The 30 Most Important People of the 20th Century in Psychology 1. Ivan P. Pavlov a. (September 26, 1849- February 27, 1936) b. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Pavlov A. Pavlov is best known for his work in classical conditioning. He knew that dogs salivated when they were shown food, which is an unconditional response. After measuring amounts of saliva produced by the dogs, he noticed that they also salivated when the bell rang (a conditioned response). He realized that the dogs had learned to associate the bell with the food and this was why they salivated. B. Pavlov contributed to psychology by being the one of the first to study and understand learning. He has influenced other psychologists in their ways of studying learning such …show more content…
(August 9, 1896- September 16, 1980) b. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Piaget A. Piaget made contributions in the field of developmental psychology. By studying children and the way their brains work, Piaget found that there are a series of steps that brains go through as they grow. He introduced the idea of schemas, concepts that people use to make sense of the world. Using assimilation (interpreting) and accommodation (adapting), children gradually learn. He also came up with the 4 stages of cognitive development: Sensorimotor, Preoperational, Concrete Operational and Formal Operational. B. Piaget’s contributions have changed how psychologists view children’s brains. Before Piaget’s discoveries, people did not have an accurate idea on how children’s brains worked; they assumed that they were the same as those of adults’, just less capable. Piaget’s research showed that the ways children think differ from the ways adults think. C. I ranked Piaget as 3rd because he contributed so much to child psychology. He was the first psychologist to determine that children’s brains work differently and go through a series of stages. His ideas have also helped to shape teaching practices in modern-day schools. For example, discovery learning, used in elementary school, is based on his theory that young kids must learn skills for