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APA Trainings Coming Up – Choose GIS or
Web-Based Research
By Nicolle Singer
Applications are still being accepted for two of this summer's APA Advanced Training Institutes (ATIs).
These intensive training programs expose advanced graduate students, new and established faculty,
post-docs, and other researchers to state of the art psychological research methods and emerging
technologies. For more information, visit www.apa.org/science/ati_promo.html.
We encourage you to consider these programs for yourself and to forward this announcement widely to
colleagues and students who may be interested.
This year we are hosting a new ATI: a pre-Convention program onGeographic Information
Systems (GIS) for Psychology. This new ATI will introduce Geographic Information Systems for
Psychological Research, and will be heldThursday August 16, 2007 at the San Francisco
Marriott, 55 Fourth Street, and is within walking distance of the Moscone Convention Center as
well as many restaurants and shops. This ATI will focus on the uses (and potential uses) of GIS in
psychological research, with plenty of examples from active research programs. A panel of psychologists
who use GIS in their research will speak about the strengths of this methodology and its contribution to
their investigations. A brief overview of the technology will also be provided, including an overview of different
types of GIS software. If possible, be sure to bring a laptop so instructors can better illustrate software and
provide you with some "freeware." The day will conclude with a final panel discussion to answer questions.
When possible, demonstrations of GIS technology will be matched to the research interests of attendees as
described on the registration forms. Dr. Reginald Golledge, a leading behavioral geographer, will direct this
ATI. Applications are being accepted for this ATI until seats are filled – so don’t delay, register today!
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The registration fee for this terrific program is just $50; similar one-day seminars are $300 or more, so
do take advantage of this opportunity to learn about a new tool at a very low cost.
Another ATI will focus onPerforming Web-Based Research, and will be held
July 9-13, 2007, at the University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls. This program will cover
the how, why, and why not of designing and implementing web-based research. Examples of interactive
experiments that are conducted on the web are discussed, and instructors provide background on the
history of internet-based research, as well as the ethics of collecting data on the web. Other topics include
longitudinal web methods, large shared databases, web panels, and the recruitment and retention of online
participants. Website creation is introduced using basic html and the Authorware software package, as
needed for each individual's project. Attendees should come prepared with a web project (or an idea for a
web-based experiment) that they would like to work on during the week. Applications will be accepted
until seats are filled..
Applications are available at www.apa.org/science/ati_promo.html and must be submitted electronically through the program's website. For more information, contact APA's Science Directorate via Email or (+1/202) 336-6000.
Gordon Bower Receives 2005 National Medal of Science
By David Kerns
Gordon Bower, renowned cognitive psychologist at Stanford University, has been honored as a recipient
of the 2005 National Medal of Science for his exemplary research in human memory and reasoning. The
list of the National Medal of Science Laureates for the year 2005 was released on Tuesday May, 29, 2007
by the Office of Science and Technology Policy within the Executive Office of the President. Bower was
one of eight recipients of this prestigious award for 2005. It is one of our nation’s highest scientific
honors.
The National Medal of Science is awarded for “pioneering scientific research in a range of fields,
including physical, biological, mathematical, social, behavioral, and engineering sciences that enhances our
understanding of the world and leads to innovations and technologies that give the United States its global
economic edge.” The President’s Committee (responsible for selecting recipients) recognized Bower "for
his unparalleled contributions to cognitive and mathematical psychology, for his lucid analyses of
remembering and reasoning and for his important service to psychology and to American science." At
Stanford, Bower studied human memory, mnemonic devices, retrieval strategies, recording strategies, and
category learning. His other research interests included cognitive processes, emotion, imagery, language
and reading comprehension as they relate to memory.
While still working on his doctoral degree at Yale University, Bower was offered a professorship at
Stanford University after attending a workshop there in the summer of 1957. After earning his PhD with
distinction from Yale, he began his career at Stanford, where he remained until 2005. While at Stanford,
Bower served as the chair of the Psychology Department from 1978 to 1982 and as the associate dean of
the School of Humanities and Sciences from 1983 to 1986.
Gordon Bower is regarded as one of the foremost experimental psychologists and learning theorists in
the United States. Throughout the years, his work and achievements have been recognized by a number of
organizations. Bower served as President of the Western Psychological Association, the Association for
Psychological Science, and the Society of Experimental Psychologists. He also served as the American
Psychological Association’s Chief Scientific Advisor, with his term spanning the tenure of four Science
Executive Directors, including those of William Howell, Richard McCarty, Kurt Salzinger, and the first year
of current Science Director Steve Breckler. Stanford University honored Bower as its Albert Ray Lang
Professor of Psychology in 1975, and in 1979 the American Psychological Association awarded him the
Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award.
From 1992 to 1993 Bower served as the Chief Scientific Advisor to the Director of the National Institute
of Mental Health (NIMH), Fred Goodwin. His work in this position led to his appointment as the leader of a
52-person task force at NIMH that produced a thorough review of the state of mental-health knowledge in
1995, entitled Basic Behavioral Science Research for Mental Health: A National Investment.
This report guided the National Advisory Council on Mental Health and was submitted as a requested report
to the Congressional committee overseeing the NIMH budget. Bower has received several other national
honors, including election to the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and
Sciences, and the Society of Experimental Psychologists.
Upon receiving the award, Dr. Bower thanked friends and colleagues and remarked that this great honor
was not simply the achievement of one, but of many. “Because it is so rarely given in the social-behavioral
sciences, the award helps promote recognition of our field. A few psychologists have gone before me, and
hopefully many more will come after. I am fully aware that it is the joint work with my ex-students and
collaborators that is recognized by this prize and you should consider it as shared by all of us,” said
Bower.
Eureka! A guide to satisfying your inner scientist in San Francisco
By Amber McCrady
Don't forget to register for the APA Convention in the beautiful city by the bay, August 17-20. The
deadline for preconvention registration rates (July 2) is approaching quickly, so don’t delay! Go to www.apa.org/convention for complete Convention details!
The Science Directorate's Scientist's Guide to the APA Convention is
now available on the Science Directorate website. The guide highlights a wide variety of science-related
sessions ranging from a graduate research speed lightening round (Psychological Science Graduate
Superstars Datablitz) to discussions on the controversial current topic of ethics and interrogations to
Phillip Zimbardo’s invited address on “The Lucifer Effect in Action.”
Visit www.apa.org/science/conv07guide.html to view the sessions that you should be sure not to miss. Paper copies of the guide will also be available at
the Directorate's booth in the Moscone Convention Center. Stop by to see us!
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