August 29, 2002

Rotman scientist among 20th century’s best

Toronto, CANADA - Endel Tulving, a senior scientist with Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest, has been ranked one of the top 99 most eminent psychologists of the 20th century.

Dr. Tulving’s place among the world’s most influential psychologists was determined through a survey of
1,725 members of the American Psychological Society. Other notable psychologists on the 20th century list include B.F. Skinner and Sigmund Freud.

Dr. Tulving has had arguably the greatest impact of any single scientist on the understanding of human memory. In an incredibly productive career spanning nearly half a century, he has radically changed how scientists view human memory, and his theoretical frameworks now guide the whole field of memory research.

His contribution is not limited to one major finding but rather is an accumulation of creative insights into the memory processes. For example, his findings that human memory should be viewed as a set of interrelated systems than one function has enabled anatomists to study the relation of a system to a brain area, and clinicians to establish specific rehabilitation techniques that are targeted to a specific problem.

Dr. Tulving has a lifetime record of over 11,000 citations (other scientists citing his work) and continues to publish ground-breaking research while now well into his 70s. He holds the Anne and Max Tanenbaum Joint Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience, and is a University Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto.