Dr. Robert Yerkes

Dr. Robert Yerkes was an American psychologist best known for his research on animal behavior and intelligence. He developed the "Yerkes-Dodson Law," which describes how performance varies with stress or arousal levels—moderate stress can enhance performance, but too much can hinder it. He also contributed to the study of primates and was involved in early work on psychological testing, including the development of intelligence tests for military recruits during World War I. His work helped shape understanding of motivation, stress, and the methods used to evaluate cognition across species.