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APA Historical Database: Selected Entries


On December 8:

1870 — Ernst Moro was born. Moro discovered that the startle reflex in infants could be used to diagnose abnormal development of the central nervous system.

1928 — Ulric Neisser was born. Neisser has been a leader of modern cognitive psychology. His book Cognitive Psychology (1967) consolidated early findings in the field. His important papers have focused on pattern recognition, visual search, brief information processing, and memory. Neisser's psychology emphasizes active cognitive processes in the perceiving organism.

1941 — The first data were gathered for the World War II studies later published under the title The American Soldier, edited by Samuel S. Stouffer. The attack on Pearl Harbor had occurred on the previous day. The official name of this series of studies was Studies in Social Psychology in World War II.

1941 — The organizing meeting of the National Council of Women Psychologists was called. Seven days later, approximately 50 women met and the organization was officially founded.

1966 — Eleanor Maccoby's book The Development of Sex Differences was published.


Copyright © 1995, American Psychological Association. Web version by permission. Source: Street, W. R. (1994). A Chronology of Noteworthy Events in American Psychology. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. The American Psychological Association and Central Washington University have supported the development of the APA Historical Database.

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