Jack J. McDowell
Emory University
Jack J. McDowell received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1979, after which he joined the faculty at Emory University, where he is now a professor of clinical psychology and psychobiology. Dr. McDowell’s scholarly contributions are notable both for their quantitative, fundamental importance and for their applied significance. He has developed mathematical models of behavior that have been as remarkably successful as they are ingenious. His linear systems model describes response rate as a function of reinforcement rate in the manner of Herrnstein’s hyperbola—though arguably more comprehensively. Most recently, he has developed and extended his evolutionary theory of behavior dynamics model, which has successfully generated detailed quantitative descriptions of a large range of phenomena, from VI-schedule performance, to choice outcomes under a variety of reinforcement conditions, to punishment effects. Dr. McDowell has brought quantitative models of behavior from the laboratory to the fields of applied and clinical psychology, a significant accomplishment that has enriched our discipline.