David Ausubel

David Paul Ausubel, who lived from October 25, 1918 to July 9, 2008, was an American psychologist who grew up in Brooklyn, New York. He earned his MA and Ph.D. in developmental psychology from Columbia University in 1950 and held professorships at several schools of education, including the University of Illinois, the University of Toronto and the City University of New York. His most significant contribution to educational psychology, cognitive science and science education learning was the development of and research on advance organizers, from 1960 onward. In 1976 he received the Thorndike Award from the American Psychological Association for Distinguished Psychological Contributions to Education.