DIALOGUE VolumePage 117, No. 1 DIALOGUE DIALOGUE Spring, 2002

The Official Newsletter of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology Chris Crandall & Monica Biernat, Co-Editors Savannah in the Rearview Mirror, LA in the Headlights Inside the Current Issue: By Dan Cervone largest gathering ever. The our young scholars. meeting has grown substantially in each of the This moment of Savannah Attempted Murder of 2 As a great many of you SPSP Member know from first-hand two years since our first nostalgia is an apt time to experience, SPSP held its conference—which itself thank Todd Heatherton for GASP Founded, Enjoys 4 third annual convention in drew far more people than his service on the SPSP Strong Kick-Off Savannah, Georgia, on Jan. anticipated. Convention Committee. 31—Feb. 2, 2002. The Todd now leaves this Theoretical Prize; 6,7 Schaller Editorial annual meeting of our group A further sign of the vitality committee assignment after once again proved to be a of our Society and our field years of work—since the is the conference’s very beginnings of the President’s Column: 8 great success, with Claude Steele memorable moments of demographics. Of the planning for our first people in attendance in convention. Through his science and collegiality ORI Fines Evidence of 11 Savannah, more than half efforts in establishing the extending from Claude Fraud, Bans Scientist Steele’s opening came from that group of conference, Todd has left an Presidential Symposium individuals who provide so indelible mark on the fields Are you IAT-OCD? 12 through the final clash of much of the energy and the of personality and social Humor by Peter Glick Mark Baldwin’s closing new ideas of any scientific psychology. Jam Session. discipline: graduate students Graduate Student 13 and postdocs. SPSP is This is also an apt moment Committee Report Of particular note to the committed to doing all it to look ahead. If the SPSP can, via registration meeting is the highlight of Zimbardo on Why you 14 Society is our conference’s Should Belong to APA continued growth; 1327 discounts, travel awards, your year (what do you people attended the and diversity fund travel mean “Get a life”?), the grants, to continue to make good news is that you don’t Diversity Committee 16 conference in Savannah, our Report the conference attractive to (Continued on page 2) Overcoming Physics 17 Envy Strack, and Dan Wegner. New SPSP Fellows Named With the Executive Intellectual Imperialism: 18 Committee’s endorsement, Editorial by Lee Jussim The SPSP Fellows for Fellow Status in SPSP the materials for those Committee meets each year by the Executive individuals who are Publications Committee 22 to recommend members for Committee. These new members of Division 8 of Report Fellow Status in SPSP and/ SPSP Fellows are: Roy APA have been forwarded to the Membership SPSP Listserv Humor by 23 or Division 8 of APA. This Baumeiester, Bob Cialdini, Mark Leary year’s committee—Susan Rick Gibbons, Tom Committee of APA for its Andersen (Chair), Jennifer Gilovich, Peter Gollwitzer, annual consideration of Dean Keith Simonton on 24 Crocker and Jeff Jeff Greenberg, Bill Ickes, Fellow nominations. Persistent Myths Greenberg—recommended Ziva Kunda, Mario Congratulations to these 14 stellar contributors to the Mikulincer, Jamie individuals for their Dumbing it Down: Poor 26 field for this honor, and all Pennebaker, Janet Polivy, (overdue) designation as Data Analytic Choices were unanimously approved Tom Pyszczynski, Fritz SPSP Fellows!
Lou Penner on “IRBs 28 and U” Page 2 DIALOGUE

Fire Ruled Arson at Montana Home of SPSP Member Law Prevents Labeling Attempted Murder a Hate Crime By Teri Garstka joined other state university system channel their anger “into some kind of employees in a suit against the system's positive action—to build bridges across In the early morning hours of Friday, refusal to extend insurance and other the community so that no one February 8, 2002, a fire engulfed the benefits to same-sex partners of experiences hatred and prejudice.” Missoula home of SPSP Member Carla employees. The suit, filed on their Several organizations including local Grayson. Grayson, a social behalf by the American Civil Liberties gay and lesbian groups in Missoula psychologist at the University of Union, was made public on February 4, have set up funds to support Grayson Montana and her partner, Adrianne and alleges that Montana's state and her family following the fire; Neff were asleep in their home with individual letters of support or their 22-month old son when an contributions to offset costs related to unknown person or persons broke into Grayson and Neff received the fire as well as security needs for Grayson and her family as well as the their home and poured flammable death threats. The fire liquid throughout the house, setting it other plaintiffs in the case. If you are ablaze. Grayson and Neff were occurred four days later. interested, you may send contributions awakened by the fire and were able to and/or personal letters to: safely escape their home with their child but lost most of their belongings The Relief Fund in the blaze. university system violates the state C/o Pride constitution by denying partners of gay P.O. Box 775
Authorities had not identified a suspect and lesbian employees equal access to Helena MT 59624 at press time, but investigators were standard benefits. In the days treating the fire as arson and as an immediately after the suit was filed, attempted murder. Under the current Grayson, Neff, and other plaintiffs Montana state law, authorities are not received death threats. The fire occurred four days later. able to classify this as a hate crime Society for Personality and based upon the sexual orientation of the The day after the fire, Grayson spoke to Social Psychology victims involved. Visit us at www.spsp.org nearly 1,000 supporters who had Shortly before the fire, Grayson had gathered and urged the community to

From Savannah to Los Angeles: Conferences a Success

(Continued from page 1) This is also a time to welcome new 2003 Program Committee, which is have to wait too long for the next one. members of the SPSP convention team. charged with reviewing conference Our next meeting is Feb. 6-8, 2003, and Lynne Cooper, of the University of submissions and crafting the overall it will be held in Los Angeles/ program of scientific presentations, will Universal City, California. The The location not only be chaired by Tim Strauman of Duke location not only brings the obvious University, whose great breadth of attractions of Southern California, it brings the obvious scholarship in personality and social also provides a solution to the lodging attractions of Southern psychology makes him the perfect issues that inherently face a growing California, it also person for the job. (Yes, Tim, I was conference. The convention will be being serious.) held in not one, but two adjoining provides a solution to the hotels: the Sheraton Universal City and lodging issues that face a So let me be the first to say “See you in the Hilton Los Angeles/Universal City. growing conference. Los Angeles.”
Updates on the conference, including information for symposium and poster Dialogue is always looking for submissions submissions, will be available on our Missouri, joins Rick Hoyle and me on from readers. Please send articles, com- website, www.spsp.org. the SPSP Convention Committee. The mentaries, and ideas to [email protected] or [email protected]. DIALOGUEDIALOGUE PagePage 3 3 News of the Society: Growth, Prosperity, and New Opportunities

The SPSP Executive Committee held 25% of those who applied); next year, rate was 17%. Fred Rhodewalt and his its semi-annual meeting on February 3, the plan is to move to a web-based new editorial team—Vicki Helgeson, the day after the close of the successful Paula Niedenthal, Steve Rholes, Bill convention in Savannah. Financially, The Executive Committee is von Hippel, and Steve Wright—began the Society is doing fine, with about a accepting manuscripts in January, and year’s operating expenses in the bank considering methods for ex- have moved to a centralized office and the ability to maintain publications, panding the conference and system designed to expedite processing awards, and the conference for the near of manuscripts. term. The dues increase, enacted this thereby including more past year, has prevented SPSP from presentations Access to PSPB for SPSP members facing some of the budget problems will soon be available online, going being felt in many of our home colleges application system and to add a back to articles published in January and universities. A slight operating stipulation that graduate students can 1999. The hard-copy of the journal deficit this year is due to some unusual obtain a convention Travel Award only expenses, including the transition to a once during their graduate careers. The Access to PSPB for SPSP new PSPB editor and the staffing of program itself was praised, though members will soon be two editorial offices for this journal. some raised concern about the high available online, going back The Society now boasts 3711 members; rejection rate for symposia submissions of these, 1288 are students (1263 (about 75%). Although a high quality to articles published in graduate students and 25 program is desired, the Executive January 1999. The hard- undergraduates). Committee is considering methods for expanding the conference and thereby copy of the journal will still The Committee discussed the including more presentations – perhaps be delivered, but convention at some length. By all by adding a day to the meeting, starting subscribers may also gain available accounts, the Savannah earlier in the day on Thursday, or meeting was a big success (see story on adding more symposia during each access via the Ingenta p. 1). Attendance surpassed available time slot. website. expectations – some 1327 people attended the meeting – and nine pre- Journals. PSPB continues to garner will still be delivered, but subscribers conferences involving over 500 record numbers of manuscript may also gain access via the ingenta participants were held. Student Travel submissions. In 2001, the journal Awards in the amount of $300 each received 508 manuscripts (up slightly website (www.ingenta.com) after were given to 40 individuals (about from 488 in 2000), and the acceptance (Continued on page 31)

Society Considers Adopting Non-Discrimination Statement Statement, the Society is in the process of consulting with its attorney to sort out the legal issues. The statement will The Society is now considering LGBT issues, given the central be on the agenda for the August adopting a Non-Discrimination importance to our field of such LGBT- Executive Meeting of the Society at Statement to guide its practices. At the related topics as close relationships, APA in Chicago.
prompting of GASP (the GLBT interpersonal attraction, attitudes, self Alliance in Social and Personality and identity, stereotyping, prejudice, Psychology, see page 4), the Executive stigma, gender, disclosure and health. For an APA report on Committee did the following at the “Examining the Employment February meeting: There was also uniform support on the Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA): Executive committee for adopting a The scientists’ perspective,” 1) Affirm its support of LGBT (gay, formal non-discrimination policy that lesbian, bisexual, transgender) includes sexual orientation. Because visit: members of our field, and there of the variety of potential legal http://www.apa.org/pi/lgbc/ and business consequences for publications/enda.html 2) Affirm its support for research on adopting such a Non-Discrimination Page 4 DIALOGUE

GASP Debuts in 2002; Kickoff Meeting Well-Attended By Lisa Aspinwall and launched on January 4 with a single love and sexuality, stereotypes and listserv posting, the GASP web site has social judgments, health and coping, Lisa Diamond had over 860 hits, and the GASP and the relative role of genes and listserv consists of more than 50 environment in shaping human GASP, the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and members. Over time, we expect the Transgender Alliance in Social and listserv and the web site to provide a GASP is pursuing active Personality Psychology,was founded "watering hole" for LGBT colleagues and visible partnerships by Lisa Aspinwall and Lisa Diamond to make contact with each other, of the University of Utah to work with exchange professional questions and with SPSP and other the major professional organizations in advice, and identify potential mentors. organizations, such as personality and social psychology to One of our goals for the web site is to improve the climate for LGBT students provide a comprehensive list of SPSSI and APA's Div. 44 and faculty and to create a shared researchers across the country who are research and professional community willing to answer questions from experience over the life course. We for LGBT researchers and their want not only to provide professional supportive heterosexual colleagues. resources to researchers to explore GASP is nonprofit and open to all, these issues, but to increase the overall regardless of sexual orientation or visibility of LGBT research and research interest. highlight its critical contributions to the social/personality field as a whole. Why does GASP exist? GASP has two Notes GASP member Robert Gurney, major aims: fostering a positive and “Many of the issues and hypotheses productive climate for LGBT studied by social and personality researchers in social and personality psychologists are either challenged or psychology, and fostering social potential graduate students and faculty enlightened by asking how they psychological research on LGBT about the climate regarding LGBT connect to the LGBT experience. issues. issues in their city and university (If Same-sex versus opposite-sex sexual or you are willing to be such a contact, romantic attractions, for example, are With regard to the issue of climate, it please watch for announcements on the fundamental to understanding the ways bears noting that many members of our SPSP listserv or write to GASP at in which similarity is related to field have long been supportive of [email protected]). attraction. In spite of there being a LGBT issues and research on an huge number of studies of similarity- individual level, yet this support is not Fostering LGBT research is another attraction relationships..., less than a always reflected on an institutional important goal of GASP. Just as handful have addressed the experiences level. LGBT individuals continue to LGBT individuals have historically face considerable prejudice, faced discrimination and invisibility stigmatization, and isolation, within mainstream psychology, so too LGBT individuals continue particularly in professional settings. has empirical research on LGBT topics. to face considerable For example, SPSP currently lacks a Much progress has been made in the formal nondiscrimination policy and past decade, and the amount and prejudice, stigmatization, has only recently (at GASP's request) visibility of high-quality LGBT and isolation, particularly included sexual orientation in its list of research is at a record high. diversity programs. In our view, this Nonetheless, this research is still in professional settings. state of affairs represents neglect and perceived by some as a highly omission, rather than active specialized "special interest" with little of LGBT individuals. We, our discrimination and exclusion, and we relevance for mainstream concepts and research, and our experiences have a lot are encouraged by SPSP's recent research questions in social and to offer.” decision to endorse GASP and its goals personality psychology. In our view, (see accompanying article). nothing could be further from the truth. Toward this end, GASP is pursuing LGBT research addresses central active and visible partnerships with GASP's brief history provides some questions about social functioning and SPSP and other organizations, such as indication of the acute need for social development, state versus trait models SPSSI and APA's Div. 44, to spearhead and institutional support for LGBT of behavior, gender differences, efforts to facilitate intellectual students and faculty. Since being interpersonal functioning, attraction, (Continued on page 5) DIALOGUE Page 5

regarding the mission statement of the APA Council Report: Prescription Privileges, journal, instructions to authors, and American Psychologist, and Ageism editorial policies (including the use of ad hoc reviewers and appropriate By Monica Biernat Johnson (R) signed this legislation into communication among between editors law “authorizing properly trained and authors).

The APA Council of Representative psychologists to prescribe psychotropic • The Council overwhelming adopted a held its spring meeting in Washington medications to patients.” This makes resolution against ageism. The on February 15-17, with SPSP Member New Mexico the first state in the resolution describes age as “an Phil Zimbardo, the new APA President, country to institute such a law (from important element of diversity” and as chair. Though not much on the the APA Practice Directorate Press calls upon APA to “reject age based agenda was relevant to science, a few Release). discrimination and to work to stop points of general interest are worth • ageism in society.” noting: The American Psychologist Task

Force committee issued its report SPSP is represented at APA Council • The big buzz at the meeting was news following review of the “Lilienfeld matter.” This committee was chaired by its two elected Division 8 reps, that the New Mexico state legislature Monica Biernat and June Tangney. had approved a bill allowing by Phil Zimbardo, and highlights of the report appear in the March 2002 issue Amber Story filled in for Dr. prescription privileges for Tangney for the Spring meeting.
psychologists. Since the meeting, the of American Psychologist. The governor of New Mexico, Gary committee made recommendations

student research awards, and other GASP Debuts at 2002 meeting activities. We are delighted to see the widespread interest in and support of (Continued from page 4) happy to see those bright pink stickers GASP, and we encourage all of our exchange between researchers, as I walked around the conference. I colleagues to contribute their ideas and teachers, and policy makers about was amazed at the number of people feedback about the types of resources LGBT issues. We plan to expand the wearing them," and "From the GASP might provide. For more web site to contain links to different inaugural GASP events, plus others I information, or to contact GASP, the researchers and laboratories working spoke to, it seems like there is a huge GASP web site: www.psych.utah.edu/gasp. on LGBT issues, links to bibliographies interest in the group. The most and syllabi to assist with the integration You can write to GASP at either of up-to-date LGBT research into [email protected] or: undergraduate and graduate courses, Many of the issues studied notices about potential funding sources, by social /personality GASP and "nuts-and-bolts" information about c/o Lisa Aspinwall or Lisa Diamond different methods and measures psychologists are either Department of Psychology appropriate for LGBT populations, challenged or enlightened University of Utah complete with critical evaluations from by asking how they connect 380 South 1530 East, Room 502 researchers working in the field. We Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0251. also hope to provide a forum where to the LGBT experience.
researchers can identify potential collaborators for research projects and/ surprising thing to me was the number or conference submissions. of supporters." A dinner afterward attracted nearly 30 people for a The feedback we have received from Southern buffet, including several GASP's inaugural meeting at the SPSP heterosexual graduate students and Conference in February suggests faculty who accompanied their LGBT widespread interest in all of these aims. friends to the meal. In our view, this The meeting attracted 35 students and was a wonderful show of solidarity and Society for Personality and faculty, and dozens more wore GASP a productive beginning. Social Psychology Visit us at www.spsp.org badges to show their support. Several graduate students commented on the Our next step involves seeking funding show of support by SPSP attendees (including tax-deductible contributions) who wore GASP badges: "I was so to support web site development, Page 6 DIALOGUE Announcing the Theoretical Innovation Prize The SPSP Theoretical Innovation Prize personality psychology. Theoretical Committee also has the option of not recognizes an article, book chapter, or contributions may be judged innovative awarding a prize. The current unpublished manuscript judged to and generative even before they have committee is Dan Wegner (Chair), Jeff provide the most innovative theoretical accumulated substantial empirical Greenberg, Joanne Wood & Robert contribution to social/personality support; therefore an article may be Zajonc. psychology within a given year. Any judged worthy for the prize even if it kind of innovative theoretical runs the risk of empirical invalidation The prize recipient will receive a cash contribution can be considered for the in the future. The emphasis of the prize award of $750. Eligible articles may prize, including presentations of new is on a contribution's conceptual be nominated by their authors or by theories or meta-theoretical innovation and potential to motivate other members of SPSP. To nominate perspectives, new theoretically based new research and further conceptual an article for consideration, individuals integrations of disparate areas of investigation, rather than on its current should send 3 copies of the nominated inquiry, and significant extensions of level of empirical support. article to the Chair of the Prize existing theories to new areas of Committee (Dan Wegner, Department inquiry. Theoretical contributions are Eligible articles are those published as of Psychology, Harvard University, 33 eligible for the prize regardless of the papers in peer-reviewed journals or as Kirkland St. WJH 1470, Cambridge, format of their presentation, whether in book chapters during a given calendar MA 02138), along with a brief (e.g., 1- stand-alone theoretical papers, within year. The prize committee will also page) nominating letter describing how conceptually based literature reviews or consider unpublished manuscripts (of the nominated article excels on the meta-analyses, or in some other written article / chapter length) that are prize criteria. The Prize Committee format that highlights conceptual nominated during the given calendar may also consider additional eligible innovation. year. Books are not eligible. papers even if not nominated by their authors or other individuals. The initial The prize recognizes theoretical articles The decision on the Theoretical prize will be for papers published or that are especially likely to generate the Innovation Prize will be made each distributed in calendar year 2001, and discovery of new hypotheses, new year by a committee appointed by the the deadline for nominations will be phenomena, or new ways of thinking Executive Committee of SPSP. The May 31, 2002.
about the discipline of social/ after making the point that there is a flaw distinction between an alternative expla- Letter to the Editor in the procedure of a study that would nation and a different general theoretical justify its rejection for publication if the account was also discussed in a recent When reading the informative article by authors claim to have found that one paper with Hal Sigall in the Personality and Jerry Suls in the Fall, 2001 issue of Dia- variable A influences another variable B Social Psychology Review (Sigall and Mills, logue ("Report from the Editor of PSPB: and one can give a plausible account of 1998) in which we said, "A different Turning the Corner!"), I was pleasantly why the results occurred which does not general theoretical account accepts the surprised to see the statement, "My be- make the assumption that A influences existence of a relation between the con- lief has only become stronger that em- B, I wrote, "If the findings can be ex- ceptual independent variable and the pirical papers are too long-winded and plained in terms of a different theoretical conceptual dependent variable and inter- contain too many citations." which ex- viewpoint than that used by the authors, prets the relation in a different way. An presses my own long held views. I was that doesn't constitute a flaw in the pro- alternative explanation questions the also pleasantly surprised to see the state- cedure. If the authors claim to have existence of a relation between the con- ment, "I also concur with Judson Mills," found that A influences B and that this ceptual independent variable and the but then had mixed feelings about the happens because theory X (e.g., attribu- conceptual dependent variable and ex- rest of the sentence, "that a paper does tion theory) predicts it, it isn't a flaw in plains away the result." not need to address every alternative the procedure if a case can be made that -Judson Mills explanation (there should be something theory Y (e.g., dissonance theory) can left for future researchers to do)." which also predict that A influences B. Dis- Mills, J. (1977). Criteria for publication. only partly expresses my own views. agreement about the general theoretical Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 3, 523. That a study doesn't need to resolve all implications of a study is normal if the doubts about the question investigated findings are novel and the topic impor- Sigall, H. & Mills, J. (1998). Measures of so that no further research is needed is a tant. To use it as basis for not publishing independent variables and mediators are useful in social psychology experiments: But view that I expressed some years ago in a such studies has the effect of stifling PSPB article (Mills, 1977). Also in that are they necessary? Review of Personality and theoretical controversy and the develop- Social Psychology, 2, 218-226.
comment on criteria for publication, ment of theoretical ideas." The crucial DIALOGUE Page 7

Prizing Theoretical Innovation: An Editorial by Mark Schaller the rewards of doing something entirely I'm not expecting that the allure of this new. Truly novel ideas and theories prize will turn all of us into the Richard Toward the end of his career Richard take more careful nurturing. This Feynmans of social/personality Feynman (the Nobel Prize-winning nurturance may sometimes pay off big psychology, but I do hope each and physicist) regularly gave speeches in in the long term, but it's not easy to every one of us will be encouraged to which he implored younger colleagues overlook the short-term costs of spend a bit more time indulge the to be mavericks—to break free from committing resources to risky Richard Feynman parts of our brains— the shackles of intellectual conformity, conceptual ventures. to work on unfashionable problems, and to try to discover entirely novel A part of those costs lies in the No matter how theories. Real progress in his science, sometimes-frustrating process of impassioned the pleas , it he knew, depended upon individual convincing our peers. Stephen Fretwell scientists' willingness to take (the population biologist) once noted take more than mere words theoretical risks, and to encourage that "any innovative idea will be to convince scientists to riskiness in others. "The chance is high thought of as wrong by most other devote personal resources that the truth lies in the fashionable scientists" simply because it's new and direction," Feynman would say, "But, different. Inevitably, then, it takes to conceptual risk-taking. on the off-chance that it is in another greater time, effort, and determination direction . . . who will find it?" to publish groundbreaking work. to be more willing to be brash and Occasionally our own journals are So, no matter how impassioned the different, to be more devoted to the graced by similarly impassioned pleas for conceptual risk-taking, it take nurturance of novel theoretical ideas. appeals for renewed conceptually more than mere words to convince And to be more energetic in fighting to boldness. But it's easier said than done. scientists to devote personal resources get those ideas into the literature where Much as we might want to be the to conceptual risk-taking. Scientists are they can do the rest of us some good. mavericks who discover brand-new people, and people respond to personal ways of understanding the human incentives. We ask, "What's in it for I hope too that this prize serves as a me?" signal throughout the field that we must more actively encourage the Well, now there's a great new answer to publication of risky new ideas and Any innovative idea will be that question: SPSP's Theoretical different theoretical perspectives. This thought of as wrong by Innovation Prize. Here's a reward for prize should serve as an annual most other scientists big bold conceptual theorizing; it's reminder to all of us that scientific tangible, real, and at least reasonably progress depends upon the publication simply because it's new . . immediate. It ain't gonna make you of papers that don't merely answer . it takes greater time, rich, but it will pad your wallet by a questions, but that dare to ask brand- nontrivial amount. And it won't make new ones—questions that are effort, and determination you famous, but it will bring you—and sufficiently big and broad that they to publish groundbreaking your ideas—increased notoriety among can't possibly be resolved within the work. your immediate peers. You can put it space of a single journal article. on your CV. You can impress your friends and colleagues. It should also remind us that our empirical literature is most useful when psyche, and much as we want our Because this annual prize provides a empirical facts are wrapped in journals to dazzle us each month with real personal incentive to do the sort of conceptual frameworks that are bold astonishing new ideas, it's just too big, bold, conceptually novel theorizing enough to stimulate skepticism— tempting to play it safe and follow that is so necessary to scientific conceptual frameworks that push us to instead the path of conventional progress, I hope that all of us will be consider the empirical facts in ways wisdom. more inclined to take bigger, bolder that we don't necessarily have to, but conceptual risks—and to encourage which might point the way to bigger And it's no wonder, given that the this attitude in our peers. truths altogether.
immediate rewards of working within accepted paradigms typically outweigh Page 8 DIALOGUE

PRESIDENT’S COLUMN behavior and psychological functioning. Of course this world will contain The Represented World: Its particular representations of the self (e.g., of one’s efficacies, preferences, etc.) Abandoned Role in Social and of the self in relation to particular aspects of the larger world (e.g., one’s attitudes, values and expectancies in Psychology relation to particular aspects of one’s By Claude Steele person’s representation of context. context, etc.). But the focus here is on one’s representation and knowledge of At the end of the 19th Century and the The more one thinks about it, the more the broader world, the world that is beginning of the 20th Century, largely in it seems that this representation—the presumed to exists independent of one’s the hands of social scientists like Comte, person’s representation of her context, existence in it. Durkheim, Weber and Marx, an implicit that is, the world that she assumes she is negotiation took place over the contending with as her behavior But would incorporating this focus, this intellectual territory of the social unfolds—is a concept that is either additional conceptual territory, help sciences. What level of analysis would missing from our analytical tool box, or illuminate phenomena of interest to us. belong to sociology, economics, is lost beneath a pile of other tools. This A few examples come to mind that if not psychology, and so on? Social box is overflowing with definitive, may be suggestive: psychology at the time was little more conceptualizations of how people than a place-holder discipline at the represent themselves to themselves (self- Over the years research in cultural juncture of sociology and psychology—a concepts, expectancies, etc.) of how psychology has brought to light an recognized, but sparsely populated people represent themselves in relation intriguing set of psychological territory. Now, of course, we are to specific aspects of their environments differences between cultures: for plentifully populated, but sometimes I (attitudes, values, and preferences toward example, that compared to Americans, have wished, in light of the challenges we people, objects and ideas) of how people the Japanese are more self-critical, the face as a science, that we could operate on information in making Chinese and Indians make greater use of renegotiate our territory. Have we ceded judgments, inferences and attributions, context in causal attribution, and too much ground to sociology and of how people represent the goals that Southern Americans hew more strongly anthropology? By disciplinary motivate them, and so on. to a retributive culture of honor than birthright, they get to analyze the way in Northern Americans. Of course these which behavior and psychological But in understanding psychological differences, to some degree, reflect functioning are shaped by the context of functioning and behavior, we haven’t socialized differences in habits of a person’s life—personal and much concerned ourselves with how thinking and functioning--differences sociocultural. We more psychologically people represent the contexts in which learned at the mother’s knee, so to speak, oriented social psychologists, following they function. Yet in any setting, we that are deeply engrained and that would our birthright perhaps, have come to represent and assume all kinds of things: be difficult to change even in a new focus more on the internal processes of we have theories of other people’s setting. But some of them might reflect social psychological experience. minds, motives and capacities; we have less engrained, ongoing adaptations to ideas about how they will react to things; the differently represented worlds in But between this early negotiation and we have degrees of knowledge about these cultures. That is, to some degree, the present, there was the work of Kurt how the setting is organized, socially, the cultural differences documented in Lewin who explicitly claimed that social functionally, politically; we have this research could reflect more lightly behavior is inherently contextualized, not knowledge about the roles that people held adaptations to differently understandable outside of a “life space” have in the setting and the behavior and represented worlds—adaptations to to which it is calibrated. And in the 60’s judgments potentiated by those roles; we different representations of how people and 70’s we enjoyed a heyday of studies have images of the various groups in the think and respond, what they care about showing the nonobvious role of setting; we have knowledge of the and expect, how institutions function, situational factors in causing important meanings that actions and events in the etc.--rather than deeply engrained phenomena, including people’s poor setting will have; we have images of how tendencies in the psychological make up emergency intervention and obedience institutions function in the setting; we of cultural citizens. Should these citizens to authority. But the memory of this have knowledge of various norms; and immigrate to a new culture, many of the work highlights a certain drift in the so on. We have represented in our minds behaviors and judgments that focus of the field, away from context as at any given moment, a complete, self- characterized them in the old culture, an integral part of psychological relevant world. As our behavior unfolds, might change rather readily as they gain a functioning toward a focus in which it does so in response to this represented new represented world. Some might not. internal functioning is described without and assumed world. Thus the nature of But some might. And this might be reference to context, or even to the that world should powerfully shape especially so when cultural communities DIALOGUE Page 9 are close enough to have familiarity with more than a sample of Stanford women. reaction to a new perceived social each other, as in the case of subcultural Their difficulty in sustaining a course of reality. Belief change isn’t necessary. groups, or for individuals who have upward mobility seemed less rooted in a familiarity with multiple cultures. deficit of their psyches (say a lack of Would measuring this representation be Culture may exert its influence as much appropriate values or traits) than in the an insurmountable task? Of course through the perceived contingencies of actual and represented unreliability of the measuring all aspects of one’s a represented world as through its ability world in which they lived and the lack of representation of a life space context, or to socialize deeply engrained patterns of resources with which they had to face it. even or a specific context, would be thought, behavior and emotion. In Lewin’s terms, the psyche of these difficult indeed. This may be what women—their low level of conventional ultimately defeated Lewin’s efforts in this Research on stereoytpe threat is another optimism, their short-term pragmatism, respect—his grasp of hodological space example. This work shows that having to their capacity to quickly change mobility with its regions, vectors, and boundaries perform a difficult task under the threat strategies—cannot be understood notwithstanding. But measuring parts of of fulfilling a negative group stereotype outside of the unreliable life context to it, those parts that are theoretically can reliably impair one’s performance, which it is an adaptation. The nature of a relevant, should not be difficult. Any especially if one cares about doing well. one’s psychology is, in substantial part, number of construct accessibility Is this due to the person having afforded and constrained by the nature measures—for example, word internalized the negative group of one’s life context. And to understand completions, lexical decision-making stereotype as a low self-expectancy and one, one must also understand the other. tasks etc.—could be adapted to measure then fulfilling it in the face of those elements of a person’s represented frustration? Or is it due to the person (To explain social, economic or world that are most relevant to a having to contend with an ongoing educational inequality in terms of behavior or phenomenon in question. contingency of her represented world, decontextualized psychological that one’s frustration on this task could characteristics of the victims, will Rather, the challenge of this idea appears be construed as reflecting the self-truth generally sound harsh because it excludes to be more one of theory. It requires that of a negative group stereotype? In this any comparable description of the our theory go beyond describing the last view, the performance impairment is circumstances to which that internal processes that underlie a not mediated through an internalized psychological characteristic is an phenomenon to include clear statements state—such as an internalized low adaptation. It thus implies that the about what exactly, in a person’s context expectancy. It is mediated through the psychological characteristic is the cause or context representation, the process is person’s ongoing contention with a of the inequality rather than something in contention with. What is the person contingency of her represented world, that may be sustained by it.) doing and in relation to what? Of course that is, her representation of the context we do incorporate context into theory. of her behavior and the threat that The work of Bob Cialdini and his But generally, its role is limited to that of context holds. Should that representation colleagues on littering can be a last getting an internal processes started. change so as to eliminate the threatening example. This research often pits an Once a prime or a threat from the contingency posed by the stereotype, her explicit persuasion attempt—“please do environment, for example, has launched performance should improve—as it does not litter because…”—against an a psychological process, the environment in those conditions of stereotype threat implicit norm—say, the absence of any and its representation in the subject’s experiments that eliminate the litter in a parking garage that one enters. mind tend to drop from our conceptual represented risk of stereotype Almost invariably, the implicit norm— view. Keeping it in view, and confirmation. conveying what people actually do in a understanding that the very nature of the setting—reduces littering more phenomenon we are studying is likely to David Sherman and I saw another effectively than trying to change the be shaped by the subjects’ full powerful example of how the context, person’s attitude. Dan Kahnneman and representation of the context with which and one’s representation of it, can affect Dale Miller developed a general theory he is contending, should make our one’s psychology and behavior in a series of how norms are constructed. And science better, more veridical, more of interviews we did with mothers in a subsequent research shows that generalizable, and more predictive. We homeless shelter. These women had only misperceived norms can lead people to have to remember that this territory was enough education for minimum-wage go against their own preferences and claimed for us. Lewin struggled with jobs and lived in often chaotic and values—for example, drinking a lot at how to incorporate context into the unreliable worlds with no supports, that college because such behavior is understanding of behavior. I, for one, is, no child care, no health insurance, no perceived as normative when, in fact, believe that we should sustain that housing aid, and no family connection or few students want to drink that much. In struggle. And in the way of enticement, support. And yet, as we and others have present terms, norms have their my suspicion is that doing so could open found, they seemed to hold strong influence by changing the person’s up new frontiers of theory and middle-class values. For example, they representation of the context. Behavior phenomena, a period of lower hanging valued independence and self-sufficiency then changes almost automatically, in fruit.
Page 10 DIALOGUE DIALOGUE Page 11 Additional Ruggiero articles retracted: Office of Research Integrity finds misconduct By Chris Crandall and she may not serve on advisory panels, some participants who should have Monica Biernat participate in peer review, or act been included in the analyses and that as a consultant on any Federal grants or this exclusion of data was solely my After several months of review, on contracts. doing and was not contributed to or November 26, 2001, the Office of known by my co-authors." Research Integrity (ORI) has made a The ORI found that four articles that "Finding of Scientific Misconduct" in reported work performed while Dr. These two retractions join those for the case of former Harvard and Ruggiero was supported by NIH (1999) "Less pain and more to gain: University of Texas social psychologist required retraction. Retractions have Why high-status group members blame Karen Ruggiero. The ORI is an office already appeared for the first two their failure on discrimination" Journal within the Department of Health and articles (see Dialogue, 16(2), Fall, of Personality and Social Psychology, Human Services, which oversees the 2001). 77, 774-784, and (2000) "Why did I get National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. a 'D'? The effects of social comparison Ruggiero was accused of scientific on women's attributions to misconduct while conducting research Dr. Ruggiero has agreed to discrimination" Personality and Social supported by NIH. The ORI report was exclude herself from Psychology Bulletin, 26, 1271-1283. based substantially on an investigation contracting or and report instigated by Harvard Ruggiero is the lead author on all four University. subcontracting with any of the retracted articles. Since 1997, US government agency, or seven research articles appear in ORI found that "Dr. Ruggiero engaged PsycINFO with Karen Ruggiero first in scientific misconduct by fabricating receiving any grants for a author; the remaining three have not data in research supported by the period of five years, been retracted at this time. National Institutes of Health". The ending November 26, 2006 report was printed in the December 12, Because of the structure of 2001 Federal Register, and is available the database, most online at http://ori.dhhs.gov/html/ misconduct/ruggiero.asp Two new articles are in the process of searches—but not all— being withdrawn. The first new that select and display the retraction is for the paper "Group status and attributions to discrimination: Are retracted article also Dr. Ruggiero engaged in low- or high-status group members display the retraction. scientific misconduct by more likely to blame their failure on fabricating data in discrimination?" by K.M. Ruggiero and B.N. Major (1998), Personality and Only two of the retractions appear in research supported by the Social Psychology Bulletin, 24, 821- PsycINFO as of early March 2002. National Institutes of 838. The printed reason was "because Because of the structure of the serious questions exist concerning the database, most searches—but not all— Health validity of the data which relate solely that select and display the retracted to my own work and which do not article also display the retraction. APA Dr. Ruggiero has entered a Voluntary implicate my co-author in any way". has been working on fixing the Exclusion Agreement with the US database, but because of technical Public Health Service (which oversees A fourth retraction is also forthcoming. difficulties and coordination with the NIH). As a result of the This paper is "Now you see it, now you vendors, it may take a few years before investigation, Dr. Ruggiero has agreed don't: Explicit versus implicit measures all of the PsycINFO databases actually to exclude herself from contracting or of the personal/group discrimination do this. subcontracting with any US discrepancy" by K.M. Ruggiero, J.P. government agency, or receiving any Mitchell, N. Krieger, Marx, D.M. & Dr. Ruggiero has declined to comment grants for a period of five years, ending M.L. Lorenzo (2000), Psychological to Dialogue.
November 26, 2006. During this time, Science, 22, 57-67. The printed reason was "because I improperly excluded Page 12 DIALOGUE Help Tony’s Kids!: Signs and Symptoms of IAT-OCD By Peter Glick recommend Gifford Weary Have you tried the IAT… Step 4: Sever all links with the IAT Clinicians have recently become aware website of a new anxiety disorder, IAT-OCD: •As classroom exercise? Step 5: Abstain from any and all IAT an obsessive interest in the Implicit •On your relatives? use Association Test coupled with •On telephone solicitors? Step 6: Never use the term “Gold compulsive tendencies to create and •As a way to spice up parties? Standard” administer these tests to research Step 7: Apologize (explicitly!) to participants, colleagues, friends, Have you ever… everyone to whom you have strangers, and relatives. administered the IAT •Given a talk/submitted a paper

This epidemic is growing at an involving the IAT? exponential rate, almost exclusively •Used “IAT” as a verb? Step 2: Surrender control among social psychologists. Because of •Attempted to explain the IAT to your over your dependent the alarming spread of this epidemic mother or father? and the tendency of its sufferers to •Successfully explained the IAT to your measures deny that they have a problem, every mother or father? social psychologist is advised to •Asked a colleague “But have you tried Step 8: Remove the ‘a’ and ‘5’ keys complete the following self-diagnostic to look at that implicitly?” from ALL of your computer keyboards questionnaire: •Visited a pornography website Step 9: Avoid experiments with because it promised “implicit priming or reaction time, which may Give yourself a point for each photographs”? lead to IAT use Step 10 affirmative response to the : Recognize that implicit symptoms listed below: Add together all affirmative spirituality is an empty concept responses. Subtract 10 points if you Step 11: Stop renewing your Inquisit •Have you visited the IAT website? have been asking yourself “What is program •More than twice daily? an IAT?” Step 12: Take it one data-point at a •Have it bookmarked? time •Have it linked to your homepage? •Have it AS your homepage? Have you tried the IAT… PREVENTING IAT-RELAPSE: •Personally account for more than 1% As classroom exercise? of the over 1,000,000 hits on the site? The IAT is highly addictive and relapse •Calculated the future date on which On your relatives? is all too common. Below are some the total number of IAT-website hits On telephone solicitors? steps you can take toward continued will surpass the number of hamburgers abstinence, your only hope! sold by MacDonalds? As a way to spice up AVOID going to conferences where parties? Which of the following have you attitude and social cognition research experienced? You may be IAT-OCD! are prominent. (Paradoxically, there is some evidence that repeatedly hearing •Frequent desire to create new IATs? explanations of how the IAT is •Fantasies of being Tony Greenwald or conducted in talk after talk after talk Mahzarin Banaji? If you scored above 10, you are in need may reduce IAT-dependence. •Fantasies of being Tony Greenwald of the following 12-Step Program for However, until this research is AND Mahzarin Banaji simultaneously? IAT recovery. replicated with explicit measures, we •Spontaneous knee-tapping? recommend avoidance!) If you are •Desire to legally change your name so Step 1: Recognize that you are an required by your department to attend that your initials would be I.A.T.? IATaholic job talks where IAT data are presented, •A need to stop answering these Step 2: Surrender control over your look away, hold your ears, and hum questions to work on an IAT? dependent measures loudly at the appropriate points. (Continued on page 13) Step 3: Submit to a higher power – we DIALOGUE Page 13 Graduate Student Committee Ends First Year

By Heidi Eyre with faculty members and other use of the graduate student listserv by students, and the social hours. introducing an anonymous advice Past-President However, several respondents did not column format enjoy some of the expenses incurred The Graduate Student Committee has and the poster session organization. Of Our new 2002-2003 committee had a very productive first year! We those who did not attend, they listed members are Camille Johnson, organized roommate arrangements for reasons such as expense, lack of President ([email protected]), the SPSP conference, conducted a funding, and time conflicts as their Heidi Eyre, Past-President roundtable discussion during the reasons for not attending. ([email protected]), and Jo conference, helped with the APA Korchmaros ([email protected]), Academic Pre-conference, conducted The new committee is working Megan Kozak our own short pre-conference entitled fervently to address the issues that ([email protected]), Jennifer “Women in Academia,” set up a students brought up in this survey. For Harman ([email protected]), and graduate student listserv, and elected example, we are compiling a list of Amanda Scott ([email protected]), new officers for 2002-2003. alternative (read cheaper) hotels that Members-at-Large. Please contact us if are near the conference hotel, in you have ideas or would like to help We also conducted a survey of all of addition to helping those who are out with any of our projects. We want the graduate student members of SPSP seeking roommates find one another in to get as many graduate students in order to see how we could best serve order to reduce conference costs. We actively involved in the organization as the graduate student populace. We also want to facilitate more formal possible! found that students’ primary concerns discussions on nonacademic jobs, are with getting jobs, receiving networking, and so forth at the next Finally, a parting joke for you. funding, and publishing. About half of conference. We are in the process of Question: How many graduate the 247 respondents had attended an creating a graduate student webpage to students does it take to screw in a light SPSP conference and those that had allow students easy access to pertinent bulb? Answer: Just one, but it takes attended enjoyed the quality of information and attempting to increase him/her 6 years to do it!
research, the opportunity to network

Help Tony’s Kids!: More Signs and Symptoms of IAT-OCD

(Continued from page 12) was pushing the IAT on colleagues TESTIMONIALS: who were skeptical, telling them to try DO NOT read the first section of JPSP it “just once,” knowing they would get or Social Cognition and check all hooked. Now I can’t stop myself. I abstracts carefully before reading the I realized I needed more have no explicit control left over my methods section of any article to avoid variables. I’m ready to surrender to a IAT exposure. and more IATs to make me higher power than Tony – is there is happy, that I couldn’t go such a thing? DO NOT be fooled by IAT-abusers for a day without making a who suggest that you take “just one” Stephanie G.: Denial, what denial? I IAT to see whether you are cured. (We new IAT. can quit anytime I want. Okay, so after have become aware of some addicts an hour the spontaneous knee-tapping who claim to have an implicit test of starts. Big deal, I like tapping my IAT addiction. Beware! This only leads knees. It isn’t hurting anyone else, is it? to renewed addiction!) Laurie R.: It all started with a post- Look, 1,000,000 websurfers can’t be doc. Tony seemed so nice and it was so wrong can they? Oh my God, I’m Be sure to attend meetings of IAT-anon easy and fun to create my own IATs. It hooked, aren’t I? Is there an implicit support groups. If one is not available was just a blast at first, but then I diagnostic test for this? Please, help in your area, try the on-line support realized I needed more and more IATs me. Okay, I have to get back to the lab. room at: to make me happy, that I couldn’t go
http://www.IATabusers.com. for a day without making a new IAT. I Page 14 DIALOGUE

Why should you belong to APA?

By Phil Zimbardo, academics," or "my dues go only to research landscape, staff request input Division 8 Fellow and support Practice." The more I have from relevant experts and draft a learned, the more I have been comment or letter from APA. In the APA President motivated to contribute my time, last year APA has made comments on a One of the first things that newly- energy and talents to further these wide variety of proposed legislation/ elected APA Presidents do is get efforts (as I will outline at the end of regulation from education legislation to briefed by staff on the structure, this note). If you want to know the animal research issues to regulation function and activities of APA's whole gamut of things the Science over medical records privacy and organization and its members. When I Directorate does, please check out its genetics testing, to policies describing first became President I knew about as web page -- www.apa.org/science. standards for the accreditation of much about APA as the typical research programs. For each of these member—I subscribed to the journals, I APA serves as our eyes, issues, some Division 8 members have read parts of the Monitor, gave talks at ears, hands and feet in been asked for their input. conventions, and I knew that there was a large organization "somewhere" making sure that APA also advocates in a different way: doing things in support of Psychology. psychology gets funded There is regular APA representation at Unlike most APA presidents, I was a and represented at federal major meetings of other societies or total outsider to APA governance, organizations (e.g., Society for never having had anything to do with and local levels. Neuroscience, AAAS, National its Council of Representatives, task Academies of Science), where larger forces or many committees. I paid my science initiatives and issues are Here are a few highlights in just three dues, used APA when I needed to, but discussed. In these venues APA has areas—advocacy, training, and what I never worked in its trenches. I won the presented information on ethics, will call "burning issues." These election based on solely on the credits I research regulation and IRBs, and has activities underscore what APA does had earned as an academic-scientist. given comments to National Research "behind the scenes" in service to us all. Council committees on their scope and

It has been an eye opener for me to work plans. I attend a bi-annual Advocacy: You probably all know that discover the range, number and extent conference of the presidents of all 62 APA has a large presence on Capitol of projects, task forces, actions and scientific societies, where psychology Hill through its activism for mental initiatives meant to further our is the only social/ behavioral science health parity and prescription discipline, advocate for psychological represented, and have been able to privileges. But did you know that APA science, and apply psychological impress these physicists, biologists and has an equally vocal presence for knowledge in the service of society. I others of the many ways in which science matters? APA staffers monitor also had no idea of the large staff psychology is relevant to issues of what is happening on the Hill and in infrastructure at APA that serves as our national defense, terrorism, and more. Federal Agencies relevant to eyes, ears, hands and feet in making researchers (NSF and NIH -- including sure that psychology gets funded and Training: APA's most visible student institutes NIMH, NICHD, NCI, represented at federal and local levels, activities occur through it graduate NINDS, NIDA, NIAAA, NIA; and VA, in making sure that the very best of student association, APAGS -- but did NASA, DOE, and DoD to name a science, application and practice come you know that the Science Directorate few—a lot of alphabet soup, but rich in to the attention of policy makers and sponsors the "Science Student Council" funds that we want to tap into). They implementers, and in fostering -- a group of 10 students who engage work separately and in coalitions to psychology's collaborations with other other science graduate students in advocate for behavioral science scientific disciplines. convention programming, an extensive funding, and for report language in web presence, an email network, a federal bills in support of behavioral I realize I sound like a cult convert, but grant program and more? The Science science research. In addition to want to share with my colleagues in Directorate is also involved in direct lobbying efforts, APA staff continually social and personality psychology a training activities, including two that monitor and respond to doings in the few of the things that I've learned that social psychologists have found federal research arena. Whenever there APA does for its scientists. I hope it particularly valuable. One is for more will help dispel the myth that "APA are requests for comment on proposed does nothing for scientists or regulations or laws or changes to the (Continued on page 15) DIALOGUE Page 15

the Science sections in the monthly (continued from page 14) Monitor -- get read or noticed by social Why Belong to APA? psychologists. Only you can answer that one, but I want to assure you that advanced researchers -- the Science survey the issues and make there are eager ears waiting to hear Directorate's first "Advanced Training recommendations about what to do from you -- mine, Bob Sternberg's Institute" in 1999 on fMRI attracted a next. For example, the research on the (APA's president-elect who will carry number of social psychologists who Internet group (chaired by Robert on the scientific tradition), and the staff wanted to see how they could use new Kraut) is looking at technical, ethical, of the Science Directorate. Let us know scanning techniques in their own and other implications of using the about your vision for issues psychology research. The second is directed toward and APA need to address. When there advanced graduate students and young I am planning to have APA is legislation to comment on or when faculty, the Academic Career there are emerging trends to be Workshop. This workshop, which develop the standard text monitored and addressed that you think delves into the nitty-gritty of finding, for high school psychology important tell us so that we can act on getting and keeping an academic courses. your behalf. research position, has been offered for two years at the winter SPSP meetings. Finally, let me mention a few things APA offers many more opportunities internet as a tool for collecting data, as that I will be focusing on during my for learning—from teaching tips for a means of assistance to researchers presidential tenure, in addition to faculty, to a week course on who are or intend to use this tool. helping develop a high school text and psychology in general for outstanding Current groups that are being formed Psychology Science Fairs. I am science undergraduates, to the are a working group on the working with the heads of APS to find Exploring Behavior Week outreach to implications of the genetic revolution areas in which our organizations can high school students. I will add that for psychological research and meaningfully collaborate for the benefit each of these activities is something in knowledge, and an ad hoc group to of psychological science. I am which you or your students could address current issues in research advancing an initiative to develop a participate. I am planning to have APA regulation, especially IRB activities. I compendium of all research develop the standard text for high know the IRB issue is one that is of a psychologists have done that school psychology courses, to lot of concern among social demonstrates a significant difference in collaborate with APS in promoting psychologists—you should know that improving some aspect of our lives, psychology science at high school APA is soliciting input from us all—on individually or collectively. Data are science fairs, and to develop new web IRB issues and how they were coming in from this survey (to which I sites for training high school and resolved, and from psychologists who would like each of you to contribute, College teachers in being more are now or were IRB members or see http://research.apa.org/survey/ effective in their teaching. chairs (if you can contribute, please compendium/ ). indicate this to [email protected]). When collated and organized by an "Burning Issues" Activities: You task force of our experts this may know about APA's standard I could continue this list of things the compendium will be invaluable for governance groups—the Board of science directorate and APA do for creating a more positive image of Scientific Affairs (BSA) consists of 9 social psychologists and social psychology to Congress, the media and outstanding scientists (current Chair is psychology—I have not even to the public. I hope this quick Harry Reis, Div 8 Executive Officer), mentioned the ongoing things for the overview has been of some value to and its three standing Committees, entire field such as research based you and encourages you to continue CPTA (Committee on Psychological awards, student grants, conference your APA membership, join if you are Tests and Assessments), CARE awards, and more that demonstrate that not, and promote APA to your students. (Committee on Animal Research & APA respects its scientific foundation. One last word, the Chicago Convention Ethics) and COSA (Committee on But there is a more important point that (Aug 22-25) will be the best ever, in Scientific Awards). But you may not I would like to address which is the part because I am working closely with know that BSA regularly supports the perception that APA does nothing. the Board of Convention Affairs to establishment of working groups or When I mentioned this perception to have many new, amazing features, task forces that address timely issues. Science Directorate staff (headed by fabulous events, special guests with fun Two recent ones are a working group Dr. Kurt Salzinger), they were pained and good times and rock and roll for on Internet research and a task force on and wondered if their regular efforts -- all.
testing on the Internet. Each of these substantial communications such as, groups, comprised of experts in the Psychological Science Agenda, the bi- topics, has been called together to monthly newsletter; listserv notes; and Page 16 DIALOGUE

Diversity Committee Gives Awards, Support to Scientists and Graduate Students By Ann Bettencourt California; Chu Kim-Prieto, Univ. of Herek, a member of the Diversity Illinois-Urbana/Champaign, Maryann Committee, will serve as chair and In 2001, Ed Diener appointed a three- Menotti, SUNY- Buffalo; Garcia Viki, discussant. The Diversity Committee member Diversity Committee to Univ. of Kent, Canterbury. also has been working with the GLBT continue and expand SPSP’s diversity Alliance in Personality and Social programs, initiated in 2000 by the At the Diversity Awards Reception, Psychology (GASP) to assist in their Training committee. Through diversity these recipients were honored by the organizational efforts. Working with programs, SPSP strives to increase the past and present SPSP Presidents, Ed GASP In the future, the committee level of diversity in personality and Diener and Claude Steele,as well as the hopes to continue to make research on social psychology, thereby enriching SPSP Secretary-Treasurer Sharon LGBT topics more visible in SPSP and research, teaching, and advising, better Brehm, the SPSP Executive Officer, to make SPSP a more comfortable preparing the field for a world in which Harry Reis, the members of the place for our members who are lesbian, globalization, multiculturalism, and Executive Committee, graduate student gay, bisexual, or transgendered. peers, SPSP Members, and the diversity play a central role in human Deserving of a special note of behavior. The Diversity Programs are Diversity Committee members. Claude Steele’s inspirational welcoming appreciation are the SPSP members supported by donations from publishers who approached their publishers to upon the request of SPSP members and remarks revealed vigorous dedication to the advancement of diversity in encourage donations to support the by additional funds allotted by the Diversity Travel Awards Program; Executive Committee. Members of Personality and Social Psychology. The benefits of the Diversity Program were including Elliot Aronson, Sharon SPSP are encouraged to contribute to Brehm, Bob Cialdini, Steve Fein, Sam the program in a number of ways, echoed by the responses of the award winners. They reported an increased Gaertner, Saul Kassin, Doug Kenrick, including by: (1) Making a financial Diane Mackie, David Myers, Steve contribution to the Diversity Fund, (2) sense of commitment to research careers in social and personality Neuberg, Felicia Pratto, Peter Salovey, contacting their publishers to determine James Sidanius, Eliot Smith, Shelley willingness to contribute to the fund, psychology, generated from receiving recognition and having an opportunity Taylor, & Phil Zimbardo. Their efforts (3) becoming SPSP Faculty Mentors have led to generous contributions from via the Social Psychology Network to see the profession in action at the SPSP Meeting. Several of the Diversity the following foundations and Profile, and (4) providing suggestions publishers: the David and Carol Myers to the members of the SPSP Diversity awardees expressed hope that the SPSP membership realize the importance of Foundation and McGraw-Hill, Worth Committee. Publishers, Psychology Press, Prentice this opportunity as well as gratitude for SPSP’s dedication to enhancing Hall, Guilford Publications, and Much of the Diversity Committee’s Houghton Mifflin Publishers. We also activities during the year culminated in diversity in the field of social and personality psychology. owe special thanks to Scott Plous and the Diversity Awards Program and the members of the Graduate Training Reception, held at the 2002 SPSP This year, the committee was also Committee for their efforts in Meeting in Savannah. The availability charged with expanding efforts to launching the Diversity Travel Awards of the Diversity Travel Awards was further meet SPSP’s diversity goals. Program and for their continuing advertised in the fall of 2001 and drew As such, the committee has been support toward the success of the larger 95 applicants. Six award winners and involved in initiating and supporting program. six honorable mentions were selected programs to improve the climate for from these very deserving applicants. lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender The Diversity Committee hope to be Jamie Loran Franco, Univ. of (LGBT) individuals in social able to report on additional diversity California, Santa Cruz; Janetta Lun, psychology. Toward this end, the related program developments. The Univ. of Virginia; Danielle Menzies- Committee worked with Joshua committee looks forward to Toman, McGill Univ.; Lisa Molix, Aronson, chair of the Division 8 contributions and suggestions from the Univ. of Missouri; Luis M. Rivera, Program Committee, to increase the members of SPSP toward our diversity Univ. of Massachusetts; Benjamin visibility of empirical research on promoting efforts. To contact the Saunders, Univ. of Illinois at Chicago LGBT topics at the APA convention. members of the SPSP Diversity each received a travel award. The The result is that SPSP will sponsor an Committee, email Ann Bettencourt at honorable mentions were Belinda invited symposium at APA, titled [email protected]; Greg Campos, Univ. of California, Berkeley; "Heterosexism: Characteristics, Causes, Herek at [email protected]; or Roxana Gonzalez, Carnegie Mellon; and Consequences." Janet Swim is Lloyd Sloan at [email protected].
Mary Hulitt, Univ. of Southern organizing the symposium, and Greg DIALOGUE Page 17

3. Error and aggregation in measurement Psychology and Astrophysics: How does one obtain an accurate image Overcoming Physics Envy of a star? One strategy that astrophysicists use is to take multiple constructs are equal. Are gravity, black By R. Michael Furr pictures of the star and aggregate over holes, short term memory, and the pictures (e.g., Ghez, Morris, Becklin, superego on equal scientific footing? I am not an astrophysicist, but I have Tanner, & Kremenek, 2000). Why? Perhaps not. Nevertheless, to the seen one on TV. A cable channel Because each single picture (i.e., item) degree that research finds, or even recently aired a program called is affected by error, such as might find, physiological bases (or “Supermassive Black Holes,” and atmospheric disturbances. By correlates) of constructs such as sometimes even cable TV can get a aggregating over the images, the Memory. Intelligence, or Extraversion person thinking…. What in the world random error washes out, leaving a nice (e.g., Zuckerman, 1995), we might feel (so to speak) do Black Holes have to do clear image of the star itself. There are more and more confident in positing with social and personality a variety of other sources of error and a and defending the existence of such psychology? A consideration of how corresponding variety of corrections unobservable constructs. astrophysicists conduct their research that Astrophysicists use, but the basic reveals some interesting parallels with logic of measurement error and 2. Correlational research psychology. aggregation could be straight from the

discussion of reliability found in a Astrophysicists working with galaxies 1. Unobservable constructs typical psychometric textbook. cannot do too many experimental

manipulations, but they seem to get by. Some key constructs in astrophysics are 4. Concern over generalizability One astrophysicist interviewed on the not directly observable but are instead “Supermassive” TV show proudly inferred from the behavior of entities This includes at least two issues that claimed that “what we do is to search that can be observed. A classic psychologists might recognize as for correlations.” The point here is that example is gravity. As described in a random sampling and cohort effects. the underlying correlational recent introductory physics book At least one astrophysicist has admitted methodology and analysis is the same (Seaborn, 1998), Galileo astutely the possibility that findings on which as that used in some of the “softer” noticed, among other things, that much of the science is based may be of areas of psychology. What is odd, cannonballs tend to fall to earth. He limited generalizability. For example, though, is that an undergraduate conducted research to describe the Harwit (1998) states that the reading the typical textbook in relations between muzzle velocity, knowledge of large-scale dynamics is psychological research methods could trajectory, and distance of cannonball based on extrapolations made from be forgiven for believing that flight. Later, Newton drew a parallel research on our Solar System, and he “correlational” research is a second- between the behavior of cannonballs, suggests that there is “no guarantee that class substitute for good experimental the behavior of the moon, and, as this extrapolation is warranted” (p. 9). research. legend has it, the behavior of apples. Even more intriguing than this issue of

From the behavior of such observable “convenience sampling,” is a recent Consider a recent investigation of the entities, Newton posited the existence study that has been interpreted as correlation between the mass of the of an unobservable force that he called showing that the very laws of nature black hole at the center of a galaxy and “gravity” and eventually published a might be changing as the universe ages the average velocity of stars at the edge law of universal gravitation. So far, (Webb et al., 2001). One might ponder of the galaxy (Gebhardt et al., 2000). this idea has worked out pretty well. the parallels between the study of “our This correlational study has such Solar System as it appears in the year crucial implications that some claim “it A bit more recently, and a bit closer to 2001” and the study of “American almost has the status of a new law of intellectual home, MacCorquodale and undergraduates in the year 2001.” In nature” (Musser, 2000). OK, so the Meehl (1948) noted the self- both cases, might one question the correlation is .93, which is a bit larger consciousness that psychologists seem ability to generalize across “subjects” than the effect sizes typically found in to feel when daring to posit the and time? Psychology (by the way, it was existence of unobservable or statistically significant). Still, not bad hypothetical constructs, and they I hope that this brief survey of for what sometimes comes across as a contrasted this with the apparent similarities will not be interpreted as second-class methodology. comfort felt by physicists. Of course, another case of “physics envy.”

MacCorquodale and Meehl go on to Clearly, it omits the important and point out that not all unobservable (Continued on page 21) Page 18 DIALOGUE

Intellectual Imperialism Just because researcher Smith An Invited Editorial published pattern X first, does that necessarily mean that a subsequent By Lee Jussim attempt to quash alternative theories, study by researcher Jones, who found perspectives, or methodologies. Within pattern not X, is fatally flawed? I do Agricultural imperialism American psychology, for example, not see it—there is no logical or behaviorism from the 1920s through philosophical reason to ascribe higher A few years ago, while casually the 1960s is one of the best examples quality to a study just because it was skimming through some social science of intellectual imperialism. performed first. Doing so constitutes journals, I came across an article on Behaviorists often characterized intellectual imperialism—unjustifiably "agricultural imperialism." I almost researchers taking other (non- presuming one study's findings are lost it right there. Talk about taking a behaviorist) approaches to psychology superior to another's. reasonable idea (imperialism) to a as "nonscientific" (see, e.g. Skinner, bizarre, exaggerated extreme. I had 1990). And, although other forms of The un(or at least rarely)questioned visions of vast fields of wheat, armed psychology did not die out, superiority of the experiment to the teeth, prepared to wage war on behaviorism dominated empirical, defenseless fields of barley, soy, and experimental American psychology for Correlation does not mean causality. A rice. four decades. Although behaviorism knee jerk reaction we have all been undoubtedly provided major taught since our first statistics class and Until I started reading the article. The contributions to psychology, to the maybe even our first psychology class. author's point was that agricultural extent that the scientific study of intra- But it is wrong. Correlation does mean production was becoming so psychic phenomena (attitudes, self, causality. If we discover that A is standardized and excessively focused decisions, beliefs, emotions, etc.) was correlated with B, then we now know around a relatively small number of dismissed, ridiculed, or suppressed, either that: 1) A causes B; 2) B causes crops (such as corn, rice, soy, and behaviorism also impeded progress in A; 3) C (or some set of C's) cause both wheat), that many local, unique, and psychology. A and B; or 4) some combination of 1, indigenous products were being 2, and 3 are true. This is not nothing -- squeezed out of the marketplace and, Unjustified rejection of failures to indeed, although we do not know the functionally, out of production. And replicate precise direction or set of directions in the point was not that this was, by which causality flows, we know a lot itself, intrinsically bad. Instead, over- Intellectual imperialism emerges in all more about causality than we did reliance on a fairly small number of sorts of ways. One common before we obtained the correlation. crops would seem to put much of the manifestation is reviewers' tendency to human race at excessive risk should an reject articles because they do not find As far as I can tell, it has been act of god (drought, disease, etc.) (what the reviewer believes) someone overwhelmingly, and perhaps decimate one or two particular crops. else has. Such studies seem to me to exclusively, experimentalists who have Although the author did not quite put it have unusual potential to be touted the absolute superiority of the this way, just as it is important to particularly informative and intriguing. experiment. Researchers who routinely diversify your stock portfolio, it is They raise all sorts of possibilities, engage in both experimental and important for us, both as individuals such as: The original finding or nonexperimental work rarely make this and as a species, to diversify our food phenomena is not as powerful or claim. sources. And the creeping widespread as the initial studies seemed Westernization of agriculture to suggest; the new pattern may be as And the superiority of the experiment threatened to undermine the diversity or more common than the original has been greatly exaggerated. Whole of those food sources. finding; there may be conditions under fields with considerably more scientific which one or the other is more likely to status and recognition than social What is intellectual imperialism? hold. But a common knee-jerk sort of psychology, such as astronomy, reaction is "There must be something paleontology, and evolutionary biology I use the term "intellectual wrong with the study if pattern X failed do not rely primarily on experiments imperialism" to refer to the unjustified to replicate." Certainly, this is possible. for building theory and discovering and ultimately counterproductive But, it is also possible that there was new knowledge. tendency in intellectual/scholarly something wrong (or limited or left circles to denigrate, dismiss, and unarticulated) in the original study or (Continued on page 19) studies demonstrating pattern X. DIALOGUE Page 19

differences between conditions, not complement each other so well. Put Intellectual because the manipulation worked, but this way, it probably seems obvious. If Imperialism, Cont. because participants figure out what so, then you are already agreeing with responses the experimenter wanted me that any tendency toward (Continued from page 18) them to provide. methodological imperialism Of course, if we compare a perfect (dismissing, derogating, giving less experiment (i.e., one whose procedures Naturalistic studies nonetheless do credence to naturalistic studies over are fully articulated, instituted have a harder time ruling out those experiments) is not a healthy thing for flawlessly, which leaves open no pesky C's. But, if there is any prior our field. alternative explanations, and involves empirical work in the area, any theory, no measurement error) to a realistic or even any related theories, the The curious case of (in)accuracy. naturalistic study, the experiment is researcher may often have a good idea superior. But not if we compare a of just who are the most likely For years social psychologists, perfect experiment to a perfect contenders for C's. They can then be especially those with a social cognition naturalistic study. Our hypothetical measured and controlled. Not orientation, have waxed enthusiastic perfect naturalistic study is also necessarily as good as an experiment, over error and bias research, rejecting executed perfectly, is longitudinal but not a sloppy second, either, at least almost out of hand accuracy research. (thereby ruling out B, which is not if those C's are reasonably well Consider this: measured at Time 2 from causing A, measured. Indeed, because researchers "Despite the obvious importance to which is measured at Time 1), includes using naturalistic designs may be more social psychology of knowledge about measures of all possible alternative sensitive to C's than many person perception processes, the explanations (all possible "C's" in the C experimentalists, they may often make development of such knowledge was causes A and B sense), and all more of an effort to include, measure, delayed by a preoccupation with the measures are free of error. In such a and control those C's in their designs. accuracy of judgments about case, the experiment and naturalistic If so, at least some naturalistic studies personality ... The naivete of this early study are equally perfectly capable of may do a better job of ruling out C's assessment research was ultimately assessing causal relations between A than some experiments. exposed by Cronbach's elegant critique and B. in 1955. Cronbach showed that Furthermore, even if the causal accuracy criteria are elusive and that What about a realistically good inferences derivable from a typical the determinants of rating responses experiment and a realistically good naturalistic study are not quite as are psychometrically complex" (Jones, naturalistic study (which, of course, is convincing as those derived from a 1985). the bottom line issue)? Because this typical experiment, the naturalistic issue is too complex to deal with in this study will often provide more "The accuracy issue has all but faded type of short essay, I will make only a information about naturally-occurring from view in recent years ... On the few brief points here. Although there relationships than will an experiment. other hand, in recent years, there has may be some net advantage of To the extent that we are trying to been a renewed interest in how, why, experiments over naturalistic studies, understand basic processes, therefore, I and in what circumstances people are that advantage is small and would give the edge to the experiment. inaccurate." (Schneider, Hastorf, & quantitative, rather than an absolute But to the extent that we are trying to Ellsworth, 1979). quantum leap. Both rule out B causing understand the role of those processes A (at least if the naturalistic study is in everyday life, I would give the edge This is not just a 20 year old longitudinal). This means leaves one to the naturalistic study. Whether there phenomenon. Despite spending pages major ground for comparison regarding is any greater net increase in scientific and pages on inaccuracy, error, and quality of causal inferences: their knowledge, even of causal bias, both the recent round of handbook ability to rule out C's. Experiments do relationships, resulting from chapters and most undergraduate texts, not necessarily rule out all C's. They experiments than from naturalistic hardly discuss accuracy at all. The only rule out all C's that are studies is, therefore, primarily a matter reasons for social psychology's uncorrelated with the manipulation. of opinion, perspective, and context. rejection of accuracy research are too An obvious case is demand long and involved for this essay; two characteristics (though the possibility Of course, as a field, we do not really short points, however, highlight the of C's correlated with the manipulation need to choose. Both experiments and intellectual imperiousness of attempts is infinite, just as in naturalistic naturalistic studies are extremely to denigrate or dismiss accuracy studies). Some studies may produce important, precisely because they (Continued on page 20) Page 20 DIALOGUE

Intellectual Imperialism, prematurely stigmatized or trivialized. Cont. Social psychology cannot have it both In such a case, the value and credibility ways. It cannot be tortuously difficult of our field, and our ability to both to identify criteria for establishing (Continued from page 19) understand human nature and to research. First, how can we possibly accuracy unless it is equally tortuously improve the social condition, have been reach conclusions about inaccuracy difficult to identify criteria for sorely limited. unless we can also reach conclusions establishing self-fulfilling prophecy. References about accuracy? This question is Conversely, it cannot possibly be mostly rhetorical, because on its face, unproblematic to identify criteria for Krueger, J. & Funder, D.C. (2001). the question seems ludicrous. It's not establishing self-fulfilling prophecy Towards a positive social psychology: completely ludicrous, primarily unless it is equally unproblematic to Causes, consequences, and cures for because research on errors can provide identify criteria for establishing the problem-seeking approach to social insights into processes, but whether accuracy. behavior and cognition.. Unpublished those processes typically lead to manuscript. accurate or inaccurate perceptions and Some Scientific Claims Really are Just judgments is a separate question that Plain Wrong Jones, E. E. (1985). Major rarely can be addressed by process developments in social psychology research. Furthermore, some biases Do not get me wrong. Sometimes during the past five decades. In G. (which are not the same thing as errors mountains of data really do say "X is Lindzey & E. Aronson (Eds), The or inaccuracy) actually enhance true and Y isn't." The end (at least until handbook of social psychology (3rd accuracy (Jussim, 1991). All this is someone comes up with new data Ed), Vol 1., pp. 47-107). New York: very rich and interesting, at least to saying Y could be true sometimes after Random House. some of us. The entire analysis, all). When there is sufficient research however, could not occur at all unless to document the falsity of Y, so be it, Jussim, L. (1991). Social at least some researchers studied and we should all feel free to say that Y perception and social reality: A accuracy. This suggests that attempts just ain't true. But the criteria should reflection-construction model. to dismiss accuracy do us all a be the data -- not our own preferences Psychological Review, 98, 54-73. disservice by attempting to clamp for one view over another. And, the theoretical and empirical blinders on entire point of this essay is that Schneider, D. J., Hastorf, A. H., & the field. premature denigration or dismissal of Ellsworth, P. C. (1979). Person an area of research restricts our data, perception (2nd Ed.). Reading, Second, there is the supposed "criterion thereby reducing the quality of the Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley. problem" in accuracy research science produced by our field. It is one (highlighted in the Jones quote). This thing if we have tons of data that Y isn't Skinner, B. F. (1990). Can criticism is so common that it has been true. But it is another thing entirely if psychology be a science of mind? known to evoke paroxysms of sweat, there is just no evidence that Y is true, American Psychologist, 45, 1206-1210. angst and even self-flagellation from because research on Y has been
people engaged in actual accuracy research. Aren't the criteria for evaluating the validity of social beliefs Did you know? so vague and fuzzy as to render attempts to assess accuracy Social/Personality Psychology’s meaningless? Contribution to APA

I have never seen criticisms of the criteria used to establish self-fulfilling APA generates nearly 58% of its Consulting and Clinical Psychology, prophecies that remotely resemble annual operating income from journals generated only $0.8 million. and other publications—producing those leveled at accuracy research. I almost $50 million in revenues in 2001. A similar profit is projected for 2002. find this peculiarly ironic because, of This figure includes only the paper course, although the processes by Among the many APA journals, the version, and does not include additional which a perceiver's belief become true Journal of Personality and Social licensing income from online access. are different, the criteria for Psychology produced the largest profit JPSP has more than 2,400 institutional establishing their trueness are (or in 2001, more than $1.4 million. The (library) subscribers.
should be) identical. closest competitor, the Journal of DIALOGUE Page 21

variables. Psychological Review, 55, Psychology and Astrophysics: 95-107.

Overcoming Physics Envy, Cont. Seaborn, J. B. (1998) Understanding the universe: An (Continued from page 17) Richstone, D., & Tremaine, S. (2000). introduction to physics and A relationship between nuclear black astrophysics. New York: Springer. fundamental differences in the nature hole mass and galaxyvelocity of research and the overall progress of dispersion. The Astrophysical Journal, Musser, G. (2000, October). The the two sciences. Nevertheless, it is 539, L13-L16. hole shebang: Black holes and galaxies often useful to step back for a different may be entwined from birth. Scientific perspective on what we do and how we Ghez, A. M., Morris, M., Becklin, American, 283(4), 18-20. do it. For myself, the more I learn E. E., Tanner, A., & Kremenek, T. about what other sciences do and the (2000). The accelerations of stars Zuckerman, M. (1995). Good and challenges that they face, the more I orbiting the Milky Way’s central black bad humors: Biochemical bases of feel that we do quite well for ourselves. hole. Nature, 407, 349-351. personality and its disorders. Psychological Science, 6, 325-332. References Harwit, M. (1998). Astrophysical rd concepts (3 Edition). New York: Gebhardt, K., Bender, R., Bower, Springer. Department of Psychology G., Dressler, A., Faber, S. M., Appalachian State University Filippenko, A. V., Green, R., Maccorquodale, K., & Meehl, P. E. Boone, NC 28607 Grillmair, C., Ho, L. C., Kormendy, J., (1948). On a distinction between furrrm@appstate
Lauer, T. R., Magorrian, J., Pinkney, J., hypothetical constructs and intervening Page 22 DIALOGUE SPSP Publications: Strong and On Course

By David Dunning publishes the journal for SPSP, is Committee began to explore whether moving to make its journals available editorial terms at the journal should be The beginning of the year 2002 was a for on-line access. PSPB is no lengthened. The Committee time of routine yet important different, and so Sage approached the recommended to the SPSP Executive transitions. Fred Rhodewalt took over Publication Committee with a proposal the editorship of Personality and Social to provide members with on-line access Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. His slate of to the journal, at no additional cost, via Psychology Review the ingenta.com web site. Such access Associate Editors—Vicki Helgeson, continues to grow . . . . the Paula Niedenthal, William Rholes, would be available to dues-paying William von Hippel, and Stephen members, would be in addition to the number of manuscripts Wright—is now in place, as is a full paper copy of the journal arriving in the submitted grew by a 31% complement of consulting editors. mailbox every month, and would provide access to current issues and as increase from 2000, with The tenure of outgoing editor Jerry well as volumes back to the 1999. The an acceptance rate of SPSP Executive committee approved Suls has left PSPB in a healthy and roughly 20%. vibrant state. The journal currently the proposal at its winter meeting, and receives over 500 manuscript the central office is currently working Committee that the terms of PSPR submissions per year, with an with Sage on the details to implement editors be set to six years, rather than acceptance rate of 17%. One the service. One note: It is likely that the current four, and that present editor traditional sore spot with the journal is the only way to receive on-line access Eliot Smith’s term at the journal be showing signs of being alleviated. In in a timely fashion every year is to pay extended for two additional years. The recent times, the publication lag of one’s dues on time at the beginning of the year. After that, it will be possible Executive Committee approved the to inform Sage of members eligible for proposal, and Eliot agreed to serve for The tenure of outgoing on-line access only on an occasional the additional time. Thus, I am pleased editor Jerry Suls has left basis, and thus late dues would mean in to report that Eliot Smith has been delays in on-line access. reappointed to serve as editor for two PSPB in a healthy and more years, now receiving manuscripts vibrant state. The journal Personality and Social Psychology until around the end of calendar year currently receives over 500 Review continues its gratifying rate of 2005. growth. The number of manuscripts manuscript submissions submitted grew to just under 70 in 2001 The SPSP newsletter, Dialogue, per year, with an (a 31% increase from 2000), with an continues to thrive. Working with acceptance rate of 17%. acceptance rate of roughly 20%. Monica Biernat and Chris Crandall, the Although this is a healthy rate of Committee drew up a document that submissions, the sense is that the has been a surprising omission over the papers had risen as high as 13 months. journal can absorb a higher number— years—a mission statement describing I am pleased to report that as of June and so do keep in mind this journal as a the goals, content, and administration 2002, that lag will have declined by destination for your own work. As of Dialogue. The statement itself can roughly 40% to under 8 months. Some well, being a new journal, PSPR is far be found on p. 32 of this issue of of this has come from the temporary from achieving full-penetration in Dialogue. addition of pages to the journal, but it is institutional library subscriptions. hoped that continuing measures, such SPSP members can help by exploring The final transition of note occurred in as a 10,000 word limit on submissions, whether their own university library the Publication Committee itself. will ensure that the lag remains currently subscribes to the journal, and Brenda Major completed her term on relatively short—and that PSPB retains then requesting that the library the committee, taking the committee its place as a central and visible subscribe. The benefit for doing so through some busy and energetic times, resource to social psychologists and extends not only to one’s self and one’s including the reorganization of PSPB. other scholars. students, but also helps SPSP (and its Joanne Wood has agreed to serve as
members) financially. Brenda’s replacement. One additional small transition promises to increase the visibility of In discussions about PSPR during its PSPB. Sage Publications, which winter meeting, the Publication DIALOGUE Page 23

minimum of 10 years teaching What’s On the SPSP Listserv experience, 40 publications in peer- By Mark Leary reviewed journals, a strong record of • external funding, and demonstrated My department is thinking of having all senior undergraduate majors excellence in teaching. Submit a CV; The SPSP listserv provides an personal statement and autobiography important conduit for communication write a dissertation in order to graduate. I would like to hear about the of no more than 80 pages; 25 reprints among members of the Society of or preprints; teaching evaluations; and Personality and Social Psychology. experiences of other departments that have implemented such a requirement. 8 letters of reference to the Social- Those who subscribe to the listserv Personality Search Committee, Eastern receive news of the Society, job • A colleague in the Department of Mesopotamia University announcements, updates on professional meetings, and other Animal and Sport Science at my • university is looking for a good My students are studying cross- information of interest to social and cultural differences in the fear of personality psychologists. In addition, measure of behavior. Can anyone out there help him? Bigfoot and Yeti among residents of many members use the listserv to seek the American northwest and the information and advice regarding • SPSP members may want to know Himalayas. I would appreciate hearing unpublished or obscure research, from other researchers regarding the that I will be appearing in a 25-second specialized measures and procedures, pros and cons of various measures of segment of 20/20 this week on ABC, and other professional difficulties. Bigfoot Anxiety they have used, and discussing why people don’t like to be Other members use it to offer ideas that whether any measures have been in a bad mood. You may wish to they think will help others in their translated into Tibetan. Of course, I videotape it for use in your classes. teaching or research. The listserv is will summarize and post the responses undoubtedly very beneficial to I receive on the listserv • I have been unable to find any individual members and the research on the so-called Big Five organization at large. However, some • Members of SPSP may want to personality traits. Can anyone help? of the requests and announcements know that my new book, The Social have struck me as unusual, naive, or Psychology of Digestion, has just been • I am doing research on the downright odd. published and may be ordered on my ipsilateral attitudinal incongruency web site for only $45.99. It may • function (IAIF) and specifically how it My students are having trouble become the most important book of our relates to hyperbolic dysenteric identity finding measures of self-esteem, locus generation, and no personality or social structure. I’m wrestling with whether of control, depression, self- psychologist should be without it IAIF is mediated by tensitivity of the consciousness, extraversion, need for mnemonic interpolation or whether approval, authoritarianism, • I’m writing for a friend who bifurcation occurs because the neuroticism, emotion, gender, and plagiarized an article from a 1937 individual fails to distinguish between weight. Can anyone help them? Journal of Abnormal and Social intuitive and multiplasmic stimuli. Psychology, publishing it last year • Anyone who knows of previous I am conducting a meta-analysis of under his own name in a top journal. findings relevant to this question the effects of solar eclipses on the My friend feels very badly about this should contact me. tendency to engage in the fundamental and, in fact, couldn’t sleep at all last attribution error. I have searched night with worrying. What is the • I would like to see a discussion on PsycINFO but am having trouble chance that he will get caught? Should this listserv of the fact that journal finding relevant articles. Could anyone he fess up? Is his tenure at my editors are idiots. who has unpublished research on the university in jeopardy? What is the link between solar eclipses and likelihood he will face legal • The Department of Psychology at attributional biases please contact me? prosecution? Send any thoughts or Eastern Mesopotamia University advice you may have about my friend’s • SPSP members may like to know invites applications for a tenure-track dilemma directly to me. that this week’s issues of Newsweek position for a social-personality psychologist at the Assistant Professor and Time contain articles that provide • A student of mine is interested in level. Applicants from all areas will be examples of psychological phenomena the work of some guy named considered, although we are for class discussions. Baumeister. Has anyone heard of him particularly interested in candidates or know where he can be reached? • specializing in the social Does anyone know where I can psychophysiology of postmodern find the June, 1998 issue of the Journal • Do any subscribers of this listserv thought. Applicants should have a of Personality and Social Psychology? know how to join SPSP?
Page 24 DIALOGUE

phenomenon of chance. Like other hu- Persistent Myths, Probabilities, and man beings, we tend to see deep signifi- cance in events that are at bottom ran- Psychologists as Human Beings dom.

By Dean Keith Simonton nomena. If you believe in precognition, This mistaken attribution is apparent in and if you have a poor appreciation of the phenomenon known as multiple discovery and invention. This striking Many personality and social psycholo- the incessant contingencies of chance, then the experiences of living are going event occurs when two or more scien- gists investigate problems that have im- tists independently (and often simultane- mediate applications to the real world to provide you with abundant confirma- tion of your beliefs. This confirmation ously) come up with the same creative beyond the confines of ivory-towered idea. Examples include the calculus by academe. Even so, certain false ideas bias also undermines any attempt to dis- suade you of your opinions, e.g., scien- Newton and Leibnitz, the theory of evo- often continue to circulate in popular lution by natural selection by Darwin culture and the mass media in blind ig- tific research that contradicts your views. How can a scientist ever disprove what and Wallace, the laws of genetic inheri- norance of well-established findings in tance discovered by Mendel, De Vries, psychological research. An example is you know from personal experience? Correns, and Tschermak, the phenome- the “hot hand” phenomenon in basket- non of classical conditioning by Pavlov ball and certain other sports (see Alan Yet let us not get smug about this com- monplace discrepancy between percep- and Twitmyer, and the theory of emo- Reifman’s webpage at http:// tion by James and Lange. Sociologists www.hs.ttu.edu/hdfs3390/ tion and reality. We personality and so- cial psychologists are, for better or and anthropologists have taken the exis- hothand.htm). Despite sound evidence tence of these events as proof of so- that this phenomenon represents noth- worse, human beings, just like the re- search participants we study. Therefore, ciocultural determinism. Individual sci- ing more than the intrusion of chance in entists are seen as mere epiphenomena, everyday events, the idea persists. Evi- we possess some of the same foibles and failings. I remember a neat little paper by their contributions coming from the dently, people have a difficult time realiz- zeitgeist or “spirit of the times.” An idea ing that what might appear as something one of my teachers, Zick Rubin, in which he traced how the procedures of a is simply “in the air” for anyone to pick, significant is actually nothing more than and sometimes two or more individuals coincidence. Indeed, research shows that published study might be reconstructed in later accounts. The specific study was happen to reach up to pick the fruit. people cannot successfully discriminate random and patterned events. a well-known 1965 experiment by Elaine Walster. Rubin documented how the Starting back in 1978, I began a series of studies that demonstrated that the evi- This all-too-human incapacity to per- order of evens were reversed (explicitly or implicitly) in subsequent treatments . dence for this deterministic view was no ceive that random events can evince the better than that on behalf of the so- resemblance of pattern probably pro- He wrote “the sequence-reversal may be attributable in part to the assimilation of called “hot hand.” No one had bothered vides a psychological impetus behind the to test the “null hypothesis” that multi- widespread belief in “paranormal” phe- the actual procedure to psychologists’ preconceived explanatory frame- ples could be attributed to happenstance, nomena, such as precognition. Any per- to the occasional coincidence of random son with an ounce of worry will have any works” (1974, p. 81). Rubin thought that such reconstructions were by no means events. These studies scrutinized the day replete with “bad thoughts”–most of diverse aspects of the phenomenon, such which pass into oblivion because they rare, in social psychology or in other subdisciplines. On the contrary, he be- as the number of independent claimants are never endorsed by a concrete confir- to a given discovery, the number of mul- mation. But the instant the momentary lieved that “they may illustrate theoreti- cally interesting processes” that “are also tiples in which each claimant partici- anxiety is seemingly confirmed by a pated, and the time that elapsed between chance event that, however crudely, cor- likely to bias scientific literature” (p. 81). the first and last duplication. No matter responds to the recollected image, then, what the feature, the same pattern ap- miraculously, a mundane premonition Many readers of Dialogue have stories to tell that would provide additional docu- peared. Multiples had precisely the char- becomes supernatural precognition. So it acteristics that one would predict from a always seems that the chronic worriers mentation for Rubin’s speculation. How often have any one of us read some jour- complex stochastic process; they appear among our friends and acquaintances are no more often than one would expect by those most prone to view themselves as nal or textbook account of our precious research that got a key point fundamen- chance. Over the past dozen years I have more prescient than those of us who published additional theoretical and em- “never saw it coming” – including earth- tally wrong! I beg the opportunity to provide my own example. I give this pirical studies showing that this stochas- quakes, tornadoes, and terrorist attacks! tic phenomenon can be derived from illustration because it also exemplifies another fundamental fact: All that train- more comprehensive models of the crea- This psychological perversion of random tive process. For instance, multiples can events is strengthened all the more by ing in statistics notwithstanding, psy- chologists and other behavioral scientists be predicted using the same underlying the person’s preconceived notions about (Continued on page 25) the very existence of paranormal phe- still have a problem grappling with the DIALOGUE Page 25

(Continued from page 24) namely Harvard, Yale, Cambridge, and sports enthusiast spurn the very phrase model that explains why good ideas are Oxford (e.g., Simonton, 1988, 1999). “hot hand,” and when prophetic premo- directly proportional to bad ideas both Better yet, these publications have nitions are viewed as selectively sampled across and within scientific careers. earned major awards, featured reviews, coincidences. In that day, too, the lotter- and peer commentary. Thus, one would ies, casinos, and gambling houses will go Despite all of the effort devoted to not think that the stochastic model broke, and astrologers will be out of documenting the case, I continue to see would be so easily overlooked. But such business. By that time, as well, psycholo- psychologists refer to multiples as proof is so. gists will no longer confuse statistical that a scientist’s ideas are the product of with substantive significance and will the zeitgeist. To be sure, many of these Admittedly, it could be argued, some- cease speaking of nonsignificant references come from historians of psy- what ironically, that my interpretation of “trends” in their data. Then and only chology, who are still under the influence the multiples phenomenon simply goes then will multiples to be appreciated for of E. G. Boring, a strong advocate of the against the contemporary zeitgeist. The what they really are. At least if I’m lucky. zeitgeist position. Yet psychologists in theory is out of step with the times, and References other subdisciplines, including personal- thus is condemned to obscurity. But that ity and social psychologists, have echoed would not explain why I managed to Rubin, Z. (1974). A new order of things: A case the traditional interpretation as well. publish the model in the first place, or study in the reconstruction of an experimental What I find particularly amazing is when why it has received a certain degree of procedure. Representative Research in Social Psychology, I see my work cited as the first quantita- professional recognition. I suspect the 5, 81-87. Simonton, D. K. (1979). Multiple discovery and tive demonstration of sociocultural de- dissemination failure has more to do the invention: Zeitgeist, genius, or chance? Journal of terminism! Surely these episodes would fact that psychologists are, in the final Personality and Social Psychology, 37, 1603-1616. make Zick Rubin smile. analysis, human beings, and thus have Simonton, D. K. (1988). Scientific genius: A psy- the same limitations in information proc- chology of science. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Significantly, this work has appeared in essing that the rest of Homo sapiens must Simonton, D. K. (1997). Creative productivity: prestigious journals, such as the Journal of endure. Everyone wants to recognize A predictive and explanatory model of career tra- Personality and Social Psychology and Psycho- shapes in cumulbus clouds and spot jectories and landmarks. Psychological Review, 104, 66- logical Review (e.g., Simonton, 1979, 1997). prophecies in tea leaves. 89. Simonton, D. K. (1999). Origins of genius: Darwin- I have also featured the theory in books ian perspectives on creativity. New York: Oxford Uni- published by major university presses, Hence, I eagerly await the day when versity Press. Page 26 DIALOGUE

median split, and frequently more than Dumbing it down – The dangers one (MacCallum et al., 2002).

Other examples of dumbing down of appealing to the lowest include the use of "canned" mechanical procedures often included in statistical common denominator software packages, sometimes as By Kristopher J. Preacher research on implicit and explicit default options. These include attitudes using simple correlations has procedures such as stepwise regression and Derek D. Rucker found weak (or no) relationships and principal components analysis, between these two constructs. With the both perfectly reasonable procedures "It's not our job to appeal to the lowest use of more appropriate latent variable but with questionable applicability to common denominator – it's our job to techniques, it is seen that these two most research situations in psychology. raise it." - President Josiah Bartlet, The constructs are moderately correlated The infamous combination of principal West Wing (Cunningham, Preacher, & Banaji, components analysis, orthogonal 2000); this finding suggests that the varimax rotation, and retention of as In 1999, the APA Taskforce on "simpler" technique underestimates the many components as there are Statistical Inference (Wilkinson et al., true association between these eigenvalues greater than 1.0 (a 1999) released their long-awaited constructs. Our point is that state-of- procedure called "Little Jiffy" by its recommendations regarding data the-art methods are called state-of-the- proponents because it is supposedly analysis and methodology in the art for a reason; they frequently result quick and easy) continues to be used behavioral sciences. One of their in tests with higher power, greater despite considerable literature recommendations was to choose the precision, and increased clarity. demonstrating its obsolescence "minimally sufficient analysis," (Fabrigar, Wegener, MacCallum, & meaning that when presented with two Not only can the benefits of advanced Strahan, 1999; Floyd & Widaman, alternative data analytic procedures, techniques be lost by using simpler 1995; Ford, MacCallum, & Tait, 1986; both of which could address the methods, but errors can actually be Lee & Comrey, 1979; Preacher & question of interest, it is in the interest introduced. One classic example is the MacCallum, 2000; Widaman, 1993). of parsimony to choose the "simpler" median split technique, wherein an one (although they leave the definition investigator splits a sample into two Given the costs associated with of "simpler" open to interpretation). For groups (high and low) by using the dumbing down, why does it continue to example, if the hypothesis is that two median score on a given continuous occur? We see at least three primary groups differ in mean level, it probably scale as the point of division. By force reasons why researchers might choose makes sense to conduct a t-test rather of tradition, ignorance of the costs to oversimplify statistical procedures. than a path analysis, although either involved, and the illusion of simplicity, First, researchers may use simple procedure could be used to test the quantitative variables are often techniques because the results conform same hypothesis. We agree with dichotomized in this way so that better to their hypotheses and Wilkinson et al.'s recommendation in ANOVA may be used in place of linear arguments. Second, a researcher may spirit. However, we submit that an regression. This is oversimplification oversimplify out of a lack of overlooked, but more frequently with potentially disastrous knowledge; researchers may be occurring, problem than using overly consequences (MacCallum, Zhang, unaware of, skeptical of, or untrained complex analyses is using overly Preacher, & Rucker, 2002). For years, in advanced techniques more simple ones. psychometricians have been fruitlessly appropriate for their needs. Finally, warning psychologists that the researchers may oversimplify analysis In this article, we concern ourselves consequences of dichotomization are because they believe reviewers and/or with dumbing down of statistical loss of power, loss of reliability, the consumers will not understand the analyses. Dumbing down refers to potential for spuriously significant complexity of the most appropriate bypassing an advanced technique that results, and the false impression that procedures; in this situation, dumbing is appropriate in favor of a simpler latent groups exist. Despite the down is intended to facilitate ease of technique that is not. Dumbing down availability of more appropriate presentation. We examine each of these has several negative effects on the regression techniques (e.g., see Aiken justifications in turn. scientific enterprise. First, favoring the & West, 1991), dichotomization use of simple analytic procedures over continues to be used. At least 16% of Increasing Support for Hypotheses advanced techniques can in many the articles in the Journal of situations yield reduced power, result Personality and Social Psychology We submit that inappropriate in less precise estimates, and reduce from 1998 to 2000 contain at least one simplification of data analysis for descriptive clarity. For example, much (Continued on page 27) DIALOGUE Page 27

doubt. Reviewers are usually selected Dumbing it down, Cont. because of their expertise and (Continued from page 26) advanced techniques as some sort of familiarity with the subject in question. increasing support for a conclusion "magic" that can, in the hands of a More often than not, they are fully constitutes a type of "soft fraud," as skilled user, be tweaked to produce any aware of what analytic strategies are described by Chris Crandall (2001). desired result. This perspective leads the most appropriate and which ones This is incontrovertibly a misuse of some to conclude that these techniques are less than optimal, and are willing to statistics; the outcome of a statistical cannot be trusted. Advanced techniques learn something new when confronted analysis should never be considered as are not witchcraft. In the hands of an with the need to do so. Also, whereas it a justification for using the procedure investigator who has spent sufficient is true that some readers may struggle in the first place. In agreement with time learning how to use them, they with statistics, a paper should be Crandall (2001), we believe researchers can reveal much that would otherwise written such that the findings can be must be accountable for their selection have remained hidden or understood regardless of the of statistics and resist the temptation of uninvestigated entirely. We feel that consumer's quantitative savvy. For simplifying analyses for the sake of this mistrust is misplaced – all those readers interested in increasing support for their hypotheses. statistical techniques are subject to understanding the methodology, a knowing or unknowing manipulation. paper has the added bonus of Lack of knowledge The perceived "tweakability" of a encouraging them to learn and master particular analytic technique does not the methods employed. The most frequent abuse of statistics is constitute a reason to avoid the method, not characterized by deliberate misuse but rather to learn how to use it Of course, researchers may have or malicious falsehood. Rather, lack of properly and effectively. complete confidence that reviewers and knowledge leads to the application of readers would understand advanced obsolete statistical analyses, the Ease of Presentation techniques, but defer to the idea that inappropriate application of otherwise simple techniques provide parsimony. legitimate analytic procedures, and the Researchers fully capable of carrying This would constitute a tragic use of simple analyses when the out the appropriate set of analyses may misinterpretation of the APA benefits of more complex strategies resort to dumbing down for the sake of Taskforce's recommendation regarding would far outweigh the costs. We reviewers or their audience. For the minimally sufficient analysis. The suggest that ignorance of how to carry example, a researcher may design her Taskforce also stated that "complex out appropriate procedures is no excuse experiment in such a way that she can designs and state-of-the-art methods for implementing simpler but less later perform an ANOVA, for the sole are sometimes necessary to address appropriate (or entirely inappropriate) reason that she thinks an ANOVA will research questions techniques. It is the investigator's be easier to conduct (and its results effectively" (Wilkinson et al., 1999, p. responsibility as a scientist to seek out easier to report and understand) than a 598), an important point which should the most appropriate data analytic regression analysis. Similarly, linear not be ignored. Thus, although procedure, learn how to use it, and regression may be chosen as the proper parsimony is desirable, it should not apply it. Such knowledge can usually analysis for a multi-classroom come at the cost of sound statistical be obtained without undue difficulty. experimental design when the practice. Many universities have statistical hierarchical nature of the data clearly consultants or knowledgeable faculty calls for multilevel modeling. In such Conclusion members that can assist with such situations, the thinking typically is, "I tasks. Keeping abreast of recent articles know multilevel modeling is Our position is that the choice of a and advances can also help to resolve considered difficult, so my readers statistical analysis should never be this difficulty. Finally, reviewers can probably do not know much about it. guided by assumptions about the alert researchers who are using obsolete More to the point, neither will my intelligence or expertise of editors, or inappropriate methods. One of the reviewers." Thus, there are frequently reviewers, or the reading public. If a primary purposes of peer review is to competing motivations to present particular analytic procedure is ensure that the methods and analyses accurate, illuminating results on one obviously the most appropriate one for employed in a study adhere to scientific hand, and results simple enough for an a research design, then use it – ideals. article's readership to digest on the hopefully its appropriateness will be other. just as evident to reviewers and readers. Lack of knowledge can also lead If authors are worried that reviewers researchers and reviewers to be How should we resolve this quandary? will not understand the analysis, they skeptical of the merit of advanced As a first step, we suggest that should be prepared to defend their techniques. Researchers may see reviewers be given the benefit of the (Continued on page 31) Page 28 DIALOGUE

IRB and U: What Institutional Review Boards Are Supposed to Do

By Louis A. Penner abuse and mistreatment of human At one of the national IRB meetings I subjects in the United States became a recently attended, a speaker showed a roar in the 1970's when the infamous cartoon with two panels. In the first, In many ways, the life of the Tuskegee syphilis experiment was Moses is receiving the two tablets that personality and social psychology made public. In the context of IRBs the contain the ten commandments. . Under researcher has improved over the last most salient aspect of these this panel is the caption: “The Rules”. ten to fifteen years. Now, we can experiments is not only the irreparable In the second panel Moses is pushing a communicate instantaneously via e- harm that was done to the unwitting cart that contains maybe 200 additional mail with distant colleagues and nearby participants (Jones, 1992), but also that tablets. Under this panel is written: students; we can run some of our the principal investigators, at least “The Interpretations of the Rules”. This studies in an electronic medium, and initially, seemed almost blind as to the is the major problem with IRBs. There we will never ever again have to carry unethical and inhumane way they are almost as many different boxes full of “dollar” cards to a treated their subjects (all of whom, interpretations of the regulations computer center to analyze our data. perhaps not coincidentally, were contained in the Common Rule as there But on the other hand, and this is a African-Americans.) The congressional are different IRBs. At some institutions “hand” the size of King Kong’s, we hearings and public outcry over the the researcher who submits an IRB must now deal with the trials and syphilis experiment, as well as application is entering the “Gates of travails of our local Institutional disclosures of other unethical research Hell”. The IRB (or its Chair) has little Review Board (or IRB). In this brief studies lead to the Belmont Report, first hand experience with research and article I discuss the origins of IRBs, issued in 1979 by the National is concerned almost exclusively with how they operate, and attempt to dispel Commission for the Protection of protecting the institution from possible a few of the myths about institutional Human Subjects of Biomedical and government censure (or worse) and/or reviews. Behavioral Research. (If you want to from possible lawsuits by “aggrieved” read this document, the URL is given research participants. The review will OK, I’ll confess it right up front: I think below.) The Belmont Report presented probably be long, difficult, and often that IRB’s are a good idea. In fact, I’m three basic ethical principles that antithetical to the research process. Chair of my university’s Social and should guide research with humans: (These IRBs are also sometimes known Behavioral IRB. But please note that I Respect for persons, beneficence, and by their other acronym, CYA.) At other said IRBs were a good idea; I did not justice. Several years later, a number of institutions, the IRB (or its Chair) has say that they were necessarily a good government agencies (including NIH the experience and judgement to decide thing in practice. A brief bit of history and NSF) gave the force of law to the which studies really put their research tells us why IRBs are a good idea. principles in this report when they all participants at risk, while at the same Today’s IRBs can trace their roots back adopted the “Common Rule” for time is sensitive to the institution’s to the war crimes trials that followed “research with human subjects.” (The research mission. But (and this is URL for the Common Rule is given at important) they are both working from the end of this article) exactly the same set of federal I said IRBs were a good regulations. idea; I did not say that It is the “Common Rule” that authorizes IRBs and gives them their But how can this be? Leaving aside they were necessarily a power. If your institution gets federal possible differences in the Big Five good thing in practice. money for research (or maybe anything profiles of IRB Chairs and Board else), it must comply with the statutes Members, part of the problem is that that are part of the Common Rule. So, the Common Rule and the statutes that what’s the problem with the federal accompany it are written in exquisite government (actually the Office of “bureaucratize”; and as a consequence, WWII, and the almost universal Human Research Protection–OHRP) they can be interpreted in a multitude revulsion at the “experiments” done by requiring that we treat our research of different ways (see Pritchard, 2001). the Nazi doctors. But the real push for participants respectfully, kindly, and Further, the regulations allow for institutional safeguards for human fairly? Well, as we all know, “The substantial discretion in how they are subjects didn’t come until about 20 devil is in the details.” interpreted, as long as the basis for a years later. The murmurings about the (Continued on page 29) DIALOGUE Page 29

IRB and U, Cont. the other direction. Soon there will be national accreditation of IRBs. In my (Continued from page 28) and does not go to the full board. An view this is a very bad idea, but it’s too particular interpretation is well example: At my university less than 10 late to stop this movement. Hopefully, documented. The latitude allowed (and percent of the proposals are now sent to however, it’s not too late to influence taken) by IRBs can be a force for good the full board; with a different Chair the way in which accreditation will be or evil. But irrespective of the valence (but exactly the same rules) it was 30 to done. If psychologists and other social one assigns to the IRB process, we 40 percent. The message here is clear: scientists don’t get involved in this need to learn to deal with it. So, with Get people who are knowledgeable process, the rules, regulations, and that in mind I want to conclude with about and supportive of the research criteria will be written by medical some common myths about IRBs. process appointed to the Board and, if researchers, nonacademic IRB possible get them to be the Chair. adminstrators, and the drug companies Myth 1. All IRB decisions are based on that fund medical research. It is quite federal or local statutes or written rules. Myth 4. Deception research is not simply not in our interests to allow Fact: As suggested above, many IRB permitted by OHRP. Fact: The rules accreditation of IRB’s to proceed decisions are based on the idiosyncratic require that the informed consent tells without substantial input from social interpretations and habits of a particular participants what they are going to be and behavioral scientists. Therefore, I administrator. So, if a rule or decision asked to do or what will happen to conclude with this article with a plea: just doesn’t make sense to you, ask to them. The rules do not require that you Ask, nay insist, that the leadership of see the federal statute or the part of the disclose the true purpose of the study at SPSP, SESP, SRCD, APA, and APS, written local policies and procedures that time, as long as the principles of and other relevant organizations that provide the basis for this decision. respect, beneficence and justice are formally and informally lobby OHRP ( The relevant document will be an folllowed in the study. and try to influence the forthcoming “MPA” or a “FWA”; it must be made national accreditation of IRBs. The available to the public). But before you Myth 5. Some proposals (e.g., research you save may be your own. protest too much, it’s probably a good anonymous surveys) do not need to be idea to become an informed consumer reviewed. Fact: This is a tricky one. Useful URLs and take more than the minimum Anonymous surveys are usually training required by your institution’s “exempt” from IRB review, but that The Belmont Report: http:// IRB. (The NIH training modules are doesn’t mean they do not need to be ohrp.osophs.dhhs.gov/humansubjects/ useful; also see Puglisi, 2001). reviewed. Someone needs to make the guidance/belmont.htm determination that an application falls Myth 2. The Common Rule was into the exempt category and does not The Common Rule: http:// originally written only for medical ohrp.osophs.dhhs.gov/humansubjects/ research, and social and behavioral guidance/45cfr46.htm research was included later on. Fact: Soon there will be national While, to be sure, concerns about accreditation of IRBs. The NIH training module: http:// medical research dominate most IRB cme.nci.nih.gov/ staffs, the Common Rule was always intended to cover social and behavioral need further IRB review, but this References research as well. However, often decision cannot be made by the PI. In medical IRBs have difficulty some universities a departmental Jones, H. (1992). Bad Blood: The understanding and estimating the risks committee does this: at others it’s done Tuskegee Syphilis experiment. New that attend social and behavioral by the IRB (the feds prefer the latter). York: Free Press research. Therefore, lobby for separate So, don’t convince yourself that a study medical and nonmedical IRBs at your is so harmless that no one needs to Piglisi, T. (2001). IRB Review: It institution. review it. Irrespective of the risks helps to know the framework. APS associated with a study, significant Observer, 14, 1, 34. Myth 3. All research proposals must go noncompliance must be reported to before a full IRB board. Fact: Only OHRP and the consequences for the Pritchard, I. (2001). Searching for proposals that involve more than individual researcher can be much, ‘research involving human subjects’. minimal risk and/or involve certain much worse than having a project Ethics and Human Research, 3, 5-12. vulnerable populations must go to the delayed for a few weeks.
full board. Leaving aside these proposals, an IRB Chair has Myth 6. If we’re just patient, this will considerable discretion as to what does all just pass away. Fact: It’s headed in Page 30 DIALOGUE

chology. A number of social psychologically Paul Ekman Wins 2003 Jack Block oriented presentations are made each year at our annual meeting and a number of promi- nent social psychologists have made keynote Award for Personality Research addresses (e.g., Baumeister and Leary). I invite you to consider joining AAASP and The Society for Personality and Social the biological-evolutionary, cultural, becoming involved in our community. We Psychology (SPSP) is pleased to and psychological roots of affect and have a large number of social psychologists in announce that Dr. Paul Ekman is the affect expression. His work has been AAASP and we find the organization to be a winner of the 3rd Annual Jack Block methodologically innovative as well, as useful outlet and link for continuing work in Award for Personality Research. The he has provided fundamental insights the social psychology of sport. For detailed information on AAASP, you may find us on nomination of the award committee into such topics as the basic nature of the web at: www.aaasponline.org. You (David Funder, Carol Dweck, and emotions, their cross-cultural should also feel free to contact me as well at: Auke Tellegen) was ratified by the generality, their expression, and how [email protected]. Daniel L. SPSP Executive Board at its February these insights can be combined in the Wann, Murray State University, AAASP- meeting. The first winner of this aid of applied issues such as lie SPSP Liaison prestigious award was Jack Block detection. (before the award was named), and the New Journal. A new journal called the second winner was Auke Tellegen. Dr. Ekman will present an award Journal of Articles in Support of the Null Hypothesis address at the 2003 SPSP meeting in is now accepting submissions. In the past Dr. Ekman's contributions to Los Angeles, where he will receive a other journals and reviewers have exhibited a psychology have been fundamental to a plaque and cash prize. bias against articles that did not reject the null balanced and broad understanding of – David Funder hypothesis. We plan to change that by offering an outlet for sound experiments that do not reach the traditional significance levels (p<.05, thus, reducing the file drawer Announcements problem and reducing the bias in 2003 APA SCIENTIFIC AWARDS treatment and prevention research, psychological literature. Without such a PROGRAM: CALL FOR NOMINATIONS industrial/organizational research, resource, researchers could be wasting their educational research); individual time examining empirical questions that have The American Psychological Association differences (e.g., personality, psychometrics, already been examined. The journal is peer (APA) invites nominations for its 2003 mental ability, behavioral genetics). reviewed, published online quarterly, and scientific awards program. The offered to the scientific community free of Distinguished Scientific Contribution To submit a nomination for the cost. You can reach our website by going to Award honors psychologists who have made Distinguished Scientific Award for Early http://www.jasnh.com distinguished theoretical or empirical Career Contribution to Psychology, you New Books by SPSP Members contributions to basic research in psychology. should provide a letter of nomination, the The Distinguished Scientific Award for nominee's current vita with list of Facial Attractiveness: Evolutionary, Cog- the Applications of Psychology honors publications, and up to five representative nitive, and Social Perspectives, psychologists who have made distinguished reprints. G. Rhodes, theoretical or empirical advances in To obtain nomination forms and more & L.A. Zebrowitz, (Eds.) (2001). Westport, psychology leading to the understanding or information, you can go to the Science CT: Ablex] brings together seminal work amelioration of important practical problems. Directorate web page (www.apa.org/science/ from cognitive, evolutionary, social, and de- To submit a nomination for the sciaward.html) or you can contact Suzanne velopmental perspectives that explores the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award Wandersman, Science Directorate, American questions “What makes some faces more and the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Psychological Association, 750 First Street, attractive than others and why?” Some ac- Award for the Applications of Psychology, NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242; by phone, counts attempt to explain preferences that are you should provide a nomination form, a (202) 336-6000; by fax, (202) 336-5953; or widely shared and that persist over time. letter of nomination, the nominee's current [email protected]. The deadline for Preferences are not, however, identical for vita with list of publications, up to five award nominations is June 1, 2002. different individuals or at different times, and representative reprints, and the names and these variations must also be explained. Sev- addresses of several scientists who are Association for the Advancement of Ap- eral contributors speculate that individual familiar with the nominee's work. The plied Sport Psychology. I would like to call learning histories and social goals may ac- Distinguished Scientific Award for Early your attention to a relatively new organiza- count for these variations. Whereas many Career Contribution to Psychology tion, the Association for the Advancement of attempts to explain our preferences focus on recognizes excellent young psychologists. Applied Sport Psychology (AAASP). Origi- sexual attractiveness, people can also be at- For the 2003 program, nominations of nating in 1985, AAASP has a membership of tractive as friends or mentors. These prefer- persons who received doctoral degrees during approximately 1,000 individuals with an inter- ences are also discussed. Much of the re- and since 1993 are being sought in the areas est in the psychology of sport and physical search in the following chapters has used of: social; behavioral and cognitive activity. One of the three major areas of sophisticated computer-imaging techniques neuroscience; perception, motor AAASP (along with performance enhance- to manipulate facial images, taking research- performance; applied research (e.g., ment and health psychology) is social psy- ers beyond a correlational approach and al- (Continued on page 32) DIALOGUE Page 31

News of the Society: Growth, Prosperity together for intensive training in areas and Opportunity presumably not covered by their home departments. Eliot Smith, Chick Judd, and Harry Reis have drafted an NSF (Continued from page 3) their activities (see reports in this proposal that, if awarded, would run a appropriate registration. Full-text issue). Action taken at the Executive bi-annual, two-week long summer versions of manuscripts will be Committee meeting included session for some 100 social psychology available in PDF format, and a search endorsement and support of GASP, the graduate students. A proposal will be engine will also be available. Details gay-lesbian-bisexual-transgender submitted this year, with the goal that about the registration process and alliance in SPSP, an increased budget workshops begin in summer 2003. online access will be provided by Sage allotment to the Diversity Committee in a subsequent mailing. for operating expenses and activities, Awards. The Executive Committee and passing of a proposal to include a considered offering two new Society PSPR received 67 submissions last year half-hour meeting for graduate students Awards: Service to the Society, and (up from 51 in 2000), and had an in the SPSP convention program Service to Personality/Social acceptance rate comparable to that for agenda each year. Psychology. Also approved was a PSPB. The mean editorial lag for the proposal for a new “Theoretical journal is a remarkable 11 weeks; The Committee also enthusiastically Innovation Prize” (see story on p. 6). editor Eliot Smith and associate editors endorsed a proposal presented by Eliot The Committee was also pleased to Diane Mackie and Robert McCrae Smith for a Summer Institute in Social endorse the following awardees: The continue their terms through 2003. Psychology. This summer school 2002 Jack Block Award winner is Paul program would be based on the Ekman, and the 2002 Murray Award Committee reports. The Diversity European Association of Experimental winner is Seymour Epstein.
Committee, Training Committee, and Social Psychology (EAESP) model, in Graduate Student Committee continue which graduate students are brought

analytic procedure. Multivariate Dumbing it down, Cunningham, W. A., Preacher, K. J., Behavioral Research, 14, 301-321. & Banaji, M. R. (2001). Implicit Cont. attitude measures: Consistency, MacCallum, R. C., Zhang, S., stability, and convergent validity. Preacher, K. J., & Rucker, D. D. (in (Continued from page 27) Psychological Science, 12(2), 163-170. press). On the practice of dichotomization of quantitative choices, not merely write to the lowest Fabrigar, L. R., Wegener, D. T., variables. Psychological Methods. common denominator. In conclusion, MacCallum, R. C., & Strahan, E. J. oversimplification avoids the benefits (1999). Evaluating the use of Preacher, K. J., & MacCallum, R. C. granted by more complex methods and exploratory factor analysis in (2000). Repairing Tom Swift's electric sometimes introduces errors and psychological research. Psychological factor analysis machine. Manuscript violates assumptions (as with the Methods, 4(3), 272-299. submitted for publication. median split technique). The primary reasons for dumbing down statistical Floyd, F. J., & Widaman, K. F. Widaman, K. F. (1993). Common analyses, when considered, are clearly (1995). Factor analysis in the factor analysis versus principal unjustifiable. development and refinement of clinical component analysis: Differential bias assessment instruments. Psychological in representing model parameters? References Assessment, 7(3), 286-299. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 28 (3), 263-311. Aiken, L. S., & West, S. G. (1991). Ford, J. K., MacCallum, R. C., & Multiple regression: Testing and Tait, M. (1986). The application of Wilkinson, L. & the APA Taskforce interpreting interactions. Newbury exploratory factor analysis in applied on Statistical Inference (1999). Park: Sage. psychology: A critical review and Statistical Methods in Psychology analysis. Personnel Psychology, 39(2), Journals: Guidelines and Explanations. Crandall, C. (2001). Scientific 291-314. American Psychologist, 54(8), 594- Progress: A need for trust, a need for 604.
skepticism. Dialogue, 16(2), 20-21. Lee, H. B., & Comrey, A. L. (1979). Distortions in a commonly used factor SPSP Officers and Committee Members, 2001 VOLUMEPage 32 17, NO. 1 DIALOGUE

Claude Steele* President Published at: Jim Blascovich* President-Elect Department of Psychology Ed Deiner * Past President University of Kansas Harry Reis Executive Officer Lawrence, KS 66045 Sharon Brehm* Co-Secretary-Treasurer Leslie Zebrowitz* Co-Secretary-Treasurer Phone: 785-864-9807 Jerry Suls Editor, PSPB Fax: 785-864-5696 Fred Rhodewalt Incoming Editor, PSPB Email: [email protected] or [email protected] Eliot Smith Editor, PSPR Chris Crandall Co-Editor, Dialogue News of the Society Since 1986 Monica Biernat Co-Editor, Dialogue Dan Cervone SPSP Convention Committee, Chair Lynne Cooper SPSP Convention Committee Rick Hoyle SPSP Convention Committee Announcements, Cont. Joshua Aronson APA Program Committee, Co-Chair (Continued from page 30) Andrew Elliot APA Program Committee, Co-Chair lowing experimental tests of what makes a face David Dunning Publication Committee, Chair attractive. John Dovidio Publication Committee Contributors and chapter titles: Rubenstein, Lan- glois, & Roggman What Makes a Face Attractive Joanne Wood Publication Committee and Why: The Role of Averageness in Defining Facial Allen Omoto Training Committee, Chair Beauty.; Rhodes, Harwood, Yoshikawa, Nishi- Kim Bartholomew Training Committee tani, & McLean The Attractiveness of Average Lisa Aspinwall Training Committee Faces: Cross-cultural Evidence and Possible Biological Basis; Little, Penton-Voak, Burt, & Perrett, Anne Bettencourt Diversity Committee Evolution and individual differences in the perception of Gregory Herek Diversity Committee attractiveness: How cyclic hormonal changes and self- Lloyd Sloan Diversity Committee perceived attractiveness influence female preferences for Monica Biernat* APA Council Rep and Member at Large male faces; Grammer, Fink, Juette, Ronzal, & Thornhill, Female faces and bodies: N-dimensional June Tangney* APA Council Rep and Member at Large feature space and attractiveness; Enquist, Ghirlanda, Susan Andersen* Member at Large Lundqvist, & Wachtmeister, An Ethological David Funder* Member at Large Theory of Attractiveness; Keating Charismatic faces: Judith Harakiewicz* Member at Large Social status cues put face appeal in context; Cunning- ham, Barbee & Philhower Dimensions of facial Gina Reisinger-Verdin Executive Assistant physical attractiveness: The intersection of biology and *Denotes voting member of the SPSP Executive Committee culture; Dion Cultural Perspectives on facial attractive- ness; Zebrowitz & Rhodes Nature let a hundred negative attitudes toward older people. What- Dialogue Mission Statement flowers bloom: The multiple ways and wherefores of ever the reasons for the comparative dearth Dialogue is the official newsletter of the Society attractiveness. of theoretical and empirical research on age- for Personality and Social Psychology. It ap- ism among psychologists, it is clear that much pears twice every year, in the spring and fall. Ageism: Stereotyping and Prejudice Its intended readership is members of the Soci- more research is needed. This volume ad- ety. The purpose of Dialogue is to report news Against Older Persons. (2002). Edited by T. dresses ageism from several different per- D. Nelson. MIT Press. of the Society, stimulate debate on issues, and spectives (e.g., gerontology, communication, generally inform and occasionally entertain. psychology), and the distinguished chapter Dialogue publishes summaries about meetings In social perception, people tend to automati- authors present the latest theoretical and of the Society’s executive committee and sub- cally categorize others along three major di- empirical advances in our understanding of committees, as well as announcements, opinion mensions: race, sex, and age (Kunda, 1999). the causes and effects of ageism. pieces, letters to the editor, humor, and other While much empirical and theoretical attention Table of Contents: Doddering but dear: Proc- articles of general interest to personality and social psychologists. The Editors seek to publish has been devoted to the study of racism and ess, content and function in stereotyping of older per- sexism, comparatively little research in psychol- all relevant and appropriate contributions, sons; Cuddy & Fiske; Ageism: Denying the face of although the Editors reserve the right to deter- ogy has been directed at understanding what the future; Greenberg, Schimel, & Mertens; mine publishability. Content may be solicited some refer to as the "third ism," ageism Implicit ageism; Levy & Banaji; A social- by the Editors or offered, unsolicited, by mem- (Barrow & Smith, 1979). But why? There are a developmental view of ageism; Montepare & Ze- bers. News of the Society and Committee Re- myriad of possible reasons, but perhaps the browitz; Attitudes toward older adults; Kite & ports are reviewed for accuracy and content by most obvious is that age prejudice is one of the Wagner; Ageism in the workplace: A communica- officers or committee chairs of SPSP. All other most socially-condoned, institutionalized forms content is reviewed at the discretion of the tion perspective; McCann & Giles; Ageist behavior; Editors. of prejudice in the world - and especially in the Pasupathi & Lockenhoff; The paradox of well- United States. As you will see in reading the being, identity processes, and stereotype threat: Age- chapters of this volume, most Americans tend ism and its potential relationships to the self in later to have little tolerance for older persons, and life;. Whitbourne & Sneed; Acting your age; Society for Personality and Social Psychology Visit us at www.spsp.org have very few reservations about harboring Golub, Filipowicz & Langer; Will families