Jalie A. Tucker, PhD, MPH, Chair
The Board of Scientific Affairs held two meetings in 2013, on March 15-17 and Nov. 1-3. The fall meeting was preceded by a half-day retreat. The following report summarizes the major work topics, accomplishments, and other issues of concern to the board over the past year.
BSA developed a draft document on faculty tenure, promotion, and appointment guidelines for psychologists involved in team science. Research-oriented psychologists who are not in traditional psychology departments and some psychologists who are in traditional psychology departments will find such a document useful. BSA asked its committees, the Council of Graduate Departments of Psychology, and the Board of Educational Affairs to review the draft document and provide input. When the document is finalized, it will be posted on the Science Directorate website.
BSA and the Science Directorate did not have a 2013 face-to-face meeting. Instead, the Science Government Relations Office staff used SciLC resources to develop web-based advocacy training materials for scientists and to conduct science advocacy events in the home districts of key members of Congress who oversee federal research funding. In December 2013, the APA Stand for Science District Campaign was launched. Scientists who received previous advocacy training in Washington, D.C. met with their members of Congress in their home districts and states. Psychologists met with legislative staff during their participation in the leadership conferences, and in the new campaign they will meet with their actual members of the U.S. House and Senate. The aim is to encourage greater engagement between individuals within APA’s scientific community and their members of Congress and to establish science advocacy as a new social norm for researchers in psychology.
As another arm of the strategic initiative to involve grassroots members in advocating for psychological research funding and dissemination, APA is also commissioning an educational digital media video series (1-10 minutes in length each) that characterizes the processes by which researchers can become better advocates for the discipline. The videos will be used to train psychological scientists in a variety of online and in-person formats, and will include components laying out why psychological scientists should be more actively engaged in federal research advocacy and how they can do so more effectively. The aim is for the videos to be brief, compelling, and logical as a series while also sensible if only viewed as stand-alone components.
BSA established these awards to recognize individuals who have made outstanding contributions to psychological science through their commitment to a culture of service and departments of psychology that instill a culture of service in their education of students and mentoring of faculty. The Departmental Award for Culture of Service in the Psychological Sciences was presented to Connecticut College, Department of Psychology and Morgan State University, Department of Psychology. The individual Award for Distinguished Service to Psychological Science was presented to Lisa Feldman Barrett who is at Northeastern University and Frederick Leong who is at Michigan State University.
ATIs provide training in cutting-edge methods and technologies to psychological scientists. Four ATIs took place in 2013.
BSA developed the Meritorious Research Service Commendation to recognize outstanding psychologists in the federal government and nonprofit organizations who help foster psychological science through their work in planning, promoting, and managing funding programs for research and research training. 2013 was the 12th year in which the citation was given. BSA selected Christine Hunter, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and Belinda Sims, National Institute on Drug Abuse to each receive a commendation for 2013.
The Summer Science Fellowship (SFF) is a modification of the Summer Science Institute. Twelve upper-level undergraduates were selected to take part in this 6-week intensive research experience. Faculty members from George Mason University agreed to mentor the SSF students over the summer. Some students proposed research studies, obtained approval from the university IRB, and completed the research over the summer. Others made substantive contributions to ongoing research projects in faculty labs. The SSF students also spent a number of days at the APA headquarters building, learning about careers in psychological science, the importance of science advocacy, and how to gain admission to graduate school.
The 2013 convention was organized into plenary sessions, substantive division programming, an opening session, topical track programming, board/committee programs, and awards addresses. The science programs sponsored by BSA included the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award addresses, the Neal Miller Lecture, the Master Lectures, and BSA, CPTA, CARE, CHR, and Science Student Council programs. Representatives from all APA divisions were invited to the annual BSA/Science Directorate breakfast meeting to discuss ideas about to improve how APA communicates about science to scientists and researchers. One or more representatives from over 20 divisions attended.
Master Lecture Program: BSA selected the following speakers to participate in the 2014 Master Lecture Program at the 2014 convention: Nancy Eisenberg (Arizona State University) in the developmental psychology area, David Kenny (University of Connecticut) in the methodology/social and cultural psychology areas, Dan Stokols (University of California, Irvine) in the learning, behavior, and action area, and Timothy Trull (University of Missouri, Columbia) in the psychopathology and treatment area.
In addition, due to anticipated changes in future APA convention programming that would adversely affect continuation of the Master Lecture Program, BSA requested and received approval from the Board of Convention affairs to maintain the Master Lecture Program in its current successful format. BSA discussed and is monitoring the broader impact of changes in convention programming in order to maintain and enhance cutting edge scientific programs at the annual convention.
Distinguished Scientist Lecturer Program: BSA selected the following speakers to deliver Distinguished Lectures at regional psychology conferences: Sandra Graham (University of California, Los Angeles), Lynn Hasher (University of Toronto), and Daniel Simons (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Neal Miller Lecture: BSA selected Stuart Zola (Yerkes Research Center) as the Neal Miller Lecturer at the 2014 APA convention.
The work of the committees constitutes a large part of science governance as summarized below:
The Committee on Scientific Awards continues to recognize important scientific achievement in psychology through prestigious national awards and selected psychologists for the annual APA Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award, the Distinguished Scientific Award for the Applications of Psychology, and the Distinguished Scientific Awards for Early Career Contributions to Psychology. The Committee also serves as a resource for APA nominations for other scientific awards not conferred by APA for which members may be eligible.
The Committee on Animal Research and Ethics worked on projects that focused on educating the public about the nature of nonhuman animal research, in general, and in psychology in particular.
The Committee on Human Research developed a plan for disseminating information on current issues in the responsible conduct of research, including human research participant protections.
The Committee on Psychological Tests and Assessment began work on the revision of the Guidelines for Test User Qualifications. The Committee continued to participate in the revision of the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing.
The Science Student Council advises BSA and the Science Directorate on student-related issues, including awards and programming at the APA Convention and sent representatives to attend the spring and fall BSA meetings.
BSA members elected Dr. Leah Light as Chair for 2014.
The 2013 membership of BSA included seven white/Caucasian members, one African American member, and one Asian member. There were four women and five men. BSA solicited nominations from the ethnic minority psychological associations to enhance the ethnic diversity of the candidate pool for 2014. BSA did not have board specific diversity training during 2013.
2013 BSA members: Jalie A. Tucker, PhD, MPH (Chair), Phillip L. Ackerman,PhD, Geraldine Downey, PhD, Kathleen Y. Haaland, PhD, Martin Y. Iguchi, PhD, Leah L. Light, PhD, Saul Shiffman, PhD, Frank C. Worrell, PhD, and Sheldon Zedeck, PhD.