The chapters in this book represent the contributions of more than 100 eminent psychological scientists, but they also represent the work of countless other individuals who have supported these scientists in their work. Almost any time one speaks of eminence, one really is speaking of the work of a team of people – not only the great psychological scientists, but also the collaborators and support staff who made their work possible. Almost all – perhaps all of the eminent psychological scientists represented in this book – would view the success of their students as among their greatest accomplishments. At the same time, they would recognize that they could serve only as mentors – that it was the students themselves who, to a large extent, lifted themselves up by their own bootstraps. If you are a student reading this book, you have the opportunity to come to represent the next generation of eminent psychological scientists.

When I was a graduate student, I often wondered how I could get from where I was as an unknown quantity to where eminent scientists like my advisors (Gordon Bower and Endel Tulving, both of whom authored chapters in this book) were. I was not even sure, at that point, what it was that the field of psychological science looked for to recognize a scientist as “eminent.” The final chapter of this book discusses some of the characteristics of scientists in this book who have achieved eminence. This chapter, in contrast, discusses the characteristics of the work of these scientists that have led the scientists to achieve eminence. So, if you are a student, these are some of the goals you may have for the work you do, if indeed your goal is to achieve eminence in the field. Put another way, these are some of the goals to seek if you might want to be in the next generation of eminent scientists like those in this book. Of course, these goals could apply to any field, but this essay considers goals as they apply in psychological science.

Impact

Impact refers to the influence a scientist's ideas have on a field of endeavor – essentially, the force of the ideas in terms of changing the ways people think or the things people do. Impactful work changes a field (hopefully for the better!).