Exploring relationships among eminent psychologists using co-occurrence analysis

An analysis of the frequency with which the names of the top 40 eminent psychologists in the Diener et al. (Arch Sci Psychol 2(1):20–32, 2014, https://doi.org/10.1037/arc0000006) sample co-occur in Google Scholar was conducted. The correlation between the ranks of the co-occurrence scores and the Diener et al. ranks was 0.55, with Ainsworth and Bruner having the most discrepant ranks. A network showing the strongest connections for each member of the sample was constructed using the program Gephi to analyze the co-occurrence scores. The connections formed five separate clusters, with the two largest centered around Kahneman and Piaget. They were followed by a cluster of emotion researchers, centered on Ekman, then a cluster centered on Tulving and memory researchers, and finally a cluster consisting solely of Ainsworth and Bowlby. There are good reasons why the network takes the form that it does. A co-occurrence analysis may well be a useful tool for assessing the strongest relationships between the individual members of any group.