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ATIs Offered in Past Years
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) From 2000-2006, APA's Advanced Training Institute in functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) provided active researchers who are new to fMRI with an intensive introduction to the field. Through a subsidy from APA's Science Directorate and a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), over 280 psychological scientists—advanced graduate students, post-docs, new and established faculty—received training through this annual one-week course. Each year, the course had a different area of emphasis, ranging from data analysis, to animal research, to clinical applications of fMRI. Although the emphasis would change, instructors always provided lectures and led discussions about the background in physics, biology, and biophysics that is necessary to conduct fMRI research. Hands-on experience in experimental design and data analysis was also a constant of the program. Most years included a component in which participants crafted a research proposal and presented it to the class for critique. The course director was Robert L. Savoy, PhD, Director of fMRI Education at Massachusetts General Hospital, who continues to host other trainings and events in the interest of expanding knowledge about psychological applications of fMRI technology. The APA Science Directorate has also published two printed and web resources (one for adults and one for teenagers) to learn about the applications of fMRI in psychological science. These resources are available here. This ATI, held at the University of Northern Iowa, prepared participants to conduct web-based research. The course, which was offered in 2006 and 2007, was led by John Eustis Williams (University of Northern Iowa) and other experts on web-based research in psychology. Anja Göritz (Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg) and William Schmidt (University at Buffalo) were instructors both years. They were joined by Dietmar Janetzko (Universität Freiburg) in 2006 and Ulf Reips (University of Zürich) in 2007. Topics included the ethics of online research, web-based data collection, making the most of shared databases, the use of html for surveys, and experimental designs through Authorware. Participants learned the basics of setting up a website, posting surveys and multimedia experiments, using randomized assignment and design, collecting data, securing data in an online environment, and the use of scripts to check for data integrity, multiple submissions, and data analysis. Participants in this ATI did not need to have any prior knowledge of web-based research, but were told to come prepared with a small web project that they would like to complete during the week. At the end of the ATI, all participants completed or were well into the development of their online research project. After this ATI, participants were also able to make full use of the online data sharing resources that exist and are being developed. Geographic Information Systems for Behavioral Research The APA Science Directorate sponsored an ATI in 2007 and 2008 on the intersection on geographic information system (GIS) technologies and psychological research. Directed by Reginald Golledge, PhD, a prominent behavioral geographer, with collaboration from geographers and psychologists, this ATI introduced GIS and its use in behavioral research, with examples of psychologists with active research programs using GIS and tutorials on software for geographic coding and analysis of data. In 2007 the course was titled "Geographic Information Systems for Psychological Research" and was organized as a special one-day ATI the day before the APA Convention in San Francisco, CA. Instructors at this session were Reginald Golledge (behavioral geographer, University of California, Santa Barbara [UCSB]), Michael C. Goodchild (geographer and GIS expert, UCSB), Daniel R. Montello (geographer, psychologist, and cognitive scientist, UCSB), and Stephen Hirtle (psychologist and information scientist, University of Pittsburgh). In 2008 the course was titled "Geographic Information Systems for Behavioral Research" and was held as a three-day ATI at the University of California, Santa Barbara. As well as the four instructors listed above, this course included presentations by Gerard Rushton (geographer and health scientist, University of Iowa) and C. Donald Heth (psychologist, University of Alberta), and lab sessions with assistance from graduate assistants from the UCSB spatial research program. Using Large-Scale Databases: NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development From 2003-2008, APA held an ATI on the use of longitudinal data, focusing on the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD). Through a subsidy from APA's Science Directorate and a grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), 120 members, post-docs, and advanced graduate students were able to take part in this week-long training program. The SECCYD data are from 1,364 families, followed from prior to the birth of their child in 1991 through age 16. The study covers demographic, family, maternal, paternal, and caregiver characteristics; child social and emotional outcomes; language development; cognitive skills; school readiness; growth and health measures; and much more. It includes data collected by observation, testing, and face-to-face and phone interviews. This ATI introduced the SECCYD study and its available databases, to enable researchers to independently use and train others to use the databases for original scholarship and publication. The ATI took place at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Instructors were SECCYD investigators and data managers. Topics included the conceptual framework of the study, its methodological design, description and psychometric properties of a large subset of variables included in the analytical data sets, and introduction to the raw data sets. Sessions included lecture, discussion, and hands-on computer sessions. Further information about the NICHD SECCYD can be found at https://secc.rti.org/apply.cfm.
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