Robert Zajonc

Robert B. Zajonc
Born(1923-11-23)November 23, 1923
Łódź, Poland
DiedDecember 3, 2008(2008-12-03) (aged 85)
Stanford, California, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUniversity of Michigan
Known forSocial psychology
SpousesDonna Benson (divorced)
Hazel Rose Markus
ChildrenKrysia，Peter, Michael and Joseph
AwardsAAAS Prize for Behavioral Science Research
Scientific career
FieldsPsychology
InstitutionsUniversity of Michigan
ThesisCognitive Structure and Cognitive Tuning (1954)
Doctoral advisorDorwin Cartwright
Doctoral studentsHazel Rose Markus
Eugene Burnstein
John Bargh

Robert Bolesław Zajonc (/ˈzaɪ.ənts/ ZY-ənts;[1][2] Polish: [ˈzajɔnt͡s]; November 23, 1923 – December 3, 2008) was a Polish-born American social psychologist who is known for his decades of work on a wide range of social and cognitive processes. One of his most important contributions to social psychology is the mere-exposure effect.[2] Zajonc also conducted research in the areas of social facilitation, and theories of emotion, such as the affective neuroscience hypothesis.[2][3]

He also made contributions to comparative psychology.[3] He argued that studying the social behavior of humans alongside the behavior of other species, is essential to our understanding of the general laws of social behavior.[3] An example of his viewpoint is his work with cockroaches that demonstrated social facilitation, evidence that this phenomenon is displayed regardless of species.[3] A Review of General Psychology survey, published in 2002, ranked Zajonc as the 35th most cited psychologist of the 20th century.[4]

  1. ^ Zajonc, Robert B. (1976), "Preface", Social Psychology in Transition, Springer US, pp. 155–156, doi:10.1007/978-1-4615-8765-1_11, ISBN 9781461587675
  2. ^ a b c Burnstein, Eugene (2009). "Robert B. Zajonc (1923–2008)". American Psychologist. 64 (6): 558–559. doi:10.1037/a0016661. ISSN 1935-990X.
  3. ^ a b c d Berridge, Kent C. (October 12, 2010). "Remembering Robert Zajonc: The Complete Psychologist". Emotion Review. 2 (4): 348–352. doi:10.1177/1754073910375478. ISSN 1754-0739. PMC 3008563. PMID 22473376.
  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.; Beavers, Jamie; Monte, Emmanuelle (June 1, 2002). "The 100 Most Eminent Psychologists of the 20th Century". Review of General Psychology. 6 (2): 139–152. doi:10.1037/1089-2680.6.2.139. ISSN 1089-2680. S2CID 145668721.