Key Psycholgist and Historic Figures

Charles Darwin

A biologist who proposed the theory of natural selection, explaining how species evolve and adapt over time.

Wilhelm Wundt

Considered the father of psychology for establishing the first psychology laboratory in Germany in 1879, focusing on structuralism and introspection.

William James

An American psychologist who founded functionalism, emphasizing the purpose of behavior and mental processes.

G. Stanley Hall

Established the first psychology research laboratory in the United States and founded the American Psychological Association (APA).

Mary Calkins

Pioneering psychologist who became the first female president of the American Psychological Association (APA) and conducted influential research on memory.

Margaret Floy Washburn

The first woman to receive a PhD in psychology in the United States, known for her work in animal behavior and motor theory.

Sigmund Freud

Developed psychoanalysis, emphasizing the role of unconscious conflicts in shaping behavior and personality.

John B. Watson

Founder of behaviorism, which focuses on observable behavior and rejected the study of mental processes.

Paul Broca

Identified the area of the brain responsible for speech production, known as Broca's area.

Carl Wernicke

Discovered the area of the brain involved in understanding language, known as Wernicke's area.

Roger Sperry

Conducted split-brain research, demonstrating the different functions of the brain's hemispheres.

Michael Gazzaniga

Conducted research on split-brain patients, contributing to our understanding of brain lateralization.

Ernst Heinrich Weber

Known for Weber's Law, which describes the relationship between the magnitude of a stimulus and the intensity of sensation.

Gustav Fechner

Established psychophysics, studying the relationship between physical stimuli and psychological experiences.

David Hubel

Nobel Prize-winning neuroscientist known for research on the structure and function of the visual cortex.

Torsten Wiesel

Nobel Prize-winning neuroscientist known for research on visual processing in the brain.

Ernest Hilgard

Pioneered research on hypnosis and the role of dissociation in consciousness.

Ivan Pavlov

Known for classical conditioning, demonstrating how associations are formed between stimuli and responses.

John Garcia

Conducted research on taste aversion, demonstrating that animals are more likely to associate sickness with taste than with other sensory stimuli.

Robert Rescorla

Introduced the concept of contingency in classical conditioning, emphasizing the importance of the predictive relationship between stimuli.

Edward L. Thorndike

Known for the law of effect, which states that behaviors followed by favorable consequences are more likely to be repeated.

B.F. Skinner

Prominent behaviorist known for his research on operant conditioning and the concept of reinforcement.

Edward Tolman

Introduced the concept of latent learning and cognitive maps, highlighting the role of cognition in behavior.

Wolfgang Köhler

Gestalt psychologist known for research on insight learning and problem-solving in chimpanzees.

Albert Bandura

Pioneer of social learning theory, emphasizing the role of observation and imitation in learning.

George A. Miller

Proposed the concept of working memory and conducted research on cognitive psychology, particularly in the areas of memory and language.

Hermann Ebbinghaus

Conducted pioneering research on memory, including the forgetting curve and the spacing effect.

Elizabeth Loftus

Known for research on the malleability of memory and the misinformation effect.

Noam Chomsky

Revolutionized the field of linguistics with the theory of universal grammar and innate language acquisition mechanisms.

Abraham Maslow

Known for proposing the hierarchy of needs theory, emphasizing human motivation and self-actualization.

Stanley Schachter

Proposed the two-factor theory of emotion, suggesting that emotions involve both physiological arousal and cognitive interpretation.

Hans Selye

Pioneered research on stress and introduced the concept of the general adaptation syndrome.

Alfred Kinsey

Conducted groundbreaking research on human sexuality and published the Kinsey Reports.

Richard Lazarus

Known for cognitive-mediational theory of emotion, emphasizing the role of cognitive appraisal in emotional experiences.

Joseph LeDoux

Conducted research on the neural basis of emotion, particularly the role of the amygdala.

Paul Ekman

Known for research on facial expressions and emotions, including the identification of universal emotions.

Mary Ainsworth

Developed the Strange Situation procedure to assess attachment styles in infants.

Harry Harlow

Conducted research on attachment in monkeys, emphasizing the importance of contact comfort in attachment formation.

Konrad Lorenz

Pioneered research on imprinting and ethology, studying instinctive behavior in animals.

Jean Piaget

Known for his theory of cognitive development, which describes how children's thinking evolves through stages.

Lev Vygotsky

Emphasized the role of social interaction and cultural factors in cognitive development.

Diana Baumrind

Conducted research on parenting styles and their effects on child development.

Erik Erikson

Known for his theory of psychosocial development, which describes stages of development throughout the lifespan.

Lawrence Kohlberg

Developed a theory of moral development, describing stages of moral reasoning.

Carol Gilligan

Critiqued Kohlberg's theory of moral development, emphasizing gender differences in moral reasoning.

Alfred Adler

Founded individual psychology, emphasizing the importance of striving for superiority and overcoming feelings of inferiority.

Carl Jung

Pioneered analytical psychology, introducing concepts such as the collective unconscious and archetypes.

Carl Rogers

Developed client-centered therapy, emphasizing empathy, unconditional positive regard, and congruence in therapeutic relationships.

Paul Costa

Co-developed the Five Factor Model of personality, which describes five broad dimensions of personality.

Francis Galton

Pioneered the study of individual differences and introduced techniques such as correlation and regression.

Charles Spearman

Proposed the theory of general intelligence (g), suggesting that intelligence is a single, underlying factor.

Robert Sternberg

Known for his triarchic theory of intelligence, which includes analytical, creative, and practical intelligence.

Howard Gardner

Proposed the theory of multiple intelligences, suggesting that intelligence is composed of distinct abilities.

Alfred Binet

Developed the first intelligence test to identify children who might need special help in school.

Lewis Terman

Adapted Binet's intelligence test for use in the United States, creating the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale.

David Wechsler

Developed intelligence tests for adults, including the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC).

Dorothea Dix

Activist who advocated for the humane treatment of individuals with mental illness and helped establish mental hospitals in the United States.

Albert Ellis

Founder of rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT), emphasizing the role of irrational beliefs in psychological distress.

Aaron Beck

Developed cognitive therapy, which focuses on identifying and changing negative thought patterns.

Mary Cover Jones

Conducted pioneering research on desensitization therapy for phobias, using principles of classical conditioning.

Joseph Wolpe

Developed systematic desensitization as a treatment for phobias, based on principles of classical conditioning.

Leon Festinger

Proposed the theory of cognitive dissonance, suggesting that people are motivated to reduce inconsistency between their beliefs and actions.

Philip Zimbardo

Conducted the Stanford prison experiment, demonstrating the power of situational factors in shaping behavior.

Solomon Asch

Conducted conformity experiments, showing the influence of group pressure on individual behavior.

Stanley Milgram

Conducted obedience experiments, demonstrating the willingness of individuals to obey authority figures, even to the point of harming others.