Anne Anastasi

Anne Anastasi
A young white woman with hair cut in a bob, in an oval frame
Anne Anastasi, from the 1928 yearbook of Barnard College
Born(1908-12-19)December 19, 1908
New York City, New York
DiedMay 4, 2001(2001-05-04) (aged 92)
New York City, New York
AwardsAPA Career Achievement Award for Distinguished Psychological Contributions to Education (1984)[2]
APF's Gold Medal (1984)
National Medal of Science (1987)
James McKeen Cattell Fellow Award (1992)
APA Award for Lifetime Contributions to Psychology (1994)
Academic background
EducationBarnard College (BA, 1928)
Columbia University (PhD, 1929)
Academic advisorsHarry L. Hollingworth[1]
InfluencesCharles Spearman[1]
Academic work
DisciplinePsychologist
Sub-disciplinePsychometrics
Institutions
Notable worksPsychological Testing
1972 American Psychological Association President
Preceded byKenneth B. Clark
Succeeded byLeona E. Tyler

Anne Anastasi (December 19, 1908 – May 4, 2001) was an American psychologist[3] best known for her pioneering development of psychometrics. Her generative work, Psychological Testing, remains a classic text in which she drew attention to the individual being tested and therefore to the responsibilities of the testers. She called for them to go beyond test scores, to search the assessed individual's history to help them to better understand their own results and themselves.

Known as the test guru, Anastasi focused on what she believed to be the appropriate use of psychometric tests. As stated in an obituary, "She made major conceptual contributions to the understanding of the manner in which psychological development is influenced by environmental and experiential factors. Her writings have provided incisive commentary on test construction and the proper application of psychological tests."[4] According to Anastasi, such tests only revealed what the test-taker knows at the time; they did not explain test scores. In addition, any psychometric measurement must take into account that aptitude is context-dependent. Anastasi stressed the importance of the role of the tester to correctly select, conduct, and evaluate tests.

She was president of the American Psychological Association (APA) in 1972, the third ever woman to be elected.[5][6] In 1984, she was given the American Psychological Foundation's gold medal.[7] In 1987, she was awarded the National Medal of Science.[8]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference intelltheory was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Career Achievement Award for Distinguished Psychological Contributions to Education: Recipients". American Psychological Association. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  3. ^ Wells, Sarah. "The Woman Who Turned Psychological Testing Into a Science". Gizmodo. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
  4. ^ Reznikoff, Marvin; Procidano, Mary (2001). "Anne Anastasi (1908-2001)". American Psychologist. 56 (10). American Psychological Association: 816–817. doi:10.1037/0003-066x.56.10.816. ISSN 0003-066X.
  5. ^ "Former APA Presidents". American Psychological Association. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  6. ^ "Anne Anastasi: 1972 APA President". American Psychological Association. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  7. ^ No Authorship Indicated (1985). "American Psychological Foundation awards for 1984: Gold Medal, Distinguished Teaching in Psychology, Distinguished Teaching of Group Process, and the National Psychology Awards for Excellence in the Media". American Psychologist. 40 (3): 340–345. doi:10.1037/h0092175.
  8. ^ "The President's National Medal of Science: Recipient Details". National Science Foundation. Archived from the original on 2021-04-17. Retrieved 22 February 2022.