Candidates for APA President
Position: IBM Professor of Psychology and Education, former acting chair, former director of graduate studies, psychology department; director, Yale Center for the Psych- ology of Abilities, Competencies, and Expertise (PACE Center).
Degrees: BA Yale University (National Merit Scholarship; summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa; Wohlenberg Prize) (Advisor: Endel Tulving). PhD Stanford University (National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship; Sidney Siegel Award) (Advisor: Gordon Bower). Four honorary doctorates (Complutense [Spain], Paris-V [France], Leuven [Belgium], Cyprus Universities).
Awards (selected): American Psychological Association: Early Career, McCandless. Connecticut Psychological Association: Distinguished Lifetime Contribution to Psychology. American Psychological Society: Cattell. American Educational Research Association: Outstanding Book, Research Review, Scribner Johnson. Society for Multivariate Experimental Psychology: Cattell. Association of Portuguese Psychologists: International Contribution. National Association for Gifted Children: Distinguished Scholar. Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship
Editorships: Editor of Contemporary Psychology, Psychological Bulletin. Associate editor: Child Development, Intelligence.
Fellow: 12 APA Divisions: 1 (General), 2 (Teaching), 3 (Experimental), 5 (Evaluation, Measurement and Statistics), 7 (Developmental), 8 (Personality and Social), 10 (Arts), 15 (Educational), 20 (Aging), 24 (Theoretical and Philosophical), 33 (Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities), 52 (International); APS; American Association for the Advancement of Science; American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
APA Division presidencies:
Div. 1: founded Review of General Psychology; edited "Career Paths in Psychology"; instituted three new awards.
Div. 10: co-edited special section of American Psychologist on creativity; reinitiated Berlyne Award.
Div. 15: edited special issue of American Psychologist on lifelong learning; co-authored "Teaching for Thinking."
Div. 24: edited Anatomy of Impact; Instituted new award; leader of APA pre-convention workshop on critical thinking.
Distinguished lectureships (selected): APA Master Lecturer; APA G. Stanley Hall Distinguished Lecturer; British Psychological Society Broadbent Distinguished Lecturer; Psi Chi Frederick Howell Lewis Distinguished Lecturer.
Scholarly contributions: Cited many thousands of times in the professional literature. One of few most highly cited authors (living or deceased) in introductory-psychology textbooks. Over 800 refereed publications. Currently PI on more than $7 million in grants and contracts.
Theories: Triarchic theory of (successful) intelligence; investment theory of creativity (with Lubart); propulsion theory of creative contributions; balance theory of wisdom; theory of mental self-government (thinking styles); triangular theory of love; theory of love as a story; duplex theory of hate.
Current (spring '01) teaching: Introductory Psychology; Intelligence and its Development; Seminar on Abilities and Expertise; PACE Research Seminar.
Principal advisor: 26 undergraduate students; 30 graduate students; 15 postdoctoral students.
Hobbies: Cello; foreign languages (fluent Spanish, French, some Russian); physical fitness; wine tasting; perpetual renovation of an old house; travel.
Children: Seth (Yale Class of '01) and Sara (Yale Class of '02).
Sternberg's candidate statement
As a presidential candidate, I have several proposed initiatives:
Primary goal if elected: to improve living and working conditions of all psychologists.
Unified psychology: Unifying disciplines of psychology and unifying science with practice.
Application of psychology to societal and world agendas: Supporting research development toward: reducing violence in schools and society; reducing worldwide poverty, hunger, and conflict, and promoting peace; fighting all forms of exploitation of children; promoting worldwide appreciation of ethnic, cultural, and religious differences; promoting free but responsible media; using psychological assessments in industry and governmental organizations to promote appropriate hiring and placement.
Promoting the science of psychology: Fostering an appreciation and valuing of science among government decision-makers; increasing government funding for psychological research; promoting psychological science in colleges and universities.
Promoting the practice of psychology: Achieving parity in insurance payments for treatment of psychological disorders with treatment for physical disorders; ensuring that psychologists, not bureaucrats, decide on appropriate type and duration of treatment; prescription privileges for licensed psychologists with proper postdoctoral training; removing stigma associated with psychological care; expanding the job market for all psychologists.
Infusion of psychology in schools: Teaching of psychology in high schools; improving teaching of psychology at all levels; using psychology in instruction and assessment to advance interests of both students and schools.
Active promotion of interests of women, ethnic minorities, aging populations, individuals with disabilities, and gay people in APA and in society: Fighting discrimination against, and protecting and promoting the interests of, groups that have historically been and that still are subject to discrimination in the United States and recruiting members of such groups for professional positions and leadership positions in APA.
