PROMINENT PHILOSOPHIES AND THEORIES
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Albert Bandura - Social Cognitive Learning Theory (Modelling). He was a Canadian-American psychologist who is the David Starr Jordan Professor Emeritus of Social Science in Psychology at Stanford University. Bandura is widely recognized for his work on social learning theory, particularly the concept of observational learning, or modeling, where individuals learn by watching others. His famous Bobo doll experiment demonstrated that children could learn aggressive behaviors by observing adults, challenging traditional behaviorist views and emphasizing the role of cognitive processes in learning. Bandura’s work has had a profound impact on psychology, education, and even media influence studies, shaping modern understandings of how behavior is acquired and modified through social contexts.
David Ausubel
- Meaningful Learning Theory. He was an American psychologist whose most
significant contribution to the fields of educational psychology, cognitive
science, and science education learning was on the development and research on
advance organizers since 1960. Ausubel proposed that meaningful learning occurs
when new information is connected to existing knowledge in a substantive and
non-arbitrary way, contrasting with rote memorization. His work on advance
organizers—introductory material that provides a framework for new
information—has influenced instructional design and curriculum development,
emphasizing the importance of prior knowledge in facilitating deeper
understanding and retention in educational settings.
Sandra Bem
- Gender Schema Theory. She was an American psychologist known for her works in
androgyny and gender studies. Bem developed the Gender Schema Theory, which
suggests that individuals develop gender schemas—cognitive frameworks that
organize information based on gender—that influence how they perceive and
evaluate themselves and others. Her pioneering research on androgyny challenged
traditional binary gender roles, advocating for flexibility in gender
expression. Bem’s work, including the Bem Sex-Role Inventory, has significantly
impacted gender psychology, encouraging a more nuanced understanding of gender
identity and its development across the lifespan.
Urie
Bronfenbrenner - Ecological Systems Theory (1917-2005). He was a
Russian-born American developmental psychologist who developed the ecological
systems theory to explain how everything in a child and the child's environment
affects how a child grows and develops. He labeled different aspects or levels
of the environment that influence children's development, including the
microsystem (family, school), mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and
chronosystem. He was a Russian-born American developmental psychologist who
most was known for his ecological systems theory of child development. His
scientific work and his assistance to the United States government helped in
the formation of the Head Start program in 1965, aiming to enhance early
childhood education and support.
Jerome Bruner
- Cognitive Psychology and Cognitive Learning Theory. He was an American
psychologist who made significant contributions to human cognitive psychology
and educational psychology. Bruner emphasized the role of active exploration
and discovery in learning, developing the concept of scaffolding where learners
are supported by teachers or peers as they build knowledge. He was an American
psychologist who made significant contributions to human cognitive psychology
and cognitive learning theory in educational psychology. Bruner was a senior
research fellow at the New York University School of Law, where he continued to
influence educational practices and cognitive science through his later works.
Avram Noam
Chomsky - Linguistic (Language) Acquisition Device (LAD). He was an
American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, historian, and social
critic. Sometimes described as "the father of modern linguistics",
Chomsky is also a major figure in analytic philosophy and one of the founders
of the field of cognitive science. He proposed the Language Acquisition Device
(LAD), a hypothetical mechanism in the brain that enables children to acquire
language naturally. Noam Chomsky is a contemporary psychologist, linguist, and
political activist known both for his theory of innate grammar and for his
political activism, including critiques of media and political structures,
making him a prominent intellectual figure globally.
Hermann
Ebbinghaus - Law of Forgetting. He was a German psychologist who pioneered
the experimental study of memory, discovering the forgetting curve and spacing
effect. Ebbinghaus conducted rigorous experiments using nonsense syllables to
study memory retention, establishing that forgetting occurs at an exponential
rate unless reinforced. The forgetting curve hypothesizes the decline of memory
retention in time, while the spacing effect suggests that information is better
retained when study sessions are spaced out. He was also the father of the
eminent neo-Kantian philosopher Julius Ebbinghaus, leaving a lasting legacy in
cognitive psychology.
Erik Erikson
- Psychosocial Development Theory. He was a German-American developmental
psychologist and psychoanalyst, famous for coining the phrase "identity
crisis." Erikson expanded Freud’s psychosexual stages into a broader
psychosocial framework, proposing eight stages of development from infancy to
old age, each marked by a specific conflict that shapes personality. His
theory, which includes stages like trust vs. mistrust and intimacy vs.
isolation, has been widely applied in education, therapy, and understanding
life transitions. His son, Kai T. Erikson, is a noted American sociologist,
continuing the family’s influence in social sciences.
Sigmund Freud
- Psychoanalysis and Psychosexual Theory. He was an Austrian neurologist and
the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for treating psychopathology
through dialogue between a patient and a psychoanalyst. Freud developed the
concept of the unconscious mind and proposed that personality develops through
psychosexual stages (oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital). Freud was born to
Galician Jewish parents in the Moravian town of Freiberg, in the Austrian
Empire, and his work revolutionized psychology, though it remains controversial
due to its emphasis on sexuality and the unconscious.
Daniel Goleman
- Emotional Intelligence. He was an author and science journalist who wrote for
the New York Times, reporting on the brain and behavioral sciences. Goleman
popularized the concept of Emotional Intelligence (EQ), defining it as the
ability to identify, assess, and control one’s own emotions, the emotions of
others, and that of groups. His book "Emotional Intelligence" (1995)
brought this idea to a wide audience, influencing fields like education,
leadership, and workplace dynamics. For twelve years, he wrote for the New York
Times, bridging scientific research with public understanding.
Howard
Gardner - Theory of Multiple Intelligences. He was an American
developmental psychologist and the John H. and Elisabeth A. Hobbs Professor of
Cognition and Education at Harvard Graduate School of Education. Gardner
challenged the traditional view of intelligence as a single IQ score, proposing
eight distinct intelligences (e.g., linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial,
musical) that individuals may excel in differently. His theory has transformed
educational practices, encouraging tailored teaching methods to leverage
diverse strengths, and he continues to refine his model with ongoing research.
Victor Harold
Vroom - Expectancy Theory. He was a business school professor at the Yale
School of Management, holding a PhD from the University of Michigan and an MS
and BS from McGill University. Vroom's expectancy theory assumes that behavior
results from conscious choices among alternatives whose purpose it is to maximize
pleasure and minimize pain. He realized that an employee's performance is based
on individual factors such as personality, skills, knowledge, experience, and
abilities, providing a framework for understanding motivation in organizational
settings.
Johann
Heinrich Pestalozzi - Father of Modern Education. He was a Swiss pedagogue
and educational reformer who exemplified Romanticism in his approach.
Pestalozzi believed education should be child-centered, emphasizing sensory
learning and emotional development over rote memorization. He founded several
educational institutions both in German- and French-speaking regions of
Switzerland and wrote many works explaining his revolutionary modern principles
of education, influencing modern pedagogical methods worldwide.
Jean Piaget
- Cognitive Development Theory. He was a Swiss psychologist known for his work
on child development, proposing four stages of cognitive development:
sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational. Piaget’s
theory suggests that children actively construct knowledge through interaction
with their environment. His work, together with his epistemological view, is
called "genetic epistemology," and he placed great importance on the
education of children, shaping developmental psychology and educational theory.
Ivan Pavlov
- Classical Conditioning Theory. He was a Russian physiologist known primarily
for his work in classical conditioning, demonstrated through his experiments
with dogs. From his childhood days, Pavlov demonstrated intellectual curiosity
along with an unusual energy which he referred to as "the instinct for
research." Inspired by progressive ideas, his findings on conditioned
reflexes laid the foundation for behaviorism, influencing psychology,
education, and even therapeutic techniques.
Edward Paul
Torrance - Creativity Problem Solving. He was an American psychologist from
Milledgeville, Georgia, considered the "Father of Creativity." After
completing his undergraduate degree at Mercer University, Torrance acquired a
Master's degree at the University of Minnesota and then a doctorate from the
University of Michigan. His teaching career spanned from 1957 to 1984, during
which he developed the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking, significantly
advancing the study and promotion of creativity in education.
Elliot Turiel
- Domain Based Moral Education. He was an American psychologist and
Chancellor's Professor at the University of California, Berkeley. Turiel’s
research focuses on the development of moral reasoning, proposing that children
distinguish between moral, social, and personal domains. He teaches courses on
human development and its relation to education, contributing to moral
psychology and educational practices with his domain-based approach.
John Locke
- Theory of Association. He was an English philosopher and physician, widely
regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers and commonly
known as the "Father of Liberalism." Locke’s theory of association
linked ideas through experience, influencing psychology and education. According
to other social contract theorists, when the government fails to secure natural
rights, citizens can withdraw their obligation to obey or change leadership, a
concept that shaped modern political philosophy.
Kurt Lewin
- Life Space Concept. He was a pioneer in social, organizational, and applied
psychology in the United States. Lewin’s Life Space Concept analyzed behavior
as a function of the person and their environment, influencing group dynamics
and organizational change. The approach, developed by Kurt Lewin, is a
significant contribution to social science, psychology, and change management,
with his theory expanded by John R. P. French for organizational and industrial
settings.
David
McClelland - Needs Achievement Theory or Human Motivation Theory. He was an
American psychologist noted for his work on motivation Need Theory. Human
Motivation Theory states that every person has one of three main driving
motivators: the needs for achievement, affiliation, or power, developed through
culture and life experiences. He published a number of works during the 1950s
and the 1990s and developed new scoring systems for the Thematic Apperception
Test and its descendants, impacting motivational psychology.
Maria
Montessori - Montessori Method, Transfer of Learning. She was an Italian
physician and educator best known for the philosophy of education that bears
her name. Montessori is a method of education that is based on self-directed
activity, hands-on learning, and collaborative play, where children make creative
choices in their learning while teachers offer age-appropriate activities to
guide the process. Her writing on scientific pedagogy has influenced
educational practices globally, emphasizing child-centered learning.
Henry Murray
- Theory of Psychogenic Needs. He was an American psychologist at Harvard
University and was Director of the Harvard Psychological Clinic in the School
of Arts and Sciences after 1930. Murray developed a theory of personality
called personology, based on "need" and "press," exploring
how environmental pressures and personal needs shape behavior. His work with
the Thematic Apperception Test has been widely used in psychological
assessment.
Lawrence
Kohlberg - Moral Development Theory. He was an American psychologist known
for his theory of moral development, which posits that individuals progress
through six stages across three levels (pre-conventional, conventional,
post-conventional). Developed from Jean Piaget’s work, this theory made us
understand that morality starts from early childhood and can be affected by
several factors. He served as a professor in the Psychology Department at the
University of Chicago and at the Graduate School of Education at Harvard
University.
Wolfgang
Kohler - Insight Learning or Problem Solving by Insight. He was a German
psychologist and phenomenologist who, like Max Wertheimer and Kurt Koffka,
contributed to the creation of Gestalt psychology. Insight learning is perhaps
the greatest contribution Wolfgang Kohler made to psychology, demonstrated
through his experiments with chimpanzees, showing sudden problem-solving
insights. Building off Gestalt psychology, Kohler discovered that learning can
occur when we gain insight into an entire situation.
Burrhus
Frederic Skinner - Operant Conditioning (Instrument). He was an American
psychologist, behaviorist, author, inventor, and social philosopher, commonly
known as B. F. Skinner. He developed operant conditioning, using the
"Skinner Box" to study how behavior is influenced by its
consequences, contrasting with classical conditioning. He was the Edgar Pierce
Professor of Psychology at Harvard University from 1958 until his retirement in
1974, leaving a lasting impact on behaviorism and education.
Robert J.
Sternberg - Triarchic Theory of Intelligence. He was an American
psychologist and Professor of Human Development at Cornell University,
previously president of the University of Wyoming. Sternberg’s triarchic theory
describes three distinct types of intelligence—analytical, creative, and
practical—challenging traditional IQ measures. These three examples exemplify
his theory, providing a comprehensive framework for understanding diverse
intellectual abilities.
Edward
Thorndike - Laws of Learning (law of readiness, law of exercise, law of
effect). He was an American psychologist who spent nearly his entire career at
Teachers College, Columbia University. His work on comparative psychology and
the learning process led to the theory of connectionism, proposing that
learning is strengthened by practice and reward. His Laws of Learning have laid
the scientific foundation for educational psychology, influencing teaching
methodologies.
Edward Chase
Tolman - Purposive Behaviorism. He was an American psychologist who founded
purposive behaviorism, arguing that behavior is goal-directed rather than
merely a response to stimuli. Through his theories and works, he founded what
is now a branch of psychology known as purposive behaviorism. Tolman also promoted
the concept known as latent learning first coined by Blodgett, demonstrating
that learning can occur without immediate reinforcement.
Edward Lee
Thorndike - Laws of Learning (law of readiness, law of exercise, law of
effect). He was an American psychologist who spent nearly his entire career at
Teachers College, Columbia University. His pioneering work on animal learning,
particularly with cats in puzzle boxes, led to the formulation of the Laws of
Learning, emphasizing the role of readiness, repetition, and effect in
education. His theory of connectionism helped lay the scientific foundation for
educational psychology.
John Watson
- Behaviorism Theory. He was an American psychologist who established the
psychological school of behaviorism with his 1913 manifesto "Psychology as
the Behaviorist Views It." Watson promoted a change in psychology through
his focus on observable behavior, conducting influential experiments like the
"Little Albert" study on conditioned emotional responses. In
addition, he conducted research on animal behavior, child rearing, and
advertising, popularizing the use of the scientific theory with behaviorism.
Bernard
Weiner - Attribution Theory on Achievement. He was an American social
psychologist known for developing a form of attribution theory which explains
the emotional and motivational entailments of academic success and failure.
Initially studying achievement motivation, Weiner shifted focus to how
individuals attribute causes to their successes and failures (e.g., effort,
ability, luck), influencing educational and motivational psychology with a
model that includes stability and controllability dimensions.
Lev
Seymenovich Vygotsky - Sociocultural Theory or "Zone of Proximal
Development" (ZPD). He was a Soviet psychologist known for his
cultural-historical psychology, which emphasizes the role of social interaction
in cognitive development. His work on the Zone of Proximal Development suggests
that learning occurs most effectively when assisted by a more knowledgeable
other. His work was largely unknown to the West until it was published in 1962,
establishing him as a foundational figure in developmental psychology.
Wilhelm Wundt - Father of Modern Psychology. He was a German physician, physiologist, philosopher, and professor, known today as one of the founding figures of modern psychology. Wundt established the first experimental psychology lab in 1879 at the University of Leipzig, marking psychology as a distinct science apart from philosophy and biology. He was the first person ever to call himself a psychologist, laying the groundwork for empirical research in the field.
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