Roger M. Tarpy (born 1941) is an American

psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and explanation, interpretatio ...

. Tarpy is a specialist in the study of

learning Learning is the process of acquiring new understanding, knowledge, behaviors, skills, value (personal and cultural), values, Attitude (psychology), attitudes, and preferences. The ability to learn is possessed by humans, non-human animals, and ...

and

memory Memory is the faculty of the mind by which data or information is encoded, stored, and retrieved when needed. It is the retention of information over time for the purpose of influencing future action. If past events could not be remembe ...

in both humans and animals. He is best known as the author and editor of text books at the undergraduate and graduate levels in these fields, publishing five distinctive texts between 1975 and 1997. He has also published numerous research papers on topics relating to

associative learning Learning is the process of acquiring new understanding, knowledge, behaviors, skills, values, attitudes, and preferences. The ability to learn is possessed by humans, non-human animals, and some machines; there is also evidence for some kin ...

rat Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Species of rats are found throughout the order Rodentia, but stereotypical rats are found in the genus ''Rattus''. Other rat genera include '' Neotoma'' (pack rats), '' Bandicota'' (bandicoo ...

s, and on learning and motivation in other species including humans. In 1987, he collaborated with Stephen Lea and

Paul Webley Paul Webley CBE (19 November 1953 – 2 March 2016) was director and principal of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London from 2006 to 2015. From 2010 until his death in 2016, he was Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the Uni ...

on a major textbook in

economic psychology Behavioral economics is the study of the psychological (e.g. cognitive, behavioral, affective, social) factors involved in the decisions of individuals or institutions, and how these decisions deviate from those implied by traditional economi ...

, ''The individual in the economy'' (Cambridge University Press), and, in 1993, with Kelly Shaver on an introductory text called ''Psychology'' (Macmillan). Tarpy graduated from

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zepha ...

in 1963, and then took a master's degree at the

College of William and Mary The College of William & Mary (abbreviated as W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1693 under a royal charter issued by King William III and Queen Mary II, it is the second-oldest instit ...

before undertaking his PhD at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

, under the supervision of Byron Campbell. He was an assistant and an associate professor at

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim ...

, before moving to

Bucknell University Bucknell University is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal-arts college in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1846 as the University at Lewisburg, it now consists of the College of Arts a ...

Lewisburg, Pennsylvania Lewisburg is a borough in Union County, Pennsylvania, United States, south by southeast of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Williamsport and north of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Harrisburg. The population was 5,158 as of the United States Census 202 ...

, where he remained as a professor of Psychology until his retirement in 2001. He also held visiting positions at Durham University, the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

and the

University of Exeter The University of Exeter is a research university in the West Country of England, with its main campus in Exeter, Devon. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of ...

in the UK. For some time after his retirement, Tarpy wrote a weekly column called ''Speaking of Behavior'' that was self-syndicated in a dozen newspapers. His leisure activities include singing (including in a barbershop quartet),Mid-Atlantic District Member Search, http://www.midatlanticdistrict.com/?Code=Members&ID=155865 and conducting community choruses.

Books authored or edited by Roger M. Tarpy

*''Basic principles of learning'' (1975) *''Foundations of learning and memory'' (with Richard E. Mayer) (1978) *''Readings in learning and memory'' (editor, with Richard E. Mayer) (1979) *''Principles of animal learning and motivation'' (1982) *''The Individual in the economy'' (with Stephen E.G. Lea and Paul Webley) (1987) *''Psychology'' (with Kelly G. Shaver) (1993) *''Contemporary learning theory and research'' (1997)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tarpy, Roger 21st-century American psychologists Comparative psychologists Bucknell University faculty 1941 births Living people 20th-century American psychologists