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Anne Anastasi (1908–2001).

Article  in  American Psychologist · October 2001

DOI: 10.1037/0003-066X.56.10.816

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 Anne Anastasi (1908-2001)
Anne Anastasi, a towering and enduring figure in the
areas of psychological testing and differential psychol-
ogy and a former president of the American Psychologi-
cal Association (APA), died peacefully at her home in
New York, New York, on May 4, 2001, at the age of 92.
Anne was the very embodiment of the scholarly teacher
and scientist who stood for uncompromising excellence
in all of her professional activities. Anything less than
This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.
the very highest standards and levels of accomplishment
This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.
was never an option in her view of her own life and in her
expectations of others.
Anne, the only child of Anthony and Theresa
Anastasi, was born in New York City on December 19,
1908. Her father, an attendance officer for the New York
City Board of Education, died when she was only one
year old. Her mother, an exceptionally resourceful woman,
subsequently managed to obtain the requisite training in
business skills to become the office manager of one of
New York's largest and most prestigious foreign newspa-
pers and was the sole support of the family. Anne's edu-
cation was anything but typical. Her grandmother, a re-
gal and formidable lady with a gift for making the learn-
ing process challenging and exciting, schooled Anne at
home until she was 10 years old, at which time Anne
entered public elementary school. Anne quickly skipped
a number of grades and graduated as the top student in
her class, winning an array of awards. However, high
school proved less than stimulating, and, after a short
exposure to public secondary education, she elected to
take the examinations offered by the College Entrance
Examination Board. She attained scores that allowed her
to be accepted at Barnard College when she was 15 years
old. While a junior at Barnard, Anne coauthored her first
publication, an article with Frederick Lund on musical
preferences, which appeared in the American Journal of
Psychology (1928). On completing her baccalaureate at
Barnard with a major in psychology, she entered Colum-
bia University and earned a doctorate in record time,
receiving her doctor of philosophy degree at age 21. The
courses of Harry Hollingsworth at Barnard were a major
influence in her decision to become a psychologist. In
addition, she encountered an article by Spearman on
relationships among correlation coefficients, which made
it apparent to her that she could combine her love of
mathematics with psychology. Her dissertation at Co-
lumbia under the mentorship of H. E. Garrett dealt with
the identification of a group factor in tests of immediate
memory, which she published in 1930 in Archives of
Psychology. During her undergraduate and graduate years,
Anne was clearly intent on gaining as broad a knowl-
816
edge of psychology in all of its applications as was
possible. People whom she considered particularly in-
fluential teachers included Clark Hull, Otto Klineberg,
Gardner Murphy, C. J. Warden, and R. S. Woodworth.
She even enthusiastically journeyed to the University of
Minnesota to take a statistical course with R. A. Fisher,
who introduced her to analysis of variance, a technique
that was not very well known at the time.
In 1933, Anne married psychologist John Porter
Foley, Jr., whom she met while both were earning their
doctorates at Columbia. Anne always regarded the mar-
riage as a personally and professionally enriching expe-
rience. She and John developed a deep and sustained
interest in collecting art; their collection ranged from
Renaissance paintings to African masks. This interest
also led to a joint long-term research project on art and
mental disorders. John's research in anthropology under
Franz Boaz helped stimulate Anne's exploration of a
field that she judged most relevant to differential psy-
chology. Contact with J. R. Kantor, one of John's major
undergraduate professors, whose work emphasized the
importance of the environment in an individual's devel-
opment, was also, according to Anne, a prominent influ-
ence on her thinking. Her research and articles done in
collaboration with John made Anne feel that her mar-
riage benefited from "not one but two Ph.D.'s in psychol-
ogy" (A. Anastasi, 1972, p. 6) For several years, Anne
and John had a traveler's marriage, with one teaching at
Barnard and the other at George Washington University.
Matters were resolved geographically when John ac-
cepted a position with the industrial division of the
Psychological Corporation in New York City; John later
established his own consulting firm.
Anne taught at Barnard from 1930 to 1939 and then
accepted a position as assistant professor and chairper-
son of a newly formed psychology department at Queens
College of the City University of New York. In 1947, she
moved to Fordham University as an associate professor
of psychology, where she remained for the rest of her
academic career. In 1951, Anne was promoted to the rank
of professor. She taught courses in psychological test-
ing, factor analysis, differential psychology, applied psy-
chology, and statistics and was regarded as a teacher
with superb communication abilities and absolute com-
mand of her subject matter. Anne also had a special
knack for anticipating any question that could possibly
be asked. As a person of genuine organizational talent
combined with outstanding planning ability and unfail-
ing creativity in addressing difficult situations, Anne
was an extremely effective chairperson of the depart-
October 2001 • American Psychologist
Copyright 2001 by the American Psychological Association, Inc. 0003-066X/01/S5.00
Vol. 56, No. 10, 816-817 DOI: 10.1037//0003-066X.56.10.816
 ment from 1968 to 1974, a perilous time of student un-
rest, budget cuts, and decreased government funding.
Contrary to the negative administrative climate she ex-
perienced at Queens College during the time she was
chair, Fordham's enviroment allowed Anne to discover
that she really enjoyed administration. She felt that the
key to solving problems at Fordham was establishing
rapport and unity with department faculty, graduate stu-
dents, and undergraduate majors. On Anne's retirement
in 1979, she was designated professor emeritus and
awarded an honorary doctor of science degree with the
citation that she was "a truly distinguished member of
the faculty" at Fordham.
Anne's list of publications consists of more than
150 books, articles, and monographs. She made major
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conceptual contributions to the understanding of the
This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.
manner in which psychological development is influ-
enced by environmental and experiential factors. Her
writings have provided incisive commentary on test con-
struction and the proper applications of psychological
tests. An academic whose work always exemplified solid
science, she nevertheless was equally concerned with
the pragmatic implications of her research for practitio-
ners in such fields as clinical and industrial psychology.
Anne's highly regarded classic texts, Differential Psy-
chology, Fields of Psychology, and, particularly, Psy-
chological Testing, have appeared in multiple editions,
are internationally well-known, and have been trans-
lated into nine languages. Among her outstanding ar-
ticles are several focusing on the creative process in
children and adolescents and studies of what she terms
the fallacies of "culture-free" tests. Anne had impressive
language skills and was a first-rate grammarian. How-
ever, most noteworthy was her gift for succinctness. Her
descriptions of various psychological tests in a page or
two in her book on testing often contain more useful
information than whole chapters written by others about
these same instruments. Anne justifiably considered
proofreading or editing of anything she had written by
anyone other than herself gratuitous.
Anne's breadth of knowledge, inherent wisdom, and
leadership qualities placed her in high demand for a
variety of consultantships, committee memberships, and
elective offices across a broad spectrum of organiza-
tions. She consulted and provided committee service for
many governmental bodies, industrial associations, and
educational societies. Her presidencies included terms at
the Eastern Psychological Association; the American Psy-
chological Foundation; APA Division 1, General Psy-
chology; and APA Division 5, Evaluation, Measurement,
and Statistics. In 1972, she served as president of APA, a
year when women's issues took center stage. Anne dealt
with the demands for change with perspective and bal-
ance, which resulted in greater visibility for women in
determining APA policies. Her staggering knowledge of
October 2001 • American Psychologist
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the psychological literature and expertise in experimen-
tal design frequently placed her in the role of advising
and guiding university colleagues and students in their
research efforts. Not only was she generous in providing
time for research consultation, but, for example, when
she learned a bright young professor had encountered
financial problems in the purchase of a home, she offered
him monetary assistance out of her own pocket.
Anne received considerable recognition during her
career for her many significant professional contribu-
tions. In addition to the honorary degree from Fordham,
she was awarded honorary doctorates from Villanova
University, the University of Windsor (Canada), Cedar
Crest College, and LaSalle College. Numbered among
her other prestigious awards were the APA Distinguished
Scientific Award for the Applications of Psychology, the
Educational Testing Services Award for Distinguished
Service to Measurement, the American Psychological
Foundation's Gold Medal for Life Achievement, and the
American Education Research Association's Award for
Distinguished Contributions to Research in Education.
After she thought she had run out of honor and award
possibilities, she was surprised and delighted to receive
a telephone call in 1987 from then-president Ronald
Reagan's office informing her that she would be a recipi-
ent of the National Medal for Science. Throughout her
emeritus "retirement" years, Anne never really stopped
working. Among her professional activities were a major
role in preparing an extensively revised seventh edition
of her notable book Psychological Testing and giving
several major invited addresses.
Anne will be remembered as a woman with a sharp
sense of humor and a unique candor and forthrightness
in engaging others. She was an astute observer of events
transpiring around her, but at the same time she ex-
pressed a firm disinclination to learn about such things
as the workings of common mechanical devices or the
skills needed in food preparation. A captivating sto-
ryteller, one of her favorite subjects was the some-
times bizarrely comic events that take place at com-
mittee meetings.
Anne was often heard saying that she wanted to
have "a full measure of life," and she essentially satisfied
this ambition. With her husband John predeceasing her
in 1994, she leaves no immediate living family mem-
bers. However, her remarkable achievements give her an
inspirational and ongoing presence for anyone in the
field of psychology.
Marvin Reznikoff
Fordham University
Mary Procidano
Fordham University
817