Daniel L. Schacter

Daniel L. Schacter is William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. Schacter received his B.A. degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and subsequently developed a keen interest in memory disorders. He continued his research and education at the University of Toronto, where he received his PhD in 1981. He taught on the faculty at Toronto for the next six years before joining the psychology department at the University of Arizona in 1987. In 1991, he joined the faculty at Harvard University, and served as Chair of the department from 1995-2005. His research explores the relation between conscious and unconscious forms of memory, the nature of memory distortions, how individuals use memory to imagine possible future events, as well as the effects of aging on memory. Schacter has published over 350 articles and chapters. He has received the Phi Beta Kappa teaching prize and several research awards, including the Troland Award and the Award for Scientific Reviewing from the National Academy of Sciences, the Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contribution to Psychology in Human Learning and Cognition from the American Psychological Association, and the Howard Crosby Warren Medal from the Society of Experimental Psychologists. Many of Schacter’s studies and ideas are summarized in his 1996 book, Searching for Memory, and his 2001 book, The Seven Sins of Memory, both winners of the APA’s William James Book Award.