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Anne Anastasi was an American psychologist
Anne Anastasi was born of Sicilian heritage in New York City on December 19, 1908. Her parents were Anthony Anastasi, who worked for the New York City Board of Education, and Theresa Gaudiosi Anastasi. Her father died when Anastasi was only a year old, and the child and her mother became estranged from her father's family. She would never get to know them. Instead, her grandmother and mother's brother would form with Anastasi and her mother a unique family—her grandmother would be responsible for her home schooling during the first nine years of her life, and her uncle would become a father figure to her. Both he and her grandmother were educated and had graduated from college—but her uncle was not skilled in such a way to earn a living. That was left to Anastasi's mother. After her husband's death, she learned bookkeeping and founded her own piano company. When that company failed, she went to...
Anne Anastasi is known to some as the 'test guru'. Anastasi's first interest at University was mathematics, but she was drawn towards psychology after reading Spearman's pioneering research on correlation and factor analysis. Her books on psychometric test instruments and procedures have made her name a household word among those interested in differential psychology. Anastasi remains the moderator of psychometrics. This label is attributable to her broad outlook that has provided an interface between 'psychological tests' and their potential impact on psychological processes and experiences within particular socio-cultural contexts. She also has an interest in the history of psychology, best demonstrated by her book, Differential Psychology. This provides an informative view about the development of psychological testing and its social repercussions and ramifications for judgements about human behavior.Did you know? Anastasi's life story serves as an excellent example of the individual who will not 'give up'. She was diagnosed with cancer in the early 1930's. Fortunately, she is still with us in the 1990's.
Kenneth B. Clark
|Anne Anastasi elected APA President|
Leona E. Tyler
- Anastasi, A. (1961) Psychological testing (2nd Ed. Collier Macmillan.
- Anastasi, A. (1966). Testing problems in perspective. Washington, D.C.: American Council of Education.
- Anastasi, A. (1965). Marriage a psychological and moral approach: Male vs. female attitudes. New York: Fordham University Press.
- Anastasi, A. (1988) Autobiography. In A.N O'Connell and N.F. Russo (Eds.). Models of Achievement: Reflections of Eminent Women in Psychology, Vol. 2. Erlbaum.
- O'Connell, A. N. & Russo, N. F. (1990). Women in psychology: A bio-bibliographic source book. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.