DIVISION 3 OF THE AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION

Purposes and Activities of the Division of Experimental Psychology

The Division of Experimental Psychology of the American Psychological Association was formed many years ago to represent the interests and concerns of psychologists whose principal area of study or research lies within the field of general experimental psychology. Several specific goals of the Division have been established, including the promotion of basic experimental research, the transmission of this research and its theoretical bases to students, the facilitation of information exchange among the division members, the enhancement of interdisciplinary relationships, and the support and development of the scientific core of psychology.

Benefits of Membership: The major benefits to divisional membership are the provision of a way to disseminate research findings and a mechanism for members to remain current in their fields, both of which occur through the annual meeting. In addition, the Division represents the members' views when decisions are made within the Association that are critical to experimental psychology, such as those relevant to education, basic research, and journal publications.

Convention: One of the ways that the Division attempts to meet these goals is through its participation in the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association. Each year a committee is established by the Division to coordinate this program so that the most recent and interesting research in the field can be presented to the members. Divisional offerings at the meeting consist of papers submitted by members, invited addresses by leading psychologists in this domain, and organized symposia, which focus on an interchange between researchers active in the same area. Topics covered tend to be diverse, but may include areas such as neuropsychology, decision making, artificial intelligence, auditory and visual perception, and cognitive processes. In addition to the program organized by the divisional committee, other offerings are often co-sponsored with other divisions.

Mailings: Because the geographical distribution of Division members is quite wide, communication at times other than at the annual meeting must occur through regular mailings to the membership. These mailings have been formalized in a Newsletter, which is distributed several times each year. The Newsletter contains information about current scientifically related activities, Association events that are relevant to the members, and updates on various issues of concern to experimental psychology.  As of January 2004, the Newsletter will be distributed via e-mail.