Edward C. Tolman

Edward Chace Tolman
BornApril 14, 1886
West Newton, Massachusetts, US
DiedNovember 19, 1959(1959-11-19) (aged 73)
Berkeley, California, US
Alma materMassachusetts Institute of Technology
Harvard University
Known forBehavioral psychology, cognitive map, latent learning, purposive behaviorism
Scientific career
FieldsPsychology
InstitutionsUniversity of California, Berkeley
Northwestern University
ThesisStudies in Memory (1915)
Doctoral advisorEdwin Bissell Holt
Doctoral studentsMurray Jarvik

Edward Chace Tolman (April 14, 1886 – November 19, 1959) was an American psychologist and a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.[1][2] Through Tolman's 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 (1929).[3] A Review of General Psychology survey, published in 2002, ranked Tolman as the 45th most cited psychologist of the 20th century.[4]

Tolman was one of the leading figures in protecting academic freedom during the McCarthy era in early 1950s.[5][6][7][8] In recognition of Tolman's contributions to both the development of psychology and academic freedom, the Education and Psychology building on Berkeley campus, the "Tolman Hall", was named after him.[6]

  1. ^ "Edward C. Tolman" (PDF). National Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
  2. ^ Bergman, Barry (2014-11-13). "Of rats and men: Tolman, behavior and academic freedom". Berkeley News. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
  3. ^ Tolman, E.C. (1948). "Cognitive maps in rats and men". Psychological Review. 55 (4): 189–208. doi:10.1037/h0061626. PMID 18870876.
  4. ^ Haggbloom, Steven J.; Warnick, Renee; Warnick, Jason E.; Jones, Vinessa K.; Yarbrough, Gary L.; Russell, Tenea M.; Borecky, Chris M.; McGahhey, Reagan; Powell, John L. III; Beavers, Jamie; Monte, Emmanuelle (2002). "The 100 most eminent psychologists of the 20th century". Review of General Psychology. 6 (2): 139–152. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.586.1913. doi:10.1037/1089-2680.6.2.139. S2CID 145668721.
  5. ^ Smith, Wilson; Bender, Thomas (2008-04-11). American Higher Education Transformed, 1940–2005: Documenting the National Discourse. JHU Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-9585-2.
  6. ^ a b "Tolman, Edward (1886–195)" (PDF). University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
  7. ^ Douglass, John; Thomas, Sally. "Timeline: Summary of events of the Loyalty Oath Controversy 1949-54". www.lib.berkeley.edu. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
  8. ^ Carroll, David W. (2017-04-27). Purpose and Cognition: Edward Tolman and the Transformation of American Psychology. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-108-21060-7.