INFLUENTIAL
RESEARCHERS OF
PSYCHOLOGY
BEHAVIORAL
B.F. Skinner
1904-1990
American Behaviorist
Inventor
University 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 Hall
1844-1924
American Educational and
Developmental Psychologist
President 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 James
1842-1910
American Functionalist and
Philosopher
Harvard 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 Calkins
1863-1930
American Researcher and
Educator/Philosopher/
Pioneer
Wellesley 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 Titchener
1867-1927
British Structuralist/Educator
Cornell 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 Wundt
1832-1920
German Physician/Professor/
Psychologist/Researcher
University 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 Washburn
1871-1939
American Experimental
Psychologist/Pioneer
Wells 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 Freud
1856-1939
Austrian 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 Gall
1758-1828
German Anatomist/Physician
Developed phrenology to explore
personality 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 Ainsworth
1913-1999
American Developmental
Psychologist
Johns 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 Horney
1885-1952
German Psychoanalyst
Institute 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 Freud
1895-1982
Austrian 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 Galton
1822-1911
English 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 Broca
1824-1880
French Physician and
Anatomist
University of Paris Medical
School
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 Wernicke
1848-1905
German 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 Sperry
1913-1994
American 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 Sapolsky
1957
American Biologist/Educator/
Neurologist
Stanford 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 Weber
1795-1878
German Physician
Author
Leipzig University
Founder of experimental psychology
Studied sensation
Developed Weber’s Law to explain the just-noticeable difference
BEHAVIORAL
John Garcia
1917
American Behaviorist
UCLA/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 Seligman
1942
American Cognitive/Humanistic
Psychologist/Educator
University 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 Wertheimer
1880-1943
German Gestalt Psychologist
University of Berlin/The New
School 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 Pavlov
1849-1936
Russian Physiologist and
Psychologist/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 Thorndike
1874-1949
American Behaviorist
Teachers College/Columbia
University
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 Bandura
1925
Canadian Social-Cognitivist
Stanford 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. Watson
1878-1958
American 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 Ellis
1913-2007
American 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 Loftus
1944American Researcher/
Educator
UC 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 Chomsky
1928
American Linguist/Educator/
Radical
Massachusetts Institute of
Technology
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 Ebbinghaus
1850-1909
German Experimental Psychologist
University of Berlin/University
of 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 Kahneman
1934
Israeli Cognitive Psychologist/
Nobel Laureate
Princeton 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 Beck
1921
American Cognitive Therapist
University 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 Vygotsky
1896-1934
Russian Developmental
Psychologist
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 Atkinson
1929
American Educator/Administrator
Stanford 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 Cannon
1871-1945
American Physiologist and
Educator
Harvard 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 Binet
1857-1911
French 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 Cattell
1905-1998
British Personality/Trait Theorist
Columbia 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. Thurstone
1887-1955
American Psychometrician and
Researcher
University of Chicago/University of
North 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 Wechsler
1896-1981
Romanian Psychometrician
Bellevue 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 Schachter
1922-1997
American Social Psychologist/
Educator
Columbia 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 Gardner
1943
American Cognitive Psychologist
Harvard 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 Terman
1877-1956
American Educational
Psychologist
Stanford 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 Ekman
1934
American Psychologist/
Educator
UC 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 Piaget
1896-1980
Swiss 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 Kohlberg
1927-1987
American Cognitive/
Developmental Psychologist
University 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 Harlow
1905-1981
American Research Psychologist
University 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 Erikson
1902-1994
German Developmental
Psychologist/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-Ross
1926-2004
Swiss Psychiatrist
University 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
PSYCHOANALY TICAL
Hermann Rorschach
1884-1922
Swiss 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 Allport
1897-1967
American Social Psychologist
and Trait Theorist/Educator
Harvard 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 Maslow
1908-1970
American Humanist/Educator
Brandeis University/Columbia
University
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 Rogers
1902-1987
American Humanist/Therapist
University of Chicago/University
of 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 Spearman
1863-1945
English Psychometrician/
Psychologist
University 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 Jung
1875-1961
Swiss 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 Wolpe
1915-1997
South African Therapist/
Educator
University of Virginia/
Temple University
Major figure in behavioral therapy
Developed systematic desensitization
David Rosenhan
1929-2012
American Psychologist
Stanford University/Princeton
University/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 Szasz
1920
Hungarian Psychiatrist
State University of New York
Syracuse
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 Asch
1907-1996
Polish Gestalt and Social
Psychologist
Swarthmore 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 Clark
1917-1983/1914-2005
American Psychologists
Northside Center for Child
Development/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 Zimbardo
1933
American Social Psychologist/
Educator/Television Host
Stanford 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 Sternberg
1949
American Cognitive Psychologist
Oklahoma 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 Festinger
1919-1989
American Social Psychologist
Massachusetts Institute of
Technology/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 Milgram
1933-1984
American Social Psychologist
Yale University/City University of
New 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 Kinsey
1894-1956
American Biologist/Educator
Indiana 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 Gilbert
1957
American Social Psychologist
Harvard University
Co-writer and host of This Emotional Life (PBS)
Conducted research into affective forecasting and cognitive bias