Bruner, Jerome S.

Bruner, Jerome S. (Seymour) (1915–  ) psychologist, author; born in New York City. Educated at Duke University and Harvard, he taught psychology at Harvard (1952–72), Oxford (1972–80), and the New School for Social Research in New York City. His book The Process of Education (1960) established him as a curriculum innovator whose ideas were grounded in cognitive development. Other influential works included the humanities program, "Man: A Course of Study," in Toward a Theory of Instruction (1966). He pioneered techniques for investigating infant perception. Advocating the value of cognitive psychology, he criticized the radical behaviorism of B. F. Skinner as deficient in a proper regard for humanity's primary motivations and problems.