Kenneth Spence
| Kenneth Wartinbee Spence | |
|---|---|
| Born |
May 6, 1907 Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Died | January 12, 1967 (aged 59) |
| Nationality | American |
| Fields | Psychology |
| Institutions |
University of Virginia University of Iowa University of Texas |
| Alma mater |
McGill University Yale University |
| Known for | Contiuous Account of Discrimination Learning Hull-Spence Learning Theory |
| Influenced | Clark L. Hull |
| Notable awards |
1929 Prince of Wales Gold Medal in Mental Sciences, McGuill University |
1929 Prince of Wales Gold Medal in Mental Sciences, McGuill University
1930 Governor General's Medal for Research, McGuill University
1953 Howard Crosby Warren Medal, Society of Experimental Psychology
1955 Yale University Silliman Lectures
Kenneth Wartinbee Spence (May 6, 1907 – January 12, 1967) was a prominent American psychologist known for both his theoretical and experimental contributions to learning theory and motivation. As one of the leading theorists of his time, Spence was the most cited psychologist in the 14 most influential psychology journals in the last six years of his life (1962 – 1967). A Review of General Psychology survey, published in 2002, ranked Spence as the 62nd most cited psychologist of the 20th century.
Spence was born in Chicago on May 6, 1907. In 1911, Spence's father, an electrical engineer, moved the family to Montreal, Canada when transferred by his employer, Western Electric. Spence spent his youth and adolescence there, attending West Hill High School in Notre Dame de Grace. While in high school, Spence was involved in basketball, tennis and track.
Spence sustained a back injury during a track competition while attending McGill University. As part of his physical therapy, Spence moved to live with his grandmother in LaCross, Wisconsin. There, Spence attended LaCross Teacher's College and majored in Physical Education, and met his future wife Isabel Temte. He and Isabel had two children, Shirley Ann Spence Pumroy and William James Spence. Spence and Isabel later divorced, and Spence was remarried to Janet A. Taylor, his graduate student, in 1960.
Spence eventually returned to McGill University and changed his major to Psychology. He received his B.A. in 1929, and M.A. in 1930. After McGill, Spence attended Yale University as a research assistant to Robert M. Yerkes. Yerkes sponsored his dissertation, a study on the visual acuity of chimpanzees. Spence received his PhD from Yale in 1933.
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