

Developed science of microexpressions, used in lie detection

Served as the science advisor to Lie To Me, which depicted the science of microexpressions

COGNITIVE

Jean Piaget1896-1980Swiss Developmental/Cognitive Psychologist

Developed four stage theory of cognitive development (Sensorimotor to Formal Operations)

Developed theories of assimilation, accommodation, conservation, and schemas

Perhaps the most influential developmental psychologist, Piaget’s theories have shaped modern education

COGNITIVE

Lawrence Kohlberg1927-1987American Cognitive/Developmental PsychologistUniversity of Chicago/Harvard University

Developed stage theory of Moral Development, dividing moral decision-making into 3 levels (Preconventional, Conventional, Post Conventional) or 6 more specific stages

Once identified as the 30th “most eminent” psychologist of the 20th Century

SOCIAL/CULTURAL

Harry Harlow1905-1981American Research PsychologistUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison

Conducted infamous experiments on attachment with rhesus monkeys in which babies were taken from their mothers and “raised” by wire “surrogates”

Experiments support the need for contact comfort from a caregiver as being more important than food supply. Results contrary to both behaviorist is psychoanalytic belief

May have been responsible for the formation of the A.L.F.

PSYCHODYNAMIC

Erik Erikson1902-1994German DevelopmentalPsychologist/Psychoanalyst

Known for his theory of Psychosocial Development (8 stages/challenges to specific age ranges)

Coined the term Identity Crisis

Taught at Harvard, Yale, and Berkeley without ever having earned a BA

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross1926-2004Swiss PsychiatristUniversity of Chicago

Known for the Kubler-Ross model or the five stages of grief, in which she asserts people experience several distinct stages in response to grief at the end of their lives or for other losses experienced

Supported the hospice care movement

Inducted into the American National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2007

PSYCHOANALYTICAL

Hermann Rorschach1884-1922Swiss Psychiatrist

Studied under Eugen Bleuler, who also taught Carl Jung

Developed the Rorschach Ink Blot projective test, used by psychologists to assess personality

SOCIAL/CULTURAL

Gordon Allport1897-1967American Social Psychologistand Trait Theorist/EducatorHarvard University

Developed early Trait theory of personality by identifying trait descriptors from a dictionary

Broke traits into three categories (cardinal, central , and secondary traits)

Known for arguing against psychoanalytic theory, favoring the situation over unconscious determinants

HUMANISTIC

Abraham Maslow1908-1970American Humanist/EducatorBrandeis University/ColumbiaUniversity

An early Humanistic psychologist, Maslow believed that people are driven to fulfill their potential

Known for his Hierarchy of Needs, which emphasizes the quest to fulfill potential by satisfying lower order needs before moving up toward self-actualization

Saw humanists as studying the healthier half of psychology

HUMANISTIC

Carl Rogers1902-1987American Humanist/TherapistUniversity of Chicago/Universityof Wisconsin

Rogers is considered a founder of humanistic psychology, and applied several humanistic principles to therapy

Known for client-centered therapy and urged therapists to practice unconditional positive regard

Ranked 6th most eminent psychologist of the 20th century, the 2nd highest therapist behind Sigmund Freud

Charles Spearman1863-1945English Psychometrician/PsychologistUniversity College London

Believed that intelligence was a single general trait, g, and supported this with statistics

Involved in development of factor analysis, which looked at patterns among variables in a study

PSYCHODYNAMIC

Carl Jung1875-1961Swiss Psychiatrist

Best known for his concept of a collective unconscious, from which all humans share a reservoir of unconscious past experience

Developed idea of archetypes as part of his creation of analytical psychology

Studied dreams and the occult, and sought to include religion in psychoanalysis

BEHAVIORAL

Joseph Wolpe1915-1997South African Therapist/EducatorUniversity of Virginia/Temple University

Major figure in behavioral therapy

Developed systematic desensitization

David Rosenhan1929-2012American PsychologistStanford University/PrincetonUniversity/University of Pennsylvania

Conducted the Rosenhan Experiment in 1973, which sent confederates into mental institutions with feigned symptoms to expose inconsistency of psychiatric diagnosis and perils of labeling

Thomas Szasz1920Hungarian PsychiatristState University of New YorkSyracuse

Has famously criticized psychiatry and society for mistreating the mentally ill by labeling them, force medicating individuals, and creating the stigma of mental illness

Szasz argues that mental illness is not a disease but rather a problem in living and that what we call mental illness is a socially developed construct differentiated from normal behavior. In different times or circumstances, what we think of as ill could be perfectly rational

SOCIAL/CULTURAL

Solomon Asch1907-1996Polish Gestalt and Social PsychologistSwarthmore College

Best known for experiments on conformity in which a participant was socially influenced to give a wrong answer on the length of lines when in group scenarios

Conformity experiments later influenced the Milgram studies on obedience. Asch served as Milgram’s PhD supervisor at Harvard

SOCIAL/CULTURAL

Mamie and Kenneth Clark1917-1983/1914-2005American PsychologistsNorthside Center for ChildDevelopment/City College of New York

Together, the Clarks conducted experiments on the effects of internalized racism

The studies had black children choose between otherwise identical white and black dolls. The children showed preference for the white doll

Testified as witnesses for Brown v. Board of Education

SOCIAL/CULTURAL

Philip Zimbardo1933American Social Psychologist/Educator/Television HostStanford University/Columbia University/Yale University/NYU

Conducted the Stanford Prison Experiment, highlighting the power of the situation and role playing

Started the Shyness Clinic and the Hero Project

APA President 2002

Host of Discovering Psychology

COGNITIVE

Robert Sternberg1949American Cognitive PsychologistOklahoma State University/Tufts University/Yale University

Developed Triangular Theory of Love (intimacy, passion, and commitment) and Triarchic Theory of Intelligence (analytical, practical, and creative)

While at Tufts, developed a method of screening undergraduate admissions beyond SAT scores and other traditional methods

APA President 2003

SOCIAL/CULTURAL

Leon Festinger1919-1989American Social PsychologistMassachusetts Institute ofTechnology/University of Michigan/Stanford University

Developed the theory of cognitive dissonance, the result of conflict between one’s beliefs, behaviors, goals, etc…

Developed theory of social comparison, explaining that people come to understand themselves through comparison with others (upwards and downwards)

SOCIAL/CULTURAL

Stanley Milgram1933-1984American Social PsychologistYale University/City University ofNew York (CUNY)

Best known for his studies on obedience to authority at Yale in which participants were led to believe they we administering electric shocks to another individual. The study revealed how willing people are to follow an authority, even if the demanded actions go against conscience

Conducted the small-world and lost letter experiments

SOCIAL/CULTURAL

Alfred Kinsey1894-1956American Biologist/EducatorIndiana University

Conducted early experiments into human sexuality and developed the Kinsey Scale

Although his methodology and even results were questioned, Kinsey is credited with contributing to the sexual revolution years after his death

SOCIAL/CULTURAL

Daniel Gilbert1957American Social PsychologistHarvard University

Co-writer and host of This Emotional Life (PBS)

Conducted research into affective forecasting and cognitive bias