In memory of Dr. Marshall J. Farr, born June 1, 1928, who sadly left us on September 17, 2006, leaving behind a great legacy of intellectual curiosity, research, and education of others. A brilliant mind and an inspiring personality, his witty and intellectual nature made him a cherished member of his community.

Marshall was predeceased by his loving wife of over 50 years, Beatrice Farr, Ph.D. (https://everloved.com/life-of…) and followed in death by his son, Jory Farr (https://everloved.com/life-of…) He is survived by his son, Evan Farr (wife Jeannie), and his four grandchildren, Zak, Josh, Hannah, and Tim. 

Marshall was a proud graduate of New York University. He earned his B.A. in Psychology in 1946, then went on to pursue his Ph.D. at the New School For Social Research, which he successfully completed in 1951. Shortly after his graduation, he married his loving and equally intellectual partner, Beatrice Farr, Ph.D., in 1951.

In 1952 and 1962, they were blessed with their two sons, living a life filled with joy and achievement. Marshall's dedication to his field led him to a 25-year career at the Office of Naval Research starting in 1971 until his retirement in 1985.

Marshall had a long and illustrious career in research psychology, as well as teaching and educating others in the field. His background and education provided him with unique expertise in a wide-ranging combination of psychological research areas of psychometrics, performance measurement technology, engineering psychology, instructional psychology, and cognitive psychology. He served 25 years with the Department of the Navy, in positions ranging from bench-level training psychologist to Director of the Office of Naval Research's (ONR) preeminent program in personnel selection and testing, experimental psychology, instructional technology, and cognitive science/artificial intelligence.

At the Naval Training Device Center in Port Washington, N.Y. (later the Naval Training Systems Center in Orlando, FL), Marshall gained first-hand experience in working in teams with engineers, training-device specialists, and military planners. He became proficient in the conceptual design and evaluation of complex simulators for training Naval personnel.

In the mid-60s, as the Assistant Director for ONR's Engineering Psychology group, Dr. Farr oversaw a forward-looking program in man-machine relations, workload analysis, job-performance evaluation and the full scope of human factors engineering. For example, he chaired the official Tri-Services Steering Committee on Human Factors, and thus had the lead responsibility for the 1972 publication of the classic Human Engineering Guide to Equipment Design.

From 1971 to early 1985, when he retired from federal government service, Dr. Farr managed ONR's Personnel and Training Research Programs Office. The scope of work it covered included psychometrics, personnel and industrial psychology, experimental and cognitive psychology, and instructional psychology; the last focused on Intelligent Computer-Assisted Instruction (ICAI), also referred to as Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS). Unlike most government-sponsored contract research programs, ONR, under Marshall's leadership, aggressively encouraged and initiated the leading-edge, most creative, pioneering research in these areas. As a result, it is widely acknowledged that Marshall played a major role in guiding and shaping the evolution of modern-day psychometrics, advanced instructional psychology, and information-processing and cognitive psychology.

Some specific examples of the influence that Marshall's stewardship had on advancing psychological research include:

(a) In the psychometric arena, he led the way in starting research that utilized latent trait theory to forge a technology of computerized adaptive testing (CAT). He nurtured the research until it was ready for field trials, and then supervised the transition of the findings into a formal DoD program to apply CAT to meet practical military needs.

(b) In the domain of education and training, Marshall pioneered funding research in intelligent tutoring systems, applying the latest scientific concepts and results in AI, computer science, and cognitive psychology to instruction. In order to expand and accelerate this work, Marshall entered into multi-year joint programs, first with the Defense Advanced Research

Projects Agency (DARPA), and then with the Army Research Institute (ARI). That intensive funding of ICAI work has led to an ongoing and productive network of university and government-agency resources (e.g., ONR, ARI, and the Air Force Human Resources Laboratory) engaged in frontier research in this area of advanced automated instruction.

(c) To a significant degree, due to Marshall's influence, cognitive psychology developed, inter alia, new conceptions of knowledge representation, of automaticity of performance, of the importance of componential and meta-componential information-processing operations, of the nature of expertise, and the role of mental models in understanding, reasoning and problem-solving/diagnostic/decision-making/inferencing behavior.

Marshall personally organized, chaired, and led the discussion in a number of professional seminars and symposia built around seminal theoretical and practical psychological, instructional, and cognitive issues. His writings were "customized" over the years, as appropriate, for both the scientific community and the military user community. In addition to the articles and technical reports he authored, he served for many years as a reviewer for professional societies such as the American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Educational Research Association, and for numerous professional journals.

In testimony to his contribution to, and expertise in psychology, the American Psychological Association conferred Fellow status on Marshall. Equally eloquent testimony to his expertise came from ONR and the Department of the Navy, which bestowed its prestigious "Superior Civilian Service Award" on him in recognition of his "exceptional professional achievement, skilled management, inspired leadership, creative decision making, consistent good judgment, and initiative in encouraging pioneering innovative research."

Even after retiring from federal service, Marshall remained intellectually active and productive. Along with a wide variety of consulting assignments, he co-edited numerous  books and treatises in his fields:

• Aptitude, Learning and Instruction (a 3-volume set)with Richard Snow, Ph.D. (Stanford University), originally published in 1987 by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, on the relationships among cognition, motivation, and affect (so influential and relevant that it was republished posthumously in 2022 by Routledge Publishers);

• The Nature of Expertise with Micheline Chi, Ph.D. and Robert Glaser, Ph.D., published in 1988 by Erlbaum, dealing with the cognitive bases of expertise;

• Intelligent Instruction Computer: Theory And Practice, with Joseph Psotka, Ph.D., published in 1992;

• The Long-Term Retention of Knowledge and Skills: A Cognitive and Instructional Perspective, published by Springer-Verlag in 1987 and re-published posthumously in 2012 as part of 61-book series entitled Recent Research in Psychology.

In 1989, Marshall was given the honor of being appointed a Senior Research Associate of the National Research Council, the operating arm of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.

Marshall's passion for learning and sharing knowledge -- with both his professional colleagues and his family -- was always a key part of his life. His wisdom, most notably his advice to always strive for continuous learning and share this knowledge with others, remains a guiding principle for his loved ones.

Marshall Farr, Ph.D., was an intellectual beacon in his community, a cherished family member, and a mentor to many. His intellectual legacy and personal values have continued to inspire and guide all those who had the privilege to know him.

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