Flavell, John H.

John H. Flavell was born on August 9, 1928 in Rockland, Massachusetts. He was one of three children (two sisters). Flavell joined the army in 1945; after two years he enrolled at Northeastern University in Boston, majoring in psychology. Graduating as valedictorian in 1951, Flavell chose to attend Clark University for graduate school over Harvard since Clark offered financial aid. This program emphasized the organismic-developmental theory of psychology. Flavell completed his M.A. in one year and finished his Ph.D. in 1955.

Flavell's first job was at the Veteran's Administration Hospital in Colorado. After three years, he took a position at the University of Rochester, becoming an associate professor in 1960. Flavell wrote The Developmental Psychology of Jean Piaget in 1963 in which he discussed the work of Piaget. This marked a significant event in the cognitive study of children.

At Rochester, Flavell studied role-taking and communication in children. During 1963-1964, Flavell traveled to Paris to work at the Laboratorie de Psychologie Genetique. In 1965, Flavell took a position as professor at the University of Minnesota's Institute of Child Development. Flavell spent the year 1969-1970 as a Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford. Flavell eventually moved to a full time appointment at Stanford.

Flavell was president of the American Psychological Association Devision of Developmental Psychology in 1970. He also served as president of the Society for Research in Child Development from 1979-1981. In 1984, Flavell received the Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions fromt he American Psychological Society. The G. Standley Hall Award was given to Flavell in 1986. In 1994, Flavell was elected to the United States National Academy of Sciences.

From the guide to the John H. Flavell papers, 1957-1962, (Center for the History of Psychology)

John Hurley Flavell was born on August 9, 1928 in Rockland, Massachusetts to Anne and Paul Flavell. His two sisters, Constance and Jane became distinguished artists. After graduating from high school in 1945, Flavell entered the Army, where he served from 1945-1947 receiving the rank of Private First Class. In 1947 he enrolled at Northeastern University and earned his bachelor's degree in psychology (1951). After graduation, Flavell was admitted to the clinical psychology program at both Clark University [Worcester, Massachusetts] and Harvard University. Because of lack of funding, Flavell chose to enter Clark University and earned his M.A. in 1952 and Ph.D. in 1955. In 1954 he married Eleanor Wood; the couple have two children.

From 1955-1956, he worked as a clinical psychologist at the Fort Lyon V.A. Hospital in eastern Colorado. In 1956, he accepted a position as Assistant Professor at the University of Rochester, New York, where he remained until 1965. For one year (1963-1964), Flavell studied at the Laboratoire de Psychologie Genetique in Paris. In 1965, Flavell was invited to become a full professor at the University of Minnesota's Institute of Child Development. He remained in this position for 10 years, joining the faculty of Stanford University in 1976.

John Flavell is best known for his research and writing on children's cognitive development. His book, The Developmental Psychology of Jean Piaget (1963) is considered one of the most scholarly and comprehensive evaluations of Jean Piaget's work and is the first major English work covering his theories.

Flavell is past president of Division 7 (Developmental) of the American Psychological Association, and of the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD). He served for eight years on the SRCD's Governing Council and is a charter member of the editorial board of Cognitive Psychology .

From the guide to the John Hurley Flavell papers, 1955-1973, (University of Minnesota Libraries. University Archives [uarc])