The Dean of the Psychology Department

Dean Keith Simonton, PhD

Distinguished Professor and Vice Chair
Department of Psychology
University of California, Davis

Contents

 Research | TeachingService

 Contact InformationBiographical Data | Personal Interests


RESEARCH
 

Expertise

Genius, creativity, leadership, and aesthetics - the cognitive, personal, developmental, social, and cultural factors behind eminence, giftedness, and talent in science, philosophy, literature, music, art, cinema, politics, and war.

Archival data analysis - cross-cultural, transhistorical, biographical, and content analytical measures, with special stress on the historiometric analyses of eminent personalities, notable events, and creative products.

History of psychology - including analyses from the standpoint of the psychology of science, especially the psychology of distinguished scientists and eminent psychologists.
 

    Publications
Genius, creativity, and leadership: Historiometric inquiries (Harvard University Press, 1984);
Why presidents succeed: A political psychology of leadership (Yale University Press, 1987);
Scientific genius: A psychology of science (Cambridge University Press, 1988);
Psychology, science, and history: An introduction to historiometry (Yale University Press, 1990);
Greatness: Who makes history and why (Guilford Press, 1994);
Genius and creativity: Selected papers (Ablex, 1997);
Origins of genius: Darwinian perspectives on creativity (Oxford University Press, 1999);
Great psychologists and their times: Scientific insights into psychology's history (American Psychological Association, 2002);
Creativity in science: Chance, logic, genius, and zeitgeist (Cambridge University Press, 2004);
Genius 101: Creators, leaders, and prodigies (Springer Publishing, in press). Plus more than 345 book chapters, encyclopedia entries, and journal articles, including publications in Psychological Review (3), Psychological Bulletin (5), Psychological Methods (1), American Psychologist (3), Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (20), Developmental Psychology (1), Psychology and Aging (1), Review of General Psychology (5), Annual Review of Psychology (1), Perspectives on Psychological Science (2), Current Directions in Psychological Science (1), Psychological Inquiry (3), The Psychologist (1), Journal of Personality (7), Journal of Experimental Social Psychology (1), Journal of Applied Social Psychology (1), European Review of Social Psychology (1), Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology (3), Developmental Review (2), Annals of Child Development (1), Sex Roles (3), Social Forces (1), Political Psychology (4), Leadership Quarterly (3), Political Behavior (1), Presidential Studies Quarterly (1), Journal of Vocational Behavior (2), Applied & Preventive Psychology: Current Scientific Perspectives (1), Journal of Creative Behavior (8), Creativity Research Journal (10), Gifted Child Quarterly (2), Roeper Review: A Journal on Gifted Education (1), the Journal for the Education of the Gifted (1), High Ability Studies (2), Gifted and Talented International (1), Scientometrics (4), Social Studies of Science (3), Journal of Psychology of Science and Technology (1), Empirical Studies of the Arts (8), Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts (4), Poetics (2), Computers and the Humanities (1), Music Perception (1), Psychology of Music (2), Gerontologist (1), Generations (1), Psychiatric Times (2), Applied & Preventive Psychology (1), Czechoslovak Journal of Physics (1), Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series A (Statistics in Society) (1), Research in Multi-Level Issues (1), Comparative Civilizations Review (1), and the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion (1);
and book and film reviews written for Contemporary Psychology/PsycCRITIQUES (26), American Journal of Psychology (2), Isis: Journal of the History of Science Society (2), JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association (2), Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences (2), Political Psychology (2), Administrative Science Quarterly (1), Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences (1), Behaviour Research and Therapy (1), Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences (1), Perception (1), Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts (1); Roeper Review: A Journal on Gifted Education (1), and Social Science Quarterly (1).  
Recognition
William James Book Award, Society for General Psychology, Division 1 - American Psychological Association (APA, 2000);
Theoretical Innovation Prize, Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Division 8 - APA (2004);
George A. Miller Outstanding Article Award, Society for General Psychology, Division 1 - APA (1997);
Rudolf Arnheim Award for Outstanding Achievement in Psychology and the Arts, Society for the Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts, Division 10 - APA (1996);
Sir Francis Galton Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Study of Creativity, International Association of Empirical Aesthetics (IAEA, 1996);
President's Award, National Association for Gifted Children (2007);
Award for Excellence in Research, Mensa Education and Research Foundation (1986);
Otto Klineberg Intercultural and International Relations Honorable Mention, Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, Division 9 - APA (1997);
UC Davis Prize for Teaching and Scholarly Achievement (1994);
President, Division 10 - Society for the Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts, APA (1985-1986);
President, IAEA (1998-2000);
Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (1998);
Fellow, American Psychological Association (1983), Divisions:
      1 - Society for General Psychology (1995);
      5 - Evaluation, Measurement, and Statistics (2002);
      7 - Developmental Psychology (2000);
      8 - Society for Personality and Social Psychology (1988);
      9 - Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (1989);
    10 - Society for the Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts (1983);
    20 - Adult Development and Aging (1994); see below for 2 - Society for the Teaching of Psychology
Fellow, Association for Psychological Science (1989);
Fellow, International Association of Empirical Aesthetics (1998);
Charter Fellow, American Association of Applied and Preventative Psychology (1992);
Sigma Xi (National Scientific Research Society, 1987);
Esther Katz Rosen Fund Lecture on Gifted Children, American Psychological Foundation (1994);
Fellow, National Science Foundation (1970-1972).  
Membership
American Association for the Advancement of Science (Fellow);
American Association of Applied and Preventative Psychology (Fellow);
American Psychological Association (Fellow in Divisions 1, 2, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 20; Member in 24 and 26);
Association for Psychological Science (Fellow);
International Association of Empirical Aesthetics (Fellow);
International Society of Political Psychology;
Sigma Xi.
  Presentations Professional Societies - Council of Scientific Society Presidents, International Congress of Psychology, International Congress of Applied Psychology, International Society for the Study of Behavioural Development, International Society of Political Psychology, International Association of Empirical Aesthetics, International Society for the Psychology of Science and Technology, Sociedad Interamericana de Psicología, International Leadership Association, International Society for Intelligence Research, Max Planck Society, History of Science Society, Society for the Advancement of Socioeconomics, World Council for Gifted and Talented Children, Canadian Psychological Association, American Psychological Association, Association for Psychological Science, American Political Science Association, American Sociological Association, American Educational Research Association, Gerontological Society of America, National Association for Gifted Children, Society of Personality and Social Psychology, Western Psychological Association, Southwestern Psychological Association;

Universities - Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, British Columbia, California (all campuses except the new UC Merced), Florida State, Georgia, Göttingen, Harvard, Michigan, National Defense, NYU, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, San José State, Stanford, USC, Yale; Colleges - Carleton, Claremont McKenna, Occidental, Pitzer; Medical College of Wisconsin;

Organizations - Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin, National Bureau of Economic Research, Santa Fe Institute, Commonwealth Club, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Milken Family Foundation, Belin National Center for Gifted Education, Center for Creative Leadership, Creative Education Foundation, Positive Psychology Center, Torrance Center.

 
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TEACHING
 

Course Websites

Number Title Type
Psychology 151 Social Psychology Upper-division undergraduate survey course
Psychology 175 Genius, Creativity, and Leadership General Education: Social Sciences - Expository Writing
Psychology 185 History of Psychology Capstone course in undergraduate major
Psychology 204B Causal Modeling of Correlational Data Second course in first-year graduate statistics series
Psychology 220 History of Psychology Graduate seminar
 
Student Evaluations (5-Point Scale; 1987-2008; N = 66)
 
 
Course
151
175
185
204b
220
Maximum
4.90
4.90
5.00
5.00
5.00
Mean
4.76
4.82
4.90
4.76
4.90
Median
4.75
4.80
4.90
4.80
4.90
Mode
4.70
4.90
4.95
4.80
4.90
Minimum
4.70
4.50
4.70
4.20
4.80
N
8
20
20
16
2

N.B.: These are for the scale item "My instructor is an excellent teacher, overall." The teaching evaluations received are not significantly different across courses, levels, enrollments, quarters, or years.The only statistically significant effect is for 185 to earn slightly higher ratings (+.104, p = .005).

 
 Awards and Achievements
Robert S. Daniel Award for Four Year College/University Teaching, Division 2 - Society for the Teaching of Psychology, APA (2006) [photo/citation];
UC Davis Prize for Teaching and Scholarly Achievement (1994);
Distinguished Teaching Award of the Academic Senate of the University of California (Davis Division, 2000);
Magnar Ronning Award for Teaching Excellence, University of California, Davis (Associated Students of UC Davis, 1979);
Fellow, Division 2 - Society for the Teaching of Psychology, APA (1997);
Nominations, U.S. Professor of the Year, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (1997-1998);
Forum on Exemplary Teaching, American Association for Higher Education (1994);
Endowed Simonton Prize for Excellence in Undergraduate Research bestowed annually at commencement (1995);
Certificate of Appreciation for Outstanding Service as Psi Chi Faculty Advisor, Davis Chapter (1994);
Honorary Member, Golden Key National Honorary Society (1991);
Finalist, Distinguished Teaching Award, Davis Division of the Academic Senate, University of California (1981);
Fellow, Danforth Foundation (1970-1974).   Back to top


SERVICE
 

Professional Service

Editor: Journal of Creative Behavior (1993-99).

Associate Editor: Journal of Psychology of Science and Technology (2007-present)

Guest Editor:

Leadership Quarterly (two-part Special Issue on "Political Leadership," 1996-98);
Review of General Psychology (Special Issue on "Positive Psychology," with R. F. Baumeister, 2003-04).

Editorial Boards:

Journals: Journal of Personality (1985-93), Creativity Research Journal (1988-present), Empirical Studies of the Arts (1994-present), Political Psychology (1997-2005), Leadership Quarterly (1998-2001), Review of General Psychology (1998-present), Journal of Creative Behavior (1999-present), Bulletin of Psychology and the Arts (2001-2006), Korean Journal of Thinking and Problem Solving (2002-present), the Oxfordian (2005-2007), Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts (2006-present); PsycCRITIQUES (2006-present), Perspectives on Psychological Science (2007-present), Social and Personality Psychology Compass (2007-present).

Book series: Expertise: Research and Applications, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates/Taylor & Francis (1995-present).

Executive Advisory Board: Encyclopedia of Creativity, Academic Press (1996-1999).

Advisory Boards:

Oxford Guide to Creativity Research Methodology, Oxford University Press (2004-present);
History and Systems in Psychology, Oxford University Press (2006-present).

Publications Committee: Society for the Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts (APA Division 10; 2003-2007)

Corresponding Associate Commentator: Behavioral and Brain Sciences (1990-present).

Reviewer:

Organizations: National Science Foundation (19), Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (5), Guggenheim Foundation (3), John Templeton Foundation (3), European Science Foundation (2), National Endowment for the Humanities, National Research Council (The National Academies), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Sloan Foundation, Spencer Foundation, National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented, APA Program Committees (Divisions 5, 8, 10), Hampton Research Grants Programme, Ohio State University Seed Grant Program, Jackson State University Center for University Scholars, APA Student Travel Award Program (44 evaluations / 15 organizations).

Publishers: Lawrence Erlbaum (15), Academic Press (10), Oxford University Press (9), Cambridge University Press (6), Sage Publications (4), Guilford Press (3), Psychology Press (3), Prentice-Hall (2), Brooks/Cole (2), Westview (2), Freeman (2), Kluwer Academic Publishers (2), APA Books, Harvard University Press, Harvard Business School Press, Palgrave Macmillan, Princeton University Press, Springer, Elsevier, Harcourt Brace Janovich, Allyn & Bacon, Basic Books, Jossey-Bass, Greenwood Press, Wadsworth, Wiley, Worth (75 evaluations / 26 publishers).

Journals: Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (59); Review of General Psychology (32); Journal of Personality (25); Journal of Creative Behavior (24); Political Psychology (23); Leadership Quarterly (21); Psychological Bulletin (21); Creativity Research Journal (18); Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (14); American Psychologist (10); Psychological Review (10); Psychological Science (10); IEEE Spectrum (9); Multivariate Behavioral Research (9); Psychology and Aging (9); Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts (8); Personality and Individual Differences (7); Psychology of Music (7); Empirical Studies of the Arts (6); Gerontologist (6); Music Perception (6); Developmental Review (5); International Journal of Aging and Human Development (5); Perspectives on Psychological Science (5); Social Studies of Science (5); Behavioral Science (4); British Journal of Psychology (4); International Journal of Psychology (4); Journal of Applied Social Psychology (4); Korean Journal of Thinking and Problem Solving (4); New Ideas in Psychology (4); Poetics (4); Sex Roles (4); Developmental Psychology (3); The Oxfordian (3); Perceptual and Motor Skills (3); Personality and Social Psychology Review (3); Behavioral and Brain Sciences (2); Comparative Civilizations Review (2); History of Psychology (2); Human Performance (2); Intelligence (2); Journal for the Education of the Gifted (2); Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied (2); Journal of Research in Personality (2); Nonlinear Dynamics, Psychology, and Life Sciences (2); Omega: Journal of Death and Dying (2); Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes (2); Psychological Inquiries (2); Psychological Reports (2); Social Forces (2); Social Psychology Quarterly (2); Acta Biotheoretica; Administrative Science Quarterly; American Bar Foundation Research Journal; American Journal of Psychology; American Political Science Review; Animal Cognition; Appetite; Assessment; Basic and Applied Social Psychology; Behavior Genetics; Behavior Science Research; Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science; Cognition and Emotion; Cognitive Psychology; Cognitive Science; Complexity; Computers and the Humanities; Configurations; Cultural Trends; Current Directions for Psychological Science; Decision Sciences; The Economic Journal; Educational Psychology Review; European Journal of Neurology; Evaluation and Program Planning; Genetic Programming and Evolvable Machines; History of Science; Human Development; Human Relations; IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management; International Journal of Behavioral Development; International Studies in the Philosophy of Science; Journal of Abnormal Psychology; Journal of Applied Psychology; Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology; Journal of Experimental Social Psychology; Journal of Family Psychology; Journal of Gerontology; Journal of Positive Psychology; Journal of Psychology of Science and Technology; Journal of Sports Sciences; Learning and Individual Differences; Leonardo; Life Span Development and Behavior; Methods; Musicae Scientiae; Philosophical Psychology; Population and Development Review; Psychonomic Bulletin and Review; Research Policy; Scientometrics; Social Behavior and Personality; Social Science Quarterly; Sociological Methods and Research; South African Journal of Art History; Sports Medicine; Synthese (484 evaluations / 111 journals).

Offices: President, International Association of Empirical Aesthetics (1998-2000); President, APA Division 10 (1985-86); Member-at-Large, Executive Committee, APA Division 10 (1980-82); Chair, Program Committee, APA Division 10 (1984); Member, Fellow Nomination Committee, APA Division 10 (1999-2000, 2003-04); Member, Awards Committee, APA Division 10 (2004-05); Member, Fellow Nomination Committee, IAEA (2003-04);Member, Program Committee APA Division 10 (2002-03); Member, Advisory Board, International Association of Empirical Aesthetics meeting, Lisbon, Portugal (2003-04); Member, Executive Committee, International Congress on Creativity and Psychology of the Arts, Perm, Russia (2003-05); Member, Program Committee, Computational Creativity Workshop at the 7th European Conference in Case-Based Reasoning, Madrid, Spain (2003-04).

Consultant: North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Brussels, Belgium; National Defense University, Department of Defense, Washington, DC; California Youth Authority, Sacramento; Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, NC; Creative Problem Solving Institute, Buffalo, NY; Arvin Perlmutter, Inc.; Milken Family Foundation; Student Achievement and Advocacy Service Corporation; Templeton Foundation.

 
Academic Service
University of California, System-Wide:

Member, Committee on Academic Personnel.

University of California, Davis Campus:

Committee Chair: Academic Personnel; Distinguished Teaching Awards; Arts and Lectures; Teaching Excellence and Merit; Davis Honors Challenge Administrative Review Committee.

Committee Member: Academic Planning Council; Academic Senate Executive Council; Executive Council Advisory Group; Teaching; UC Davis Prize; Registration Fee; Computing Administrative Advisory; Center for Performing Arts Program Planning; Emeriti; Chancellor's Teaching Fellowship Advisory; Courses and Bylaws Subcommittee of the Graduate Council; Child Care; Human Subjects; Sub Work Group on Retention; Search for Director of Teaching Resources Center; Institute for Governmental Affairs; Chancellor's UCD 75th Anniversary Celebration Advisory Council; Program Review (Statistics; Rhetoric and Communication); Winslow and Gilhooly Award Selection; Phi Beta Kappa Graduate Fellowships.

President, Kappa Chapter, Phi Beta Kappa.
Liaison Officer, Danforth Foundation.
Participant, Recorder, or Discussion Leader: Chancellor's Fall Conferences.
Member, Human Development and Statistics Graduate Groups.
Faculty Advisor, Epsilon Sigma Rho (Multicultural Fraternity).

College of Letters and Sciences:

Chair of the Faculty, for the Executive Committee and Representative Assembly.
Vice-Chair of the Faculty.
Committee Chair: College Personnel; Nominations and Elections.

Committee Member: College Personnel; Educational Policy; Courses of Instruction; Nominations and Elections; Search, Executive Associate Dean; Search, Associate Dean of Academic Personnel; Undergraduate Computing Lab Workgroup for the Division of Social Sciences; Task Force to Review the Composition Requirement.

Commencement Speaker for the 1994 Graduation Ceremonies.

Faculty Coordinator, Fulmor Scholarship Program.
Advisor, Education Abroad Program.

Department of Psychology:

Departmental Vice-Chair.

Committee Chair: Undergraduate Advising and Student-Faculty Liaison; Undergraduate Honors Advisor; Undergraduate Curriculum; Graduate Advising; Search for Social Psychologist; Search for Quantitative Psychologist.

Committee Member: Graduate Admissions; Computer; Equipment; Search Committee.

Faculty Graduate Advisor.
Undergraduate Honors Advisor.
Faculty Sponsor, Psi Chi (National Honorary Society).
Master Advisor.

Representative, Representative Assembly of the Academic Senate.
Representative, College Assembly of Letters and Science.

 
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CONTACT INFORMATION Electronic mail address: dksimonton@ucdavis.edu

Office phone: 530-752-1677 FAX: 530-752-2087

Address:

Department of Psychology
One Shields Avenue
University of California, Davis
Davis, CA 95616-8686
USA

Departmental Office: 102D Young Hall

Office Hours (Fall):

MWF: 3:10-4:00 (or by appointment).

 
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BIOGRAPHICAL DATA Born:

January 27, 1948, Glendale, CA (Los Angeles Metropolitan Area)
 

Ancestry:

Scottish, English, Serbian, and French-Canadian (i.e., Gàidhlig, West Germanic, South Slavic, and Gallo Romance)
 

Education:
 
 
Occidental College B.A. 1970 Psychology  
Harvard University M.A. 1973 Social Psychology  
Harvard University Ph.D. 1975 Social Psychology  

N.B.: Actually, the M.A. and Ph.D. are both written entirely in Latin, and hence the degrees were not really in "social psychology" but rather in some obscure Latin translation.


Academic Positions:

2004 Distinguished Professor, University of California, Davis (to present; Above Scale II in UC System; go here);
1985 Professor, University of California, Davis (to 2004);
1985 Visiting Research Psychologist, Institute for Personality Assessment and Research, University of California, Berkeley;
1980 Associate Professor, University of California, Davis (to 1985);
1976 Assistant Professor, University of California, Davis (to 1980);
1974 Assistant Professor, University of Arkansas (to 1976);
1971 Teaching Fellow, Introductory Psychology and Social Psychology, Harvard University (to 1973);
1969 Section Leader, History of Civilization, Occidental College (to 1970).


Scholastic Awards and Achievements:

HARVARD UNIVERSITY:
Doctoral General Exams passed “with Distinction” (top in class, 1972);
Fellow, National Science Foundation (1970-1972);
Fellow, Danforth Foundation (1970-1974).

OCCIDENTAL COLLEGE:
Phi Beta Kappa (1970);
Magna Cum Laude (High Honors in Psychology; 1970);
Psi Chi (National Honorary Psychology Society, 1969);
99+ Percentile on Graduate Record Examination Psychology Subject Test (1969);
Arnston Memorial Award for essay contest regarding “Man’s Place and Function in the Universe” (1969);
College Scholar (1967-1970);
California State Scholarship (1966-1970).

JOHN H. FRANCIS POLYTECHNIC HIGH SCHOOL:
Salutatorian (second highest GPA in mid-year graduating class of 256 students, 1966);
Three Special Awards (top in mid-year graduating class) for Science, Social Studies, and English (1966);
Ephebian Society (Los Angeles metropolitan society honoring character, leadership, community service, and scholastic achievement, 1966);
Self-Government Award (1966);
Seal Bearer (Lifetime Member, California Scholarship Federation, 1966);
Scholar Quiz Award (won televised competition for Los Angeles Metropolitan Area, 1965);
Team Captain, Knowledge Bowl Team (1965);
Member, California Scholarship Federation (1964-1966).

RICHARD E. BYRD JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL:
Graduation Speaker on theme “Light the Path to Knowledge” (1963);
Two Awards of Merit (top in mid-year graduating class) for Science and Social Studies (1963);
Sextants (Scholarship Society, 1962-1963);
Junior Research Science (Los Angeles metropolitan summer program for scientific talent, 1962).
 

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    Last Revised: September 15, 2008

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