Larry l. Jacoby (1944-2024).

Abstract

Memorializes Larry L. Jacoby (1944-2024), a pioneering cognitive psychologist, who passed away in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on March 15, 2024. Jacoby earned his undergraduate degree at Washburn University, where he took pride in being a football lineman and met his lifelong partner, Carole. He pursued graduate studies at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, earning both his MA and PhD under the supervision of Robert Radtke (in 1970). Larry began his academic career at Iowa State before spending nearly 25 years at McMaster University. He later held positions at the University of Utah and New York University, and he served as the David Wechsler chair at the University of Texas at Austin. He concluded his career at Washington University in St. Louis, where he was a faculty member for nearly 2 decades before retiring. Larry was best known for his innovative research on unconscious influences on memory, memory attributions, and the effects of cognitive aging on memory. In the late 1980s, he introduced the "logic of opposition," an innovative method for examining unconscious, automatic processes. This research culminated in the development of the "process dissociation procedure" in 1991, a highly influential method that quantifies the separate contributions of conscious recollection and familiarity-based responses during task performance. His impact extended broadly to fields such as cognitive neuroscience and social, personality, and developmental psychology. Larry's contributions were recognized with numerous accolades, including the William James Fellow Award from the Association for Psychological Science and the Norman Anderson Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Experimental Psychologists. His impact on the field continues through the work of his many close colleagues and a generation of researchers he thoughtfully mentored. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).