Robert Glaser (January 18, 1921 – February 4, 2012) was an American
educational psychologist
An educational psychologist is a psychologist whose differentiating functions may include diagnostic and psycho-educational Psychological evaluation, assessment, psychological counseling in educational communities (students, teachers, parents, ...
, who has made significant contributions to theories of
learning
Learning is the process of acquiring new understanding, knowledge, behaviors, skills, value (personal and cultural), values, attitudes, and preferences. The ability to learn is possessed by humans, animals, and some machine learning, machines ...
and
instruction. The key areas of his research focused on the nature of aptitudes and individual differences, the interaction of knowledge and skill in expertise, the roles of testing and technology in education, and training adapted to individual differences. Glaser has also been noted for having developed the idea of individually prescribed instruction as well as making major contributions to the theory of adaptive education.
His scholarship has been recognized by several awards including the
American Educational Research Association
The American Educational Research Association (AERA, pronounced "A-E-R-A") is a professional organization representing education researchers in the United States and around the world. AERA's mission is to advance knowledge about education and p ...
Presidential Citation Award (2003), the
American Psychological Association
The American Psychological Association (APA) is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States, with over 133,000 members, including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students. It ha ...
Distinguished Scientific Applications of Psychology award (1987), and the E.L. Thorndike Award for Distinguished Psychological Contributions to Education (1981). He was also a
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the ar ...
recipient and a member of the
Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters
The Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters ( da, Det Kongelige Norske Videnskabers Selskab, DKNVS) is a Norwegian learned society based in Trondheim. It was founded in 1760 and is Norway's oldest scientific and scholarly institution. The s ...
.
He was elected to the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...
in 1965 and the
American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...
in 2000.
Glaser was awarded honorary degrees from
Indiana University
Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana.
Campuses
Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI.
*Indiana Universit ...
,
University of Gothenburg
The University of Gothenburg ( sv, Göteborgs universitet) is a university in Sweden's second largest city, Gothenburg. Founded in 1891, the university is the third-oldest of the current Swedish universities and with 37,000 students and 6000 st ...
,
University of Leuven,
University of Victoria
The University of Victoria (UVic or Victoria) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. The university traces its roots to Victoria College, the first post-secondary instit ...
and
McGill University
McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...
,
which summarized his contributions in the following manner:
An internationally recognized scholar who has helped define the field of instructional psychology, Robert Glaser has linked theories of learning, cognition and instruction. He founded the Learning Research and Development Center
The Learning Research and Development Center (LRDC) at the University of Pittsburgh is an interdisciplinary center focused on describing, understanding, improving, and researching various aspects of human cognition and learning in order to improve ...
at the University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...
, serving as its director until 1997.
In addition to founding and serving as the director of the Learning Research and Development Center at the University of Pittsburgh, Glaser served as president of the American Educational Research Association and the
National Academy of Education
The National Academy of Education (NAEd) is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization in the United States that advances high-quality research to improve education policy and practice. Founded in 1965, the NAEd currently consists of over 300 elec ...
. He authored or edited more than 20 books and 220 articles. Glaser died in February 2012 at the age of 91.
Edited works
Glaser edited or co-edited a number of significant works.
*Lumsdaine A.A. & Glaser R. (eds) 1960. ''Teaching machines and programmed learning I: a source book''. Washington D.C. National Education Association.
*Glaser R. (ed) 1962. ''Training research and education''. New York: Columbia University Press, and 1965: Science Editions, Wiley.
*Glaser R. (ed) 1965. ''Teaching machines and programmed learning II: data and directions''. Washington D.C. National Education Association.
*Glaser R. (ed) 1978. ''Research and development and school change''. New York: Wiley.
*Glaser R. (ed) 1983. ''Cognitive and motivational aspects of instruction: selected International Congress papers''. Amsterdam: Elsevier
*Glaser R. (ed) 19782000. ''Advances in instructional psychology: educational design and cognitive science''. Volumes 15. Mahwah, N.J. Lawrence Erlbaum and Associates.
See also
*
Instructional design
*
Educational psychology
Educational psychology is the branch of psychology concerned with the scientific study of human learning. The study of learning processes, from both cognitive and behavioral perspectives, allows researchers to understand individual differences i ...
*
Alan Lesgold
Alan M. Lesgold, an Educational psychology, educational psychologist, is professor of psychology and Dean of the University of Pittsburgh School of Education. He received a Doctor of Philosophy, PhD in psychology from Stanford University, where h ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Glaser, Robert
1921 births
2012 deaths
20th-century American psychologists
Neurological disease deaths in Pennsylvania
Deaths from Alzheimer's disease
Educational psychologists
University of Pittsburgh faculty
Members of the American Philosophical Society
Members of the National Academy of Medicine