AP Psych: Psychologists

Julian Rotter

• Developed the concept of locus of control, which identifies how much individuals believe they can control events affecting them

Carl Rogers

• Humanistic psychologist known for his theory of self-concept (real and ideal) + emphasis on self-actualization and unconditional positive regard

Gordon Allport

• Developed the trait theory of personality, emphasizing individual differences and the importance of personal traits in defining behavior

Hans Eysenck

• Developed Factor Analysis Model with 4 categories: Extraversion/ Introversion, Emotional Stability/ Instability

McCrae & Costa

• Known for their Big 5 Personality Traits: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism (OCEAN)

Carl Jung

• Developed concepts like collective unconscious and archetypes, emphasizing psych in individuation and myth/spirituality

Franz Gall

• Pioneered phrenology, the study of skull shapes, to determine personality traits and mental abilities

Roger Sperry

• Discovered the functional specialization of the brain's hemispheres through the corpus callosum, highlighting the distinct roles of each side in cognition and behavior.

Young-Helmholtz

• Proposed the Trichromatic Theory that cones contain 3 receptors sensitive to red, blue and green

Hering

• Proposed the Opponent Process theory that we process 4 primary colors opposed in pairs red-green and another for blue-yellow.

Richard Atkinson & Richard Shiffrin

• Developed Atkinson Shiffrin Model that memory is processed in 3 stages: sensory, short term, and long term

George Sperling

• Developed Iconic Memory, conducted experiment to demonstrate the fleeting nature of sensory memory and how visual information is briefly stored.

George “Magic” Miller

• Proposed the concept of "chunking" to enhance short-term memory capacity, suggesting that information can be organized into manageable units, typically around 7 items.

Alan Baddeley

• Proposed the Working Memory Model, which emphasizes the active processing of information in short-term memory

Kandel/Schwartz

• Contributed significantly with their research on synaptic plasticity and memory tracing

Elizabeth Loftus

• Studied the malleability of human memory, particularly how misinformation can alter recollections of events.

Chomsky

• Pioneered theories on language acquisition and the innate structures of the mind that facilitate learning.

Whorf

• pioneered theories on language acquisition, specifically how language shapes how one thinks and sees the world

Ivan Pavlov

• performed studies on classical conditioning, pairing a bell with an unconditional stimulus (food)

John Watson

• conducted Little Albert experiment, classically conditioned baby Albert to fear different things through association

B.F. Skinner

• developed the theory of operant conditioning, demonstrating how behaviors can be shaped through reinforcement and punishment.

Edward Thorndike

• formulated the Law of Effect, which states that responses followed by favorable consequences become more likely, while those followed by unfavorable consequences become less likely.

Keller Breland

• Formulated Instinctive Drift, the tendency of conditioned behavior to gradually return to a more innate behavior

Martin Seligman

• Formulated Learned Helplessness, feeling helplessness to change a situation due to repeated exposure to uncontrollable events

Wolfgang Kohler

• Formulated Insight, abrupt realization of a problem’s solution

John Garcia

• Formulated Taste Aversion, can occur when eating a substance that is followed by illness

Edward tolman

• Formulated Latent Learning, learning that becomes apparent only when there is an incentive to demonstrate it, as well as Cognitive Maps, a mental representation of physical features in an environment

Robert Rescorla

• Formulated the Contingency Model of Classical Conditioning, which emphasizes the importance a stimulus must provide the subject information about the likelihood that certain events will occur

Albert Bandura

• Formulation Observational Learning, occurs through observing others and modeling their behaviors, attitudes, and outcomes of those behaviors, and Reciprocal Determinism, which highlights the interactions between personal factors, behavior, and environmental influences in shaping an individual's learning and development

Yerkes Dodson

• Developed Yerkes Dodson Law, there is an optimal level of arousal for the best performance of any task

Abraham Maslow

• Developed the Hierarchy of Needs, which argues that human motivation is based on the fulfillment of a series of needs, from basic physiological needs to self-actualization.

Cannon & Washburn

• Developed the fact that stomach contractions relate with hunger while stomach enlargement relates with satiety

Konrad Lorenz

• Proposed the concept of imprinting, illustrating how young animals form attachments during a critical period of early development

Harry Harlow

• Conducted experiments with monkeys, demonstrating the importance of contact comfort over nourishment in attachment, ultimately revealing the significance of caregiving and social relationships.

Mary Ainsworth

• Developed the "Strange Situation" procedure, which assessed attachment styles in infants by observing their responses to separation and reunion with their caregivers

Erik Erikson

• Developed the theory of psychosocial development, proposing that individuals pass through eight stages of growth, each characterized by a central conflict that contributes to personality formation

Jean Piaget

• Developed stage theory of cognitive development, outlining how children progress through four stages: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational

Karen Wynn

• Developed research on infant cognition, demonstrating that even young children possess a basic understanding of number and object permanence

Lev Vygotsky

• Emphasized the role of social interaction and culture in cognitive development, introducing the concept of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) to explain how children learn with the help of more knowledgeable others.

Kohlberg

• Known for his theory of moral development, which outlines the stages individuals go through as they develop moral reasoning

Marcia

• Known for her work on identity development, which includes four identity statuses: identity diffusion, identity foreclosure, identity moratorium, and identity achievement.

Hans Selye

• Known for his research on stress and the concept of General Adaptation Syndrome, which describes the body's response to stressors in three stages: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion

Francis Galton

• Known for his pioneering work in eugenics and the study of individual differences, particularly in relation to intelligence and hereditary traits

Alfred Binet

• Known for developing the first practical intelligence test (Binet-Simon), which laid the groundwork for future IQ testing and the assessment of cognitive abilities.

William Stern

• Developed famous IQ formula, IQ = (mental age/ chronological age) x 100

Lewis Terman

• Adapted Binet's work and developed the Stanford-Binet intelligence test, which popularized the concept of IQ and significantly influenced educational practices.

Charles Spearman

• Developed the theory of general intelligence, or "g factor," which posits that intelligence consists of a single underlying ability that influences performance on various cognitive tasks.

L.L. Thurstone

• Proposed the primary mental abilities theory, which argues that intelligence is not a single factor but a combination of several independent factors, including verbal comprehension, numerical ability, and spatial visualization.

Robert Sternberg

• Proposed the triarchic theory of intelligence, which identifies three components of intelligence: analytical, creative, and practical, suggesting that traditional IQ tests do not encompass the full range of human intelligence.

Howard Gardner

• Proposed the theory of multiple intelligences, which posits that there are at least eight distinct types of intelligence, including linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, and interpersonal, challenging the conventional view of intelligence as merely academic or cognitive

David Wechsler

• Developed the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC), emphasizing a broader definition of intelligence that includes both verbal and performance abilities

Sigmund Freud

• Introduced the concepts of the unconscious mind, defense mechanisms, and the significance of early childhood experiences in shaping personality, laying the groundwork for psychoanalysis and influencing modern psychology

Egaz Moniz

• Introduced the lobotomy as a surgical treatment for severe mental disorders, pioneering psychosurgery and raising ethical questions about its effects and implications for patient care.

Philippe Pinel

• Advocated for the humane treatment of the mentally ill, removing restraints and moral management that emphasized care and compassion, thus transforming the approach to mental healthcare in the late 18th century

David Rosenhan

• Conducted a famous experiment in the 1970s, "On Being Sane in Insane Places," which revealed the challenges of distinguishing between sanity and insanity, ultimately questioning the validity of psychiatric diagnoses and the treatment of patients within mental health institutions.

Albert Ellis and Aaron Beck

• Cognitive Therapists

Mary Cover Jones

• Classical Conditioning for Therapy

Joseph Wolpe

• Worked to develop systematic desensitization

Phillip Zimbardo

• Best known for the Stanford prison experiment, which examined the effects of situational variables on human behavior

Leon Festinger

• Best known for his theory of cognitive dissonance, which explores the mental discomfort experienced when holding contradictory beliefs or attitudes

Solomon Asch

• Best known for his research on conformity, which demonstrated the influence of group pressure on individual decision-making and behavior

Milligram

• Best known for his experiments on obedience to authority, revealing the extent to which individuals are willing to follow orders even when they conflict with personal morals.