Feature
The regional psychological associations are gearing up for the 2008 annual meetings. Starting in March and continuing throughout the year, the regional conferences feature eminent psychologists and diverse programs to expand your knowledge and understanding of the field.
Here are each meeting's highlights, dates and locations:
Southeastern Psychological Association (SEPA)
March 6-9, Charlotte, N.C. www.sepaonline.com
John C. Norcross, PhD, of the University of Scranton, will give APA's G. Stanley Hall Lecture on "Let Your Life Speak: Teaching the Career Development Seminar."
Diane F. Halpern, PhD, of Claremont McKenna College, will give the Association for Psychological Science William James Lecture on "Women at the Top: How Powerful Leaders Combine Work and Family."
Robert J. Sternberg, PhD, of Tufts University, will give the Wallsten-Siegel Address on "Beyond the SAT, ACT and GPA: College Admissions for the 21st Century."
Ruth S. Day, PhD, of Duke University, will present "Everyday Cognition: Comprehension and Memory for Prescription Drug Information."
James W. Pennebaker, PhD, University of Texas at Austin, will give the Rosecrans Lecture on "Words."
Thomas R. Zentall, PhD, University of Kentucky, will present "Cognitive Dissonance in Animals? Implications for Social Psychology."
Layli Phillips, PhD, Georgia State University, will give the Committee on Equality of Professional Opportunity (CEPO)/SEPA Invited Address on "Mamie Phipps Clark and the Shifting Politics of Race, Gender, and Psychology in the 20th Century."
Jacquelyn W. White, PhD, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, will give the CEPO Keynote Address on "'I Need a Drink': Trauma, Substance Use and Gender."
Eastern Psychological Association (EPA)
March 13-16, Boston www.easternpsychological.org
Richard McNally, PhD, of Harvard University, will speak on "Traumatic Stress and Its Effect on Memory."
Howard Eichenbaum, PhD, of Boston University, will discuss the "Role of Hippocampus in Memory Formation."
Scott Lilienfeld, PhD, of Emory University, will present the Council of Teachers of Undergraduate Psychology Distinguished Speaker lecture, "The 10 Commandments of Distinguishing Science from Pseudoscience in Psychology and Everyday Life."
Robert Sternberg, PhD, of Tufts University, will deliver the president's address, "Conventional Standardized Tests Are So 100 Years Ago: New Approaches to Assessing Abilities and Achievement."
Peggy L. Fischer, PhD, of the National Science Foundation, is the Distinguished Psi Chi speaker, presenting "Can a Little Fabrication, Falsification, or Plagiarism Really Ruin Your Day? Tales (and Lessons) from the Trenches."
Saul Kassin, PhD, of Williams College, will deliver the APA G. Stanley Hall Lecture on "Why Innocents Confess: Insights from the Psychology Research Laboratory."
The meeting also offers a workshop on statistical methods and a full-day continuing-education session on issues relating to veterans returning from war.
Southwestern Psychological Association (SWPA)
April 3-5, Kansas City, Mo. www.swpsych.org
James H. Woods, PhD, of the University of Michigan Medical School, will present the APA Distinguished Scientist Lecture on "Cocaine Esterase: A Start Toward Pharmacological Therapy of Cocaine Abuse."
Chris Crandall, PhD, from the University of Kansas, will present the Saul Sells Lecture on "The Natural Psychological Advantage of Conservatism and the Status Quo."
Ira Bernstein, PhD, from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center is presenting an invited address on "Depressive Symptomatology and Modern Psychometrics."
Two other invited addresses will be presented by C. Munro Cullum, PhD, from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, and Sandy Goss Lucas, PhD, from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Todd Little, PhD, from the University of Kansas will present "Factorial Invariance."
Rocky Mountain Psychological Association (RMPA)
April 10-12, Boise, Idaho www.rockymountainpsych.org
Joan C. Chrisler, PhD, of Connecticut College, will present the RMPA Distinguished Lecture on "Socio-cultural Aspects of Menstruation and Menopause."
Carol A. Tavris, PhD, will deliver the APS William James Lecture on "Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts."
Stephen Suomi, PhD, of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, will give APA's G. Stanley Hall Lecture on "Uptight, Laid-back, and Jumpy Monkeys."
RMPA Past President Donna M. Gelfand, PhD, of the University of Utah, will present "Why Does Control of Type I Diabetes Worsen in Adolescence? A Perspective from Developmental, Clinical, and Health Psychology."
Michael Babcock, PhD, of Montana State University, will present the William Battig Lecture on "Viral Vectors and Behavioral Neuroscience: Role of CaMKII in Learning and Memory."
Guillermo Bernal, PhD, of the University of Puerto Rico, will present the Psi Chi Distinguished Lecture on "Cultural Adaptation in the Era of Empirically Based Psychological Practice: How the Two Can Tango."
Traci Craig, PhD, of the University of Idaho, will give the RMPA Diversity Council Address on "Stigma Scattershot: Understanding Prejudice Beyond the Target."
Heidi Shaw, PhD, of Yakima Valley Community College, will deliver the Gardner Lecture on "Human Patterns of Turn Taking and Gaze Direction in Sign Language Conversations of Cross-Fostered Chimpanzees."
Judith A. Sugar, PhD, of the University of Nevada at Reno, will give RMPA's Presidential Address on "Aging and Its Alternative."
Doug Bernstein, PhD, of the University of South Florida, will deliver the opening presentation for RMPA's Teaching Preconference on "Was It Good for You, Too? Keeping Teaching Exciting for Us and for Them."
In addition, Psi Chi, the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students, and APA will sponsor career workshops and sessions for students.
Western Psychological Association (WPA)
April 10-13, Irvine, Calif. www.westernpsych.org
Peter Bentler, PhD, of the University of California at Los Angeles, will deliver the WPA Presidential Address on "Reflections on Structural Equation Modeling as a Research Method."
Nora Newcombe, PhD, of Temple University, will present APA's G. Stanley Hall Lecture on "Uses and Abuses of Evolutionary Psychology."
Robert Levine, PhD, of California State University at Fresno, will present the WPA Teaching Award Address on "The Kindness of Strangers."
Shana Levin, PhD, of Claremont McKenna College, will present the WPA Research Award Address on "The Diversity Challenge: A Longitudinal Study of Interethnic Contact in College."
Albert Bandura, PhD, of Stanford University, will present "On Reducing Pressing Global Problems by Psychosocial Means."
Diane Halpern, PhD, of Claremont McKenna College, will discuss "Women at the Top: How Powerful Leaders Combine Work and Family."
Elizabeth Loftus, PhD, of the University of California, Irvine, will present "False Memories Look a Lot Like True Ones."
Richard Thompson, PhD, of the University of Southern California, will present on "Sex, Stress, and Memory."
Larry Steinberg, PhD, of Temple University will discuss "The Truth About Youthful Recklessness."
Stanley Sue, PhD, University of California at Davis, will present on "The Research Basis for Culturally Competent Psychotherapeutic Interventions."
WPA again is offering several statistical and methodological workshops. Also, the Lewis M. Terman Western Regional Teaching Conference will be held on April 9, before the convention. The Terman conference is a celebration of teaching that provides the opportunity to explore teaching topics with colleagues and masterteachers.
Midwestern Psychological Association (MPA)
May 1-3, Chicago www.midwesternpsych.org
MPA will feature psychology notables including Robyn Dawes, PhD, of Carnegie Mellon University, and John Bargh, PhD, of Yale University. Henry L. Roediger III, PhD, of Washington University in St. Louis, will present the Distinguished Scientist Lecture sponsored by APA's Science Directorate. R. Scott Tindale, PhD, of Loyola University in Chicago, will present the MPA Presidential Address.
New England Psychological Association (NEPA)
Oct. 24-25, Bristol, R.I. www.nepa-info.org
NEPA is still in the planning stages for its annual meeting in the fall at Roger Williams University in Bristol. Among the featured speakers will be Renee Baillargeon, PhD, presenting APA's Distinguished Scientist Lecture sponsored by APA's Science Directorate, and Ruth Striegel-Moore, PhD, who has been selected to receive the 2008 NEPA Distinguished Contributions Award.
Psi Chi will sponsor a series of programs for students, and APA's Publications Board will present a "how-to" panel. The NEPA meeting is preceded on Oct. 24 by the New England Conference for Teachers of Psychology featuring Bill Buskist, PhD, and Wayne Weiten, PhD, as keynote speakers. Awards are given in both meetings for outstanding posters and papers by students and professionals.
Martha Boenau is APA's assistant director for precollege and undergraduate programs.
