2007 Award Recipients

Rubén Ardila, PhD and Frederick T. L. Leong, PhD

Award for Distinguished Contributions to the International Advancement of Psychology
Rubén Ardila, PhD
For his distinguished and highly creative work from the most rigorous scientific perspective. As a laboratory researcher, an experimental scientist, and as a psychologist in the developing world who seeks to bridge cultural, historical, and linguistic borders, Rubén Ardila has contributed in a decisive way to the international advancement of psychology. His research with animal subjects and human participants has shed light on the fields of learning, early experiences, and the role of cultural processes in human behavior. He has succeeded in demonstrating that psychology can reach the delicate balance between being a science with universal principles and a field that is contextualized and specific in diverse cultures and historical frames of reference. As a pioneer of psychology in Latin America, Rubén Ardila has had a profound influence on professionalizing the discipline, on ethics, and on social justice.

Award for Distinguished Contributions to the International Advancement of Psychology
Frederick T. L. Leong, PhD
For his significant and pioneering contributions to the integration of Asian and Asian American psychologies as well as his support of the development and advancement of psychology in Asia. Frederick T. L. Leong has been a catalyst in promoting collaborative research between psychologists in Asia and the United States related to career development, culture and mental health, and cross-cultural counseling and psychotherapy. He sits on the editorial boards of many journals and serves as a consultant on cross-cultural issues and as a reviewer of dissertations, publications, and grants from Asia. He is the founder and first president of the Division of Counseling Psychology of the International Association of Applied Psychology, and he has served on numerous boards and committees of APA and other multicultural professional associations. He is a true ambassador of international psychology, and his contributions to its advancement are indeed remarkable.