sign in sign up
<<
Home , Arctowski Medal, Henry Draper Medal, Janet Taylor Spence

I Current CXxnments@ EUGENE GARFIELD MTmJTE FOR SCIENTIF\C NFORF.MTIOM SS01 MARKET ST.< PHILADELPHIA, PA 191S4 Janet T. Spence Receives the 1993 NAS Award for Excellence in Scientific Reviewing

Number4i October 11, 1993 In 1993, the unofficial “Year of the Woman,” the National Academy of Sci- ences (NAS) chose Janet Taylor Spence, Alma Cowden Madden Professor of Lib- eral Arts and AshbeI Smith Professor of and Educatiottai Psychology, University of Texas, Austin, as the second female recipient of the NAS Award for Sci- entific Reviewing in the award’s 14-year history. (Virginia Trimble, University of California, Irvine, was the first woman to be honored. She was selected in 1986 for her contributions to the review literature of astronomy and . *) In addition, of the 20 individuals distinguished by the 17 NAS awards thk year, Spence was the only woman selected. In a May 1993 Sci- entist interview that focused on these awards, she commented on the growing role Janet Taylor Spence of women in science, suggesting that “we’11 see more women getting awards in the fu- year, on a three-year rotating schedule. Last ture, simply because there’ H be more to year’s recipient was atmospheric chemist choose from.”2 Robert T. Watson, program office director The NAS Award for Scientific Review- in the Earth Science and Applications Di- ing was established in 1979 by IS~ and vision of NASA.3 Alexander N. Glazer, Annual Reviews, inc., Palo Alto, Califor- professor of biochemistry and molecular nia, to honor james Murray Luck, the biology, University of California, Berke- founder of Annual Reviews and its editor- ley, received the prize in 1991.4 in-chief until 1969. It carries with it a Scientific reviews play a critical role in $5,000 honortium cosponsored by these the dissemination of established research two organizations. An independent com- findings as well as new data in a particular mittee appointed by NAS selects each year’s field. In honoring Janet Spence with its recipient. award for excellence in scientific review- The award is given to researchers in the ing, the NAS cited her “pervasive and gen- biological, physical, and social and behav- erative influence upon virtually all of the ioral sciences who produce high-quality sci- contemporary, scientific literature of psy- entific reviews. The selection committee chology as editor, author, and policy- focuses on one of these disciplines each maker.”5

3 ‘7 Spence, who says she “was pleased and measures over extended periods of time that honored”h to receive the NAS award, finds occur in the real world, from studies of the that “reviews are extremely valuable, par- psychologically normal to the mentally ill, ticularly with the information explosion, from young children to adults.”g which is showing no signs of slowing down. It is almost impossible to pull to- gether information in a coherent way to- day, unless you are very familiar with a Janet Taylor Spence was born in ToIedo, narrow topic. Reviews are the lifeblood of , in 1923. She received an AB from a field at this point.”b In addition, citation , Ohio, in 1945 and went analysis is an important tool for identify- on to study for an additional year at Yale ing reviews and other publications deemed University in New Haven. In 1949 she useful by researchers. Shortly after win- graduated from the State University of ning her award, Spence commented on the Iowa, Iowa City, with an MA and a PhD in role of citation analysis in her work. “Valid psychology. performance measures are generally hard Spence knew she wanted to be a psy- to come by,” she noted. “But in the case of chologist when she was still in high school, academic scientists, it’s hard to argue with even though she had only the vaguest idea eithernumberof publicationsor..citations !“7 of what that meant. That’s what I wanted Spence, whose published works span 40 to be, You could say it was a calling. I years, has “played a central role in extend- spent my career learning what a psycholo- ing the experimental and quantitative meth- gist is and if it was what I wanted to be, ods characteristic of Yale and Iowa psy- and happily it is.”h chology into the complex and typically After competing her doctorate, she more qualitative domains outside of the ani- taught at , Evan- maf and human laboratory,” according to ston, Illinois, from 1949 to 1960 and then psychologist of the Cen- served a four-year stint as a research psy- ter for Advanced Study in the Behavioral chologist at the Veterans Administration Sciences, Stanford, California, and the 1987 Hospital in Iowa City. She left this posi- recipient of the NAS Award for Scientific tion to join the faculty at the University of Reviewing.s In his introductory comments Texas, Austin, where she continues to teach at the Washington, DC, NAS awards cer- today. emony held April 26 during the academy’s Spence has twice been a visiting research 130th annual meeting, Lindzey commented scholar at , Cambridge, that “the enduring theme in Janet Spence’s Massachusetts—from 1974 to 1975 and research has been the identification and again in 1991. She was also a fellow at the measurement of motivational factors that Center for Advanced Studies in the Behav- influence cognitive performance. In recent ioral Sciences, Palo Alto, Califontia (1978- years, she has also attempted to tackle the 1979), Since 1985 she has received three enigma of masculinity and femininity. Her honorary doctor of science degrees: from concern with gender differences in achieve- Oberlin, her undergraduate alma mater; ment and the motivational explanations that ; and the University had traditionally been invoked to explain of Toledo. them Ied her and her colleagues to identify Not content only to teach, Spence has varieties of achievement motives and to generously lent her research expertise to determine their implications for perfor- various professional societies. From 1978 mance in academic and vocational settings. to 1983 she was a member of the gover- Her investigations have ranged widely, ning board of the Psychonomic Society. from the laboratory to the field, from per- Then, in 1984, she served as president of formance on contrived tasks to aggregated the American Psychological Association

378 Table 1: Most-cited works of Janet Taylor Spence, 194S- 1992 SCP/.SSCI’,

Citex Publication 2,575 Taylor J A. A peraonatity scale of manifest anxiet y. J. Abnormal SOC. Psycho/. 48:285-90, 1953. 770 Spence J T & Hetmreich R L. Muculinify &~eminbufy: fk-ir psychological/ dimensions, correlates, & antecedents. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 1978.297 p. (See alsm Spence J T. ‘fle second sex. Citation Classice. Curi-enf Conrtvm@/Social & Behavioral Sciences25(18):8,3 May 1993,and C@/Am & Humanitie.r 15(10):20, 10 May 1993.) 759 Spence J T, Helmreich R & Stapp J. Ratings of self and peers on sex mle attributes and rbeir relation to self-esteem and conceptions of masculinity and femininity. J. Personal.SK Psychol.3:29-39,1975. 335 Taylor J A. The relationship of anxiety to the conditioned eyelid response. J. z?XP..%ychoL 41:81-92, 1951. 295 Spence J T & Hetmreich R L. The Attitudes Toward Women Scale: an objective instrument to measure attitudes toward the rights and roles of women in contemsmmrv. . society.. JSAS Cat. select.~OC. i%ychOi 2:66-7, 197 while simultaneously chairing the Psychol- The scale it described was developed as a ogy Section of the American Association device for selecting subjects for experi- for the Advancement of Science. In 1989 ments in human motivation. It consisted of Spence became president of the newly 50 statements that were indicative of mani- formed American Psychological Society. fest anxiety when answered a certain way. This year’s NAS award winner has also For example, statements such as “I am contributed her excellent communication troubled by attacks of nausea,” “I cannot skills to a variety of prestigious journals. keep my mind on one thing,” “I am easily Over a span of 10 years, she served as as- embarrassed,” and “I worry over money sociate editor (1969-1973) and edhor (1973- and business” indicated anxiety when an- 1979) of Contemporary Psychology, the swered as TRUE by respondents, as did most important publisher of reviews of psy- the following items when marked as chology publications.8 Currently, she pro- FALSE: “My hands and feet are usually vides editorial consulting services to the warm enough,” ‘