William K. Estes
Indiana University
June 17, 1919 - August 17, 2011
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Scientific Discipline: Psychological and Cognitive Sciences Membership Type:
Emeritus
(elected 1963)
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William K. Estes’ long career in academia and research contributed a wealth of knowledge to the field of mathematical and cognitive psychology. One of his most eminent discoveries, the conditional emotional response (CER) paradigm, developed in 1941 alongside PhD advisor, B.F. Skinner, revolutionized the study of learned fear. After transitioning from a classical study of behaviorism to mathematical psychology, Estes creWilliam K. Estes’s long career in academia and research contributed a wealth of knowledge to the field of mathematical and cognitive psychology. One of his most eminent discoveries, the conditional emotional response (CER) paradigm, which he developed in 1941 alongside his PhD advisor, B.F. Skinner, revolutionized the study of learned fear. After transitioning from a classical study of behaviorism to mathematical psychology, Estes created the stimulus sampling theory, which modified Hull’s theory of association between stimulus and response to explain random deviations from highly conditioned sources.
Estes graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1940 and went on to earn his PhD at that institution in 1943. Following the completion of his doctoral studies, he was sent to the Philippines on behalf of the U.S. Armed Forces, serving as commander of a prisoner-of-war camp. Upon his return, Estes went on to hold nearly a dozen academic positions at a number of the most prestigious universities in the nation. He became the founding editor of both the Journal of Mathematical Psychology and Psychological Science, in addition to publishing and contributing to hundreds of academic articles and journals. In 1990 Estes and his wife, Katherine Estes, established the National Academy of Sciences Award for Behavioral Research Relevant to the Prevention of Nuclear War.
