The Institute of Psychology in Moscow became affiliated with the Academy of Sciences (AS USSR) 20 years ago. In this article a brief history of the Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Psychology is presented, along with a critical examination of the Institute's contribution to world psychology. Through an appraisal of laboratories, productivity, and journal articles, it is argued that Soviet psychologists affiliated with the Institute have made a modest impression on world psychology. The reason for the limited contribution is attributed to the lack of support from the Academy, the lack of essential equipment and supplies, the repressive political environment under which scientists have been forced to operate, and ethnocentrism brought about through cultural and physical isolation. Copyright © 1991, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved
