Psychologists

  • Cesare Beccaria (18th century Italian philosopher) - Developed the classical theory of human behavior, which emphasizes free will and the idea that people make choices based on weighing the amount of pleasure gained against the amount of pain or punishment expected. He also argued that punishment should be swift, certain, and severe to deter crime.

  • Cesare Lombroso (early positivist theorist) - Known for early positivist theories of crime, which considered biological antecedents like sex, race, and skull size, as determinants of criminal tendencies. He conducted measurements on skulls of prisoners to draw conclusions about their criminal tendencies.

  • John B. Watson (1878–1958) - Considered the founder of behaviorism and is known for his belief that psychology should be the science of behavior and focus on observable actions rather than the mind.

  • Ivan Pavlov (1849–1936) - Russian physiologist known for his research on classical conditioning, which he studied through experiments on dogs.

  • B.F. Skinner - Believed that the primary goal of psychology is the prediction and control of behavior, and that environmental or external stimuli are the primary determinants of all behavior. He is known for his work on operant conditioning and the idea that behavior is shaped by its consequences.

  • Julian Rotter - Drew attention to the importance of expectations (cognitions) about the consequences of behavior, including the reinforcement gained from it. He is known for expectancy theory.

  • Albert Bandura - A social learning theorist, who placed great emphasis on cognitive processes, and the importance of observational learning (modeling).

  • Edwin Sutherland - A sociologist, known for developing the differential association theory of crime, which proposes that criminal behavior is learned through interactions with others.

  • Ronald Akers - Developed differential association-reinforcement theory (DAR), combining Sutherland's social learning principles with operant conditioning to explain criminal behavior.

  • Lawrence Steinberg - Researched how brain development in adolescence is associated with risk-taking behavior.

  • Premack and Woodruff - First proposed the concept of theory of mind (ToM).

  • Frick & White - Researchers who have given considerable attention to callous-unemotional traits that are associated with psychopathy.

  • Kerlinger - His definition of a scientific theory is used in the sources: "a set of interrelated constructs (concepts), definitions, and propositions that present a systematic view of phenomena by specifying relations among variables, with the purpose of explaining and predicting the phenomena".

  • Popper - His work on falsification is cited in the sources, specifically in relation to theory testing.

  • Milgram - His theory suggests that people may commit immoral or illegal acts under the influence of authority.

  • Haney - Discussed the fundamental attribution error, the tendency to discount the influence of the situation on behavior.