Mednick is a surname most prominently associated with several American psychologists and researchers. The term does not refer to a single established concept but rather to a family name carried by multiple notable individuals in the fields of psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and related disciplines.
Sarnoff A. Mednick (January 27, 1928 – April 10, 2015) was an American psychologist who pioneered the prospective high-risk longitudinal study to investigate the etiology of schizophrenia. He was a professor emeritus at the University of Southern California. Mednick developed the Remote Associates Test (RAT) of creativity in 1962, a widely used measure of creative potential. He also conducted groundbreaking research demonstrating a genetic component to criminal behavior, published in Science in 1984. He was the recipient of the Joseph Zubin Award in 1996 and authored more than 300 peer-reviewed publications. Mednick established the Copenhagen High Risk Project in 1962 and the Mauritius Child Health Project in 1972.
Sara C. Mednick is a cognitive neuroscientist and professor at the University of California, Irvine, where she directs the Sleep and Cognition Lab. Her research focuses on the relationship between napping, sleep, and cognitive performance, including memory consolidation. She is the author of Take a Nap! Change Your Life (2006) and The Hidden Power of the Downstate (2022).
Martha Tamara Shuch Mednick (March 31, 1929 – August 16, 2020) was a feminist psychologist and professor at Howard University. She played a key role in founding the Society for the Psychology of Women (APA Division 35) and served as President of the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI) from 1980 to 1982.
Other individuals with the surname Mednick include Sam Mednick (journalist and West and Central Africa correspondent for The Associated Press), Dr. Amy Mednick (board-certified psychiatrist in New York), and Dr. Mednick (a marriage and family therapist practicing in California and Tennessee).
