Scientists Making a Difference: One Hundred Eminent Behavioral and Brain Scientists Talk about Their Most Important Contributions

Scientists Making a Difference is a fascinating collection of first-person narratives from the top psychological scientists of the modern era. These readable essays highlight the most important contributions to theory and research in psychological science, show how the greatest psychological scientists formulate and think about their work, and illustrate how their ideas develop over time. In particular, the authors address what they consider their most important scientific contribution, how they got the idea, how the idea matters for the world beyond academic psychology, and what they would like to see as the next steps in research. The contributors, who were chosen from an objectively compiled list of the most eminent psychological scientists, provide a broad range of insightful perspectives. This book is essential reading for students, researchers and professionals interested in learning about the development of the biggest ideas in modern psychological science, described firsthand by the scientists themselves.

Robert J. Sternberg is Professor of Human Development at Cornell University, New York. Formerly, he was IBM Professor of Psychology and Education at Yale University, Connecticut. He won the 1999 James McKeen Cattell Fellow Award and the 2017 William James Fellow Award from APS. He is editor of Perspectives on Psychological Science. His main fields of interest are in intelligence, creativity, wisdom, ethics, love and hate. His PhD is from Stanford University, California and he has thirteen honorary doctorates. He is a member of the National Academy of Education and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Sternberg is the author of roughly 1600 publications and has been cited over 102,000 times with an h index of 154.

Susan T. Fiske is Eugene Higgins Professor, Psychology and Public Affairs, Princeton University, New Jersey. She investigates cognitive stereotypes and emotional prejudices, culturally, interpersonally and neuro-scientifically. Her books include The HUMAN Brand: How We Relate to People, Products, and Companies (with Chris Malone, 2013), Envy up, Scorn down: How Status Divides Us (2011), and Social Cognition (with Shelley Taylor, 2013). She edits the Annual Review of Psychology, PNAS, and Policy Insights from Behavioral and Brain Sciences. She is past-President of the Federation of Associations in Behavioral and Brain Sciences, was elected to the National Academy of Sciences, and won Princeton University's Graduate Mentoring Award.

Don Foss is Professor of Psychology at the University of Houston and has served on the faculties of the University of Texas, Austin and Florida State University. His publications have focused on language processing, memory and student success. He has been editor, associate editor or board member of numerous publications, and also served as a department chair, dean and provost. Foss received an all-University Outstanding Teaching Award at the University of Texas, Austin, and an Outstanding Achievement Award from the University of Minnesota.