Yale Bulletin and Calendar

August 26, 2005|Volume 34, Number 1

Robert Abelson

In Memoriam: Robert Abelson

Psychologist was adviser to presidential candidates

Robert Abelson, retired Eugene Higgins Professor of Psychology and professor of political science, died July 13 at Hamden Health Care Center of pneumonia brought on by Parkinson's Disease. He was 76.

Abelson, who taught at Yale for 42 years, wrote numerous books and articles on social psychology, statistics, political science and cognitive science. His first major contribution to psychology concerned the notion of a "psycho-logic," which helped explain why attitudes are often resistant to change. In his book "Scripts, Plans, Goals, and Understanding" (with Roger Schank, 1977), a Citation Classic, he contributed a social psychological perspective to the emerging field of artificial intelligence. His "Statistics as Principled Argument" (1995) advanced the thesis that rhetoric and narrative are intrinsic to statistical statements, but that the wisdom of such statements depends on attention to specified principles. His most recent book, "Experiments with People" (with Kurt Frey and Aiden Gregg, 2004), provided a comprehensive analysis of the most important discoveries in social psychology during the past 40 years. Professor Mark Lepper of Stanford University wrote of this book, "Pure Abelsonia: A pleasure to read, a delight to recommend."

In the political arena, Abelson was statistical consultant for NBC Election News in 1964, 1968 and 1976. He was a pollster and analyst for the presidential campaigns of John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale, and for progressive mayoral candidates in New Haven.

Born and schooled in New York City, Abelson was the son of the late Miles and Margaret Coble Abelson. He graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and obtained his Ph.D. in psychology from Princeton University in 1953.

During his career, Abelson received Distinguished Scientific Contribution Awards from the American Psychological Association, the Society for Experimental Social Psychology, and the International Association of Political Psychology. He was a fellow of the American Statistical Association, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Psychological Association and a William James Fellow of the American Psychological Society.

Abelson's lifelong avocations included chess, Scrabble, tennis, folk guitar, sketching and rooting for the baseball and football Giants. He sang with the New Haven Chorale for 30 years and was a member of the Unitarian Society of New Haven. In recent years he taught chess to young people at the Waverly Partnership in New Haven.

He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Willa Dinwoodie Abelson of Hamden; his sons, John Robert Abelson of Urbana, Illinois, and William Miles Abelson of Seattle, Washington; his daughter-in-law, Kendall Rafter; and grandson, Benjamin Abelson-Rafter.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Sept. 24, at 1 p.m. at the Unitarian Society of New Haven, 700 Hartford Turnpike, Hamden. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Unitarian Society of New Haven.

T H I SW E E K ' SS T O R I E S

Margaret Grey is named dean of School of Nursing

Benson to step down as dean of School of Art after this year

Team discovers new planet in the outer solar system

Grant will fund center for study of nervous system

Study: Alligator eggs show effect of oxygen on development

Yale Librarian Prochaska appointed to a second term

New master's program prepares nurses for leadership roles

Exhibit explores the 18th-century 'worlds' of Francis Wheatley

Private portrait miniatures showcase the faces of public figures

Gallery hosting festive open house . . .

Architecture gallery to feature traveling art show 'Ant Farm'

Sterling Library launches new academic year with two exhibits

Researchers create powerful tool for decoding gene functions

Galapagos tortoises more diverse than once believed, say scientists

Team identifies 'signatures' of protons in water

'Canary Database' shows animals offer health warnings for humans

Team digitally reconstructs long-extinct 'Lamp Shell'

'Gene trapping' reveals how flower development is controlled

Discovery may aid development of treatment for melanoma

Drinking alcohol may lower risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Lyme disease prevention program launched in Connecticut

For 35 students, summer was a time of service in New Haven

IN MEMORIAM

John Ostrom: He revolutionized field of paleontology

Robert Abelson: Psychologist was adviser to presidential candidates

Greer Allen: University printer was inspiration to School of Art students