Keith Stanovich
Encyclopedia
Keith E. Stanovich is the Canada Research Chair of Applied Cognitive Science at the Department of Human Development and Applied Psychology, University of Toronto
. His research areas are the psychology of reasoning
and the psychology of reading. His research in the field of reading was fundamental to the emergence of today's scientific consensus about what reading is, how it works and what it does for the mind. His research on the cognitive basis of rationality has been featured in the journal Behavioral and Brain Sciences
and in recent books by Yale University Press and University of Chicago Press. His book, What Intelligence Tests Miss, won the 2010 Grawemeyer Award
in Education.
in Education
has been cited over 1000 times in the scientific literature. He is the author of over 175 scientific articles, several of which have become Current Contents Citation Classics. Stanovich coined the term dysrationalia
to refer to the tendency toward irrational thinking and action despite adequate intelligence. In several recent books he has explored the concept as well as the relation between rationality and intelligence.
In a three-year survey of citation rates during the mid-1990s (see Byrnes, J. P. (1997). Explaining citation counts of senior developmental psychologists. Developmental Review, 17, 62-77), Stanovich was listed as one of the 50 most-cited developmental psychologists. Recently, he was named one of the 25 most productive educational psychologists (see Smith, M. C., et al., Productivity of educational psychologists in educational psychology journals, 1997-2001. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 28, 422-430). In a citation survey of the period 1982-1992, he was designated the most cited reading disability researcher in the world (Nicolson, R. I. Developmental dyslexia: Past, present and future. Dyslexia, 1996, 2, 190-207).
Stanovich is the only two-time winner of the Albert J. Harris Award from the International Reading Association
for influential articles on reading. In 1995 he was elected to the Reading Hall of Fame as the youngest member of that honorary society. In 1996 he was given the Oscar Causey Award from the National Reading Conference for contributions to research, in 1997 he was given the Sylvia Scribner
Award from the American Educational Research Association
, and in 2000 he received the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award from the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading
. Stanovich is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association
(Divisions 3 [experimental], 7 [developmental], 8 [Personality & Social], & 15 [Educational]), the American Psychological Society, the International Academy for Research in Learning Disabilities, and is a Charter Member of the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading. He was a member of the Committee on the Prevention of Reading Difficulties in Young Children of National Research Council
/National Academy of Sciences
. From 1986-2000 Stanovich was the Associate Editor of Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, a leading journal of human development.
He has had two long-term collaborators in his career, Anne Cunningham and Richard West. Stanovich and West were graduate students at the University of Michigan
together. These relationships had their roots in the 1970s and the three of them still work together. Another longstanding colleague is Maggie Toplak, of York University in Toronto.
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
. His research areas are the psychology of reasoning
Psychology of reasoning
The psychology of reasoning is the study of how people reason, often broadly defined as the process of drawing conclusions to inform how people solve problems and make decisions...
and the psychology of reading. His research in the field of reading was fundamental to the emergence of today's scientific consensus about what reading is, how it works and what it does for the mind. His research on the cognitive basis of rationality has been featured in the journal Behavioral and Brain Sciences
Behavioral and Brain Sciences
Behavioral and Brain Sciences is a peer-reviewed scientific journal of Open Peer Commentary founded in 1978 by Stevan Harnad and published by Cambridge University Press...
and in recent books by Yale University Press and University of Chicago Press. His book, What Intelligence Tests Miss, won the 2010 Grawemeyer Award
Grawemeyer Award
The Grawemeyer Awards are five awards given annually by the University of Louisville in the state of Kentucky, United States. The prizes are presented to individuals in the fields of education, ideas improving world order, music composition, religion, and psychology...
in Education.
Academic career
Cognitive scientist and psychologist Keith E. Stanovich has done extensive research on reading, language disabilities and the psychology of rational thought. His classic article on the Matthew EffectMatthew effect
The Matthew effect may refer to:* Matthew effect , the phenomenon in sociology where "the rich get richer and the poor get poorer"* Matthew effect , the phenomenon in education that has been observed in research on how new readers acquire the skills to read...
in Education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
has been cited over 1000 times in the scientific literature. He is the author of over 175 scientific articles, several of which have become Current Contents Citation Classics. Stanovich coined the term dysrationalia
Dysrationalia
Dysrationalia is defined as the inability to think and behave rationally despite adequate intelligence. The concept of dysrationalia was first proposed by psychologist Keith Stanovich in the early 1990s...
to refer to the tendency toward irrational thinking and action despite adequate intelligence. In several recent books he has explored the concept as well as the relation between rationality and intelligence.
In a three-year survey of citation rates during the mid-1990s (see Byrnes, J. P. (1997). Explaining citation counts of senior developmental psychologists. Developmental Review, 17, 62-77), Stanovich was listed as one of the 50 most-cited developmental psychologists. Recently, he was named one of the 25 most productive educational psychologists (see Smith, M. C., et al., Productivity of educational psychologists in educational psychology journals, 1997-2001. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 28, 422-430). In a citation survey of the period 1982-1992, he was designated the most cited reading disability researcher in the world (Nicolson, R. I. Developmental dyslexia: Past, present and future. Dyslexia, 1996, 2, 190-207).
Stanovich is the only two-time winner of the Albert J. Harris Award from the International Reading Association
International Reading Association
The International Reading Association is an international professional organization that was created in 1956 to improve reading instruction, facilitate dialogue about research on reading, and encourage the habit of reading....
for influential articles on reading. In 1995 he was elected to the Reading Hall of Fame as the youngest member of that honorary society. In 1996 he was given the Oscar Causey Award from the National Reading Conference for contributions to research, in 1997 he was given the Sylvia Scribner
Sylvia Scribner
Sylvia Scribner was an American psychologist and educational researcher who focused on the role of culture in literacy and learning. Her parents were Gussie and Harry Scribner, and Sylvia also had a sister, Shirley.-Biographical Outline:...
Award from the American Educational Research Association
American Educational Research Association
The American Educational Research Association, or AERA, was founded in 1916 as a professional organization representing educational researchers in the United States and around the world....
, and in 2000 he received the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award from the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading
Society for the Scientific Study of Reading
The Society for the Scientific Study of Reading was created in 1993 by Ronald P. Carver. The purpose of SSSR is to promote the scientific study of reading and to disseminate information about reading and related areas such as language and literacy. The society sponsors conferences and a scientific...
. Stanovich is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association
American Psychological Association
The American Psychological Association is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States. It is the world's largest association of psychologists with around 154,000 members including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. The APA...
(Divisions 3 [experimental], 7 [developmental], 8 [Personality & Social], & 15 [Educational]), the American Psychological Society, the International Academy for Research in Learning Disabilities, and is a Charter Member of the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading. He was a member of the Committee on the Prevention of Reading Difficulties in Young Children of National Research Council
United States National Research Council
The National Research Council of the USA is the working arm of the United States National Academies, carrying out most of the studies done in their names.The National Academies include:* National Academy of Sciences...
/National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
. From 1986-2000 Stanovich was the Associate Editor of Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, a leading journal of human development.
He has had two long-term collaborators in his career, Anne Cunningham and Richard West. Stanovich and West were graduate students at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
together. These relationships had their roots in the 1970s and the three of them still work together. Another longstanding colleague is Maggie Toplak, of York University in Toronto.
External links
- Keith Stanovich's home page at the University of TorontoUniversity of TorontoThe University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
- How reading works and what it does for the mind, an interview of Keith Stanovich
- Grawemeyer Interview