Dr. Anthony G. Greenwald is a preeminent social psychologist renowned for his groundbreaking research on unconscious cognitive processes and implicit bias. He has served as Professor of Psychology at the University of Washington since 1986, where he is currently Professor Emeritus, following his earlier tenure at Ohio State University from 1965 to 1986. A graduate of Yale University (BA, 1959) and Harvard University (PhD, 1963), where he studied under Gordon W. Allport, Greenwald completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Educational Testing Service before embarking on his distinguished academic career. His scholarly journey has been characterized by innovative methodological approaches that have reshaped the landscape of social psychological research. Throughout his career, Greenwald has maintained a strong commitment to empirical rigor while challenging conventional wisdom about conscious versus unconscious mental processes.
Greenwald's most significant contribution to psychology was the development of the Implicit Association Test in 1995, a revolutionary methodology that enabled researchers to measure unconscious attitudes and biases that individuals may not consciously recognize or report. This innovative tool has transformed the scientific study of prejudice, revealing how automatic cognitive associations influence social judgments and behavior outside conscious awareness. The IAT has been administered millions of times worldwide through Project Implicit, the non-profit organization Greenwald co-founded to advance the science of implicit cognition. His work has profoundly impacted theoretical models of attitude formation and expression, revamping the understanding of how prejudice operates at an unconscious level. Additionally, his influential 1980 article on the 'totalitarian ego' revitalized scholarly interest in self-concept and unconscious cognition, establishing foundational insights for contemporary research.
Beyond his individual research, Greenwald has shaped the field through long-standing collaborations with Mahzarin Banaji and Brian Nosek, forming one of social psychology's most influential research teams that has advanced understanding of implicit social cognition. He has held significant leadership roles including editor of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology and has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, reflecting his substantial contributions to the discipline. Greenwald's work has generated over 200 scholarly publications and has been recognized with numerous prestigious honors including the American Psychological Association's Distinguished Scientific Contributions Award and the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Social Sciences. The practical implications of his research have informed legal scholarship, organizational practices, and diversity initiatives across multiple sectors, demonstrating the real-world impact of his scientific discoveries. Currently, he continues to advance the science of implicit cognition through Project Implicit, investigating how unconscious processes influence consequential decision-making and developing evidence-based approaches to mitigate bias in society.
