John Alexander McGeoch (October 9, 1897March 3, 1942) was an American psychologist and educator. Considered a modern functionalist, his interests focused on human learning and memory. He was the chair of the department of psychology at the University of Missouri from 1930-1935, Wesleyan University from 1935–1939, and University of Iowa from 1939–1942. He was also an editor for the Psychological Bulletin from 1931–1942. Background McGeoch was born on October 9, 1897 in Argyle, New York. He received his bachelor's degree from Westminster College in 1918, and a master's degree from Colorado College in 1919. Hi McGeoch's master's thesis, titled "The Present Status of Psychology", is a review of the history of the field of psychology and how the role of psychology was viewed in the early 20th century. He then studied under Harvey A. Carr at the University of Chicago. He studied a variety of topics while at the University of Chicago, including suggestibility and intelligence in delinquents, time perception, neuropsychological and vocational testing, and the reliability and validity of the Pressey X-O test. McGeoch's doctoral dissertation was titled "A study in the psychology of testimony." Following the completion of his dissertation, McGeoch’s work primarily focused on human learning and memory. Harvey Carr significantly influenced McGeoch’s work, and provided feedback on McGeoch's introductory textbook on human learning, The Psychology of Human Learning, which was published after Carr’s death in 1943. McGeoch completed his PhD while he was a faculty member at the University of Washington. He accepted a full Professor position two years later at the University of Arkansas. In 1930, McGeoch moved to the University of Missouri, where he became the chair of the department of psychology. He held this position for five years before moving to Wesleyan University, where he was also chair of the department from 1935–1939 and was awarded an honorary degree in recognition of his accomplishments as a lecturer and administrator. In 1939, McGeoch moved to the University of Iowa, where he also chaired the department. He died in Iowa City on March 3, 1942 from a cerebral hemorrhage. Psychological study McGeoch was considered to be one of the "most productive and influential investigators of human learning and memory during the period between the two World Wars." He published approximately 60 articles on human learning over the course of 20 years. His more notable contributions included standardization of the methods and operationalizations used in human