Robert A. Rescorla

Robert A. Rescorla
Born(1940-05-09)9 May 1940
Died24 March 2020(2020-03-24) (aged 79)
Alma materSwarthmore College, B.A. University of Pennsylvania, Ph.D.
Spouse(s)Marged Lindner (divorced); Leslie Rescorla (divorced); Shirley Steele
AwardsSociety of Experimental Psychologists (1975)

Guggenheim Fellowship for Social Sciences (1984)

National Academy of Sciences (1985)

Distinguished Scientific Contribution award of the American Psychological Association (1986)

Howard Crosby Warren Medal of the Society of Experimental Psychologists (1991)

Ira Abrams Distinguished Teaching Award of the School of Arts and Sciences (1999)

Horsley Grantt Award of the Pavlovian Society (2005)

Honorary Doctoral Degree Ghent University (2006)

American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2008)
Scientific career
FieldsPsychology, Rescorla-Wagner Model, Animal Learning and Behavior, Behavioral Neuroscience, Memory and Learning
InstitutionsYale University, University of Pennsylvania
Academic advisors
Websitehttps://psychology.sas.upenn.edu/people/robert-rescorla

Robert A. Rescorla (May 9, 1940 - March 24, 2020) was an American psychologist who specialized in the involvement of cognitive processes in classical conditioning focusing on animal learning and behavior.

One of Rescorla's significant contributions to psychology, with co-creator Allan Wagner, was the Rescorla-Wagner Model of conditioning. This model expanded knowledge on learning processes. Rescorla also continued to develop research on Pavlovian conditioning and instrumental training. Due to his achievements, Rescorla received the American Psychological Association Awards of the Distinguished Scientific Contributions in 1986.