Eleanor Maccoby

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Eleanor Emmons Maccoby (* 15. May 1917 in Tacoma , Washington , USA ; † 11. December 2018 in Palo Alto , California ) was an American psychologist who for their research and scientific contributions in the field of child and family psychology was known . In the course of her career she studied developmental psychology , in particular gender differences, gender development, gender differentiation, parent-child relationships, child development and social development from a child's perspective.

Maccoby received her PhD from the University of Michigan , where she worked under BF Skinner . She continued her psychology career at Stanford University , where she conducted various research as professor, member and chair of the psychology department. Her research resulted in several publications, the best known being her book The Development of Sex Differences . Maccoby has received several awards for her work. The American Psychological Association (APA) listed Maccoby as number 70 out of 100 of the greatest psychologists of the 20th century.

Live and act

Maccoby was born on May 15, 1917 to Eugene Emmons and Viva May (Johnson) Emmons. She was the second oldest of four siblings. Her mother was a singer and musician and her father owned a small business. Their family beliefs and way of life were unusual for this period: they were vegetarian , interested in Eastern thought and religious teachings that included reincarnation , astrology, and occult phenomena.

Until 1934 spent Maccoby her childhood in Tacoma (Washington) until after Portland ( Oregon ) moved where they at Reed College for two years behavioral psychology studied. After these two years she moved to Seattle (Washington) and transferred to the University of Washington , where she received her BA in 1939 . There she met her husband Nathan Maccoby , whom she married in 1938.

During her studies at the University of Washington, she studied psychology with Edwin Guthrie . Maccoby was fascinated by his contiguity-based stimulus-response learning theory. The end of World War II led to advances in medical research and a new understanding of the importance of mental health and developmental psychology . Eleanor E. Maccoby began her career in child development after World War II with a job in Boston .

In 1940 she followed her husband Nathan Maccoby to Washington, DC , where he had a job with the US Civil Service Commission . They stayed in Washington, DC until 1947 when they moved to Michigan . In 1949 Maccoby received her MA from the University of Michigan . Maccoby was given the opportunity to work with BF Skinner . Maccoby had met all the requirements for her doctoral thesis , with the exception of the dissertation . BF Skinner let Maccoby use automated data collection devices in his laboratory at Harvard University . She then completed her dissertation on an operant condition study on pigeons. In 1950 , Maccoby received his PhD from the University of Michigan.

Her dissertation at Harvard University opened up many career and research opportunities for Maccoby. Maccoby was a professor and researcher at Harvard University from 1950 to 1957. Maccoby's best-known research while studying at Harvard University was a research study that led to the book Patterns of Child-Rearing . She worked with Robert Richardson Sears on a study of socialization practices and their relationship to personality development in young children.

Eleanor and Nathan adopted three children: Janice Maccoby in 1952, Sarah Maccoby four years later and Mark Maccoby shortly thereafter. The family life was Eleanor Maccoby important, more important than it was for her husband, so she took over most of the unpaid work of family, worked in their paid employment part time shifted everything for five to six years during that time, so they have more time with could spend with their children.

In 1958 Maccoby was offered a position at Stanford University , where she taught child psychology . She considered herself a feminist , and at Stanford University she met Carol Nagy Jacklin , who was involved in the feminist movement for front-line problems that emerged from the Vietnam War . This led to research on differences and similarities in boys and girls that soon led to what Maccoby became famous for. In 1974, Maccoby and Jacklin published their research on gender differences . In 1980, Maccoby began a large-scale longitudinal study evaluating parent-child relationships before, during, and after the parents' divorce . Other work Maccoby did at Stanford University was organizing a year-long faculty seminar on gender differences and editing the book that resulted from that seminar. Maccoby was also involved in a social science research council that focused on socialization . She was one of the first to study gender differences. Maccoby concentrated on basic research on the origin of the gender difference in childhood and dealt with the point at which the gender difference becomes recognizable in the life plan, in which forms it is expressed, and how it helps to shape the later relationship between the sexes.

In 1992, Eleanor's husband Nathan died of a heart attack at the age of 80 . They were married for 54 years and had five grandchildren. She turned 100 in May 2017 and died of pneumonia in Palo Alto on December 11, 2018 at the age of 101 .

Awards

Throughout her career, Maccoby has been recognized for her work in psychology. From 1971 to 1972 she was President of Division 7 of the American Psychological Association (APA). From 1973 to 1976 she was chairman of the psychology department at Stanford as the first woman ever.

From 1974 to 1975 she was president of the Western Psychological Association . From 1981 to 1983 she was elected President of the Society for Research in Child Development . She has received numerous prestigious awards. She was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1974 and to the National Academy of Sciences in 1993

The Maccoby Award

The Eleanor Maccoby Book Award in Developmental Psychology , often referred to as the Maccoby Award for short , goes to an author whose book has had a profound influence on psychology and psychological research. The APA, which coordinates the selection of the award winner, is looking for

  • “The promotion of research in the field of developmental psychology;
  • encouraging researcher development by providing information on educational opportunities and recognizing outstanding contributions to the subject;
  • facilitating the exchange of scientific information on developmental psychology through publications such as the division's newsletter and through national and international meetings;
  • and / or the promotion of high standards for the application of scientific knowledge about human development to public affairs. "

Although named after Eleanor Maccoby, this award was not the first recipient. The first to be honored were Harold Fishbein and Lois Bloom in 1996, followed by Jerome Bruner in 1998 and Gilbert Gottlieb in 1999. After these four authors were honored, Maccoby finally received the award in 2000.

Publications

Maccoby has published over 100 specialist articles and a total of 12 books, including:

Individual evidence

  1. a b c d e f g h i Stanford University: Stanford psychologist Eleanor Maccoby dies at 101. December 14, 2018, accessed on December 26, 2018 (English).
  2. a b c d e f Katharine Q. Seelye: Eleanor Maccoby, Pathbreaker on How Boys and Girls Differ, Dies at 101 . In: The New York Times . December 22, 2018, ISSN  0362-4331 ( nytimes.com [accessed December 26, 2018]).
  3. a b Reediana December 2018. Retrieved December 26, 2018 (American English).
  4. a b Eleanor Maccoby, PhD - FABBS. Accessed December 26, 2018 .
  5. Gender Psychology. Retrieved on December 27, 2018 (Swiss Standard German).
  6. Review: Non-fiction book: Don't play with the gentle children? In: FAZ.NET . ISSN  0174-4909 ( faz.net [accessed December 27, 2018]).
  7. Book of Members 1780 – present, Chapter M. (PDF; 1.1 MB) In: American Academy of Arts and Sciences (amacad.org). Accessed December 26, 2018 .
  8. Klett-Cotta - Eleanor E. Maccoby biography, books, information. Retrieved December 27, 2018 .