Highlights of APA Science Directorate Activities - 1999

1999 Science Directorate Activities:

Other Directorate Programs and Projects During 1999:

• Summer Science Institute
• APA-NIOSH Cooperative Agreement
• Science Education and Informal Learning (SEIL)

Science Advocacy Highlights 1999 - Science Policy Office

• Decade of Behavior: 2000-2010

• Task Force on Statistical Inference 

The second report of Task Force on Statistical Inference was published in the August issue of the American Psychologist. The purpose of the article is to initiate further discussion in the field about changes in current practices of data analysis and reporting. The Task Force is focusing on delineating possible ways to implement the recommendations put forth in the initial report, and these implementation issues form the basis of the American Psychologist article.  Based on reactions to this article, the Task Force will draft suggested revisions to relevant sections of the APA Publication Manual. This article, entitled "Statistical Methods in Psychology Journals: Guidelines and Explanations," is available on-line at http://www.apa.org/journals/amp/amp548594.html

• Test User Qualifications Task Force

  The Science and Practice Directorates jointly staff a task force appointed to develop an APA policy statement on test user qualifications. The Task Force revised the document in response to feedback received on the first full draft released in 1998, and subsequently released the second draft to a larger number of groups including APA governance groups, APA divisions, state and regional psychological associations, affiliated groups, and external organizations whose members may use tests. The comment period ended October 1. The Task Force is attending to those comments, and expects to revise the report in winter 1999-2000.

• Task Force on Ethical Guidelines for Researchers

The final document produced by the Task Force entitled, Ethics in the Conduct of Research with Human Participants, is designed to increase awareness and to sensitize readers to ethical issues that arise in the conduct of research with humans. This volume, expected to be published in early 2000, is thus an educational volume and not official APA policy.

In May, a Joint Committee of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), APA, and the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) submitted its final product, the revised 1999 Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing, to the three sponsoring organizations for approval. The governing groups of each organization approved the document this summer. The Standards will be published in the Fall, and should be available for purchase in November. Members can monitor its status and availability at http://www.apa.org/science/standards.html.

Efforts between Science Directorate staff and APA division program chairs paid off, because Focus on Science--the 3-day concentration of science division programming--was a success at the 1999 APA Convention in August.

The most important innovation for 1999 was the inclusion of a plenary speaker for the Focus on Science. Professor Edward O. Wilson of Harvard University spoke on "Consilience: Psychology at the Crossroads." Professor Wilson has received the National Medal of Science, has won two Pulitzer Prizes, and is viewed by many in the scientific community as one of the great scientists of this century.

Several popular innovations from 1997 and 1998 were continued, including extended-viewing poster sessions that are arranged thematically rather than by division. Several divisions coordinated their programming around brain and behavior research (Division 3 - Experimental Psychology; Division 6 - Behavioral Neuroscience and Comparative Psychology), and social and health issues (Division 8 - Personality and Social Psychology; Division 38 - Health). In addition, the Science and Education Directorates sponsored "Academics: A Beginners' Manual," a workshop for aspiring and early academe on how to get--and keep--an academic job. A number of other sessions, which were organized by members of the APA Science Student Council (APASSC), were held for graduate students, including informative sessions on applying for research grants, training issues related to significance testing, and conversation hours with distinguished scientists.

Thirty-two terrific undergraduates experienced scientific psychology first-hand at APA's 5th Summer Science Institute (SSI) at the University of California, Berkeley, June 12-20, 1999. During the 9-day institute, distinguished scientists in the Psychology Department shared the excitement of their research with the students in group sessions (Steve Glickman, Alison Gopnik, Ann Kring, Kaiping Peng, and Art Shimamura) and in laboratories (Philip Cowan, Russell De Valois, Ervin Hafter, Dacher Keltner, John Kihlstrom, Robert Knight, Frederic Theunissen, and Sheldon Zedeck). Tours to sites in the Bay Area rounded out the program. Previous SSI sessions were held at The Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland at College Park.

1999 SSI student participants included C. Athena Aktipis, Reed College; Laura Baum, Yale University; Corey Bradley, Morehouse College; Amanda Carroll, University of Denver; Lisa Cavion, University of Toronto; Girin Guha, Pennsylvania State University; Mollie Haskell, Pomona College; Michael Hines, University of Virginia; Russell Jackson, University of Colorado, Boulder; Bryan Jones, Central Michigan University; Paul Krebs, University of Scranton; Adam Kuhlman, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Kristen LaMont, University of Pennsylvania; Samantha Larimer, Earlham College; Bridgette Martin, Furman University; NiCole Martinez, New Mexico Highlands University; Jeremy Ott, Wabash College; Lauren Parks, University of California, Santa Barbara; Lilian Pelaez, Barnard College; Sarah Raynor, Butler University; Eena Redmond, Spelman College; Judson Richardson, Austin College; Gregory Ruark, Westminster College; Danette Salas, University of Texas, San Antonio; Jeremy Shaw, Stanford University; Virtaj Singh, University of South Alabama; Nicole Talge, Lake Forest College; Eliot Thompson, Beloit College; Jessica Valenzuela, University of Florida; Brook Weber, Nebraska Wesleyan University; Dorothy Weiss, Harvard University; and Tina Wu, University of Arizona.

The 2000 SSI will take place at the University of California at Berkeley, June 10-18, 2000. Please visit the Summer Science Institute (SSI) web page at http://www.apa.org/science/ssi.html for general information regarding SSI as well as application materials and deadlines.

In 1997, the Science Directorate entered into a 5-year cooperative agreement with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to oversee the innovative development and implementation of graduate-level training programs in the area of work, stress, and health. This is the second cooperative agreement between APA and NIOSH to foster education and training in occupational health psychology. In May, the Science Directorate awarded approximately $20,000 each to the psychology departments at Clemson University, University of Houston, and Tulane University to develop occupational health psychology programs. The Science Directorate has continued to monitor the curriculum development of last year's award recipients and is pleased to announce that the universities-Bowling Green State University, Kansas State University, and University of Minnesota--offered their first courses this fall. Applications are now available from the Science Directorate for funding in 2000. The deadline for completed applications is March 15, 2000.

• Science Education and Informal Learning (SEIL)

  The original Traveling Psychology Exhibition, "Understanding Ourselves, Understanding Each Other," was recently sold to the Arizona Science Center (ASC) in Phoenix and will be on view there indefinitely. The exhibition has been at ASC since the museum opened in April 1997 and is a cornerstone of the excellent exhibits currently on display. "Understanding Ourselves, Understanding Each Other" is an award-winning, hands-on exhibition that features activities to help visitors discover more about everyday psychological processes.

  "Psychology: It's More Than You Think!" recently began a 3-year tour to science centers and museums around the United States. This version maintains the thematic content of the original exhibition in a smaller, more compact format. The exhibition will be at the North Carolina Museum of Life and Science in Durham through January 2, 2000. It will then travel to Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Rochester and Flushing Meadows, New York; San Diego, California; and Richmond, Virginia. The exhibition's first stop was the McWane Center in Birmingham, Alabama. Prior to the tour, the exhibition was on view at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Washington, DC for two years. The combined attendance at the exhibition in all of its versions over the past 6 years exceeds 4 million people. For more information about the exhibition and its tour schedule, please visit the Psychology Exhibition web page:  http://www.apa.org/science/tpe.html.

Science Advocacy Highlights 1999 - Science Policy Office

Regulations That Matter to Scientific Psychology: Update on Data Sharing via the Freedom of Information Act

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published the Final Rule in the Federal Register on October 6, 1999. 

The Rule is the final step in implementing a law, spawned by language in the 1999 Omnibus Appropriations bill, which required that OMB devise a way to make federally funded research data available via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

Research Data:  There was concern about who would determine which research data were "responsive" to a FOIA request.  OMB clarified that the recipient (grantee) would make that determination and that the agency could request additional data from the recipient as deemed necessary.

Used by the Federal Government in Developing a Regulation:  There was concern that restricting the Rule to "research data that are used by the Federal Government in developing a regulation" was too narrow.  OMB relented and agreed to expand the application of the Rule to include "research data used by the Federal Government in developing an agency action that has the force and effect of law".

Published:  Some comments questioned the necessity of Part B in the definition of "Published" (i.e., when "A Federal agency publicly and officially cites the research findings in support of" an agency action).  OMB reiterated its support of the definition and included it in the Final Rule.

Cost Reimbursement:  In response to concerns about incremental cost reimbursement, OMB outlined a scenario by which agencies and recipients could arrange prepayment for costs associated with a request.

Record Retention:  OMB clarified that the Final Rule has no bearing on the required length of record retention.

Effective Date:  OMB clarified that the Final Rule becomes effective 30 days after publication in the Federal Register and applies to new and continuing awards issued or renewed after that date.

Projects Funded from Multiple Sources:  OMB reiterated that the Final Rule applies to all recipients of Federal funds regardless of level of funding and whether they also receive non-federal funds.

APA will follow the implementation of this Final Rule carefully and will keep you apprised of any efforts to repeal the legislation underlying the Rule in the next Congress.  For additional background information please see the PPO website: http://www.apa.org/ppo/foia.html

Speaking Up for Psychology in the Research Funding Agencies

Policies made in research funding agencies, on issues ranging from the type of research that is to be supported through the composition of peer review panels, have profound effects on the ability of psychologists to win federal research funding.  Below are some highlights of our 1999 efforts in the National Institutes of Health.  The Science Policy office worked with Science Directorate staff and solicited comments from APA scientists to weigh in the strategic plans of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), and the ?Boundaries? report on NIH Peer Review. 

To read APA?s comments on the NIMH strategic plan, see http://www.apa.org/ppo/science/nimhsp.html.

To read APA?s comments on the NICHD strategic plan, see http://www.apa.org/ppo/science/nichdsp.html.

To read APA?s joint comments with the Consortium of Social Science Associations, American Sociological Association, and American Anthropological Association on the NIH ?Boundaries? report on peer review, see http://www.apa.org/ppo/peer.html.

Bringing Psychology to the Policymakers

The Science Policy Office coordinates APA?s appropriations testimony, and sponsors congressional briefings, psychology exhibits on the Hill, and advocacy training for psychological scientists.  Through these and other activities, we strive to demonstrate to policymakers the value of behavioral and social science research, and explain what psychological science is contributing to solutions to national problems. 

Testimony:  Several psychologists presented APA?s statements in support of research funding in 1999.  Harold Van Cott spoke before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation about the on the importance of human factors research in the Federal Aviation Administration. Janice Laurence, Ph.D., and William Strickland, Ph.D. (both from the Human Resources Research Organization) testified about the importance of behavioral research to the U.S. military before the Senate and House Appropriations subcommittees that fund the Defense Department.  Richard McCarty, Ph.D., APA?s Executive Director for Science, testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor-Health and Human Services and Education, and before the Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs, Housing, and Independent Agencies.  These statements can be viewed at http://www.apa.org/ppo/science/testimony.html. 

Exhibits:  In spring of 1999 the Science Policy office sponsored booths at two congressional science exhibitions.  At each of these, U.S. Representatives and their staff members could view different types of research and talk with scientists at the booths of universities and scientific organizations.  The first event, sponsored by the Association of American Universities, offered booths featuring research funded by the Department of Defense. APA?s booth featured the virtual reality research of Dennis Proffitt, Ph.D., of the University of Virginia.  The APA booth at the second event, featuring research funded by the National Science Foundation, highlighted the work of social-developmental psychologist Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, Ph.D. of Columbia University.  Summaries and photos of these exhibits can be seen at http://www.apa.org/ppo/science/exhibits.html.

Briefings  Working with the College on Problems of Drug Dependence and others, APA cosponsored a briefing in 1999 to highlight the new clinical trials network of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.  To read the article about it, click on  http://www.apa.org/science/psa.may99.pdf.  In December of 1998, the Science and Public Interest Policy offices cosponsored a briefing on substance abuse prevention.  See photos at http://www.apa.org/science/abuseprev_photo.html. 

Advocacy training: In July the Science Policy office sponsored its seventh Advocacy Training session, focused on human factors research and aviation safety.  Read more about it and the scientists who participated at http://www.apa.org/ppo/science/satw99.html.

Responding to congressional concerns: Sometimes members of Congress receive material or information from the media and/or other organizations that raise questions about psychological research.  For example, APA quickly responded to an attack on the National Institute of Mental Health?s funding of behavioral research, after a report claimed that NIMH funding for behavioral science, AIDS, and basic neuroscience is misdirected (see http://www.apa.org/science/psa.jan2000.pdf). Also, during several months last, APA faced numerous questions from several members of Congress regarding the publication of an APA journal article about on child sexual abuse.  Read more about it at http://www.apa.org/science/psa.sept99.pdf.    

We expect another banner year in 2000!  Please participate in advocacy activities through the Public Policy Action Network (PPAN) (join at http://www.apa.org/ppo/ppoform.html) and watch the PPO and Science Directorate web pages for more news.