Celebrating 70 Years Trivia Quiz! (P
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
American Psychological Association (APA) A Publication of the Society of General Psychology—Division 1 Volume 50, Issue 1 October 15th, 2015 Inside this issue President’s Column ..................... 3 Greengs from the President of the United States .............................. 5 Member Responses to the Hoffman Report ......................................... 12 Spotlight on past Division One Presi- dents ........................................... 17 2015 Awards ............................... 20 2015 Convenon Highlights ........ 26 Obituary - Ethel Tobach .............. 32 New Members ............................ 34 Announcements.......................... 35 Theme for Fall 2015 - The Myth of ‘The Golden Years’ ...................... 36 Special points of interest Becoming a Member (p. 9) Becoming a Fellow (p. 11) Celebrating 70 years Trivia quiz! (p. 16) In this issue, we celebrate our 70th anniversary Award Coordinator’s Report (p. 20) with exuberance and jubilation against the back- Book Review [Nicholas A. Cum- mings - Psychology’s Provoca- drop of the reverberations of the Hoffman Re- teur] (p. 30) port. Thank you to all those who made submis- sions to this issue. One major addition to this is- sue is that we provide you readers with the op- portunity to respond to articles. In our spring is- sue 2016, we will feature some of these responses as ‘Readers’ Comments/Contributions.’ Three co-hostesses (Psi Chi mem- bers) of Division 1 Suite from Universidad del Valle de Guatemala: Marìa Ximena Flores, Marìa Josè España & Ana Lucìa Urrea JUDITH TORNEY PURTA & JOHN HOGAN John Hogan Ph.D. stands with Judith Torney Purta, Ph.D. who is the recipient of our Arthur Staats Award More Award recipients featured on page... Connued on page 6... 2 President’s Column Nancy Baker, Ph.D. Psychology in the news: Crisis or opportunity? When I read the morning paper, I leaders rely do not usurp the control of the am accustomed to reading about issues organization ‐ whether for good or bad?; b) to which Division One’s overarching and How does a profession dedicated to the good integrative approach to the field of psy‐ of humanity develop and maintain its ethics chology could contribute in a meaningful and ethical standards independent of the way. There are the long standing prob‐ press of guild or self‐interest motives? In this lems of racism and sexism, along with process and all activities going forward, real transparency will be critical. serious issues raised by both the rise of religious fundamentalism with violence stantial data about their efforts that will, I generated in the name of religion and the suspect, be the subject of many second‐ impact of catastrophic climate change ary analyses over the coming months or (often referred to as global warming) “The state of our even years. sustained by the lack of political will to science is both There are standard issues raised combat it. But recently, I have been dis‐ about failure to replicate. There is the tressed to find myself reading about is‐ our concern and critique of the practices of only publish‐ sues IN psychology. First it was the Hoff‐ ing new results rather than replications. man Report and the reopening of the our territory.” There is also the issue of privileging novel critique of psychology’s role in the so‐ or unusual results. Finally, there is the called “harsh interrogations” (aka tor‐ charge that we worship significance lev‐ ture) of detainees at Guantanamo. More els rather than looking at effect sizes. recently it has been about the failures of Whether or not those issues are ad‐ These concerns were supported by the replication for psychological research dressed in a transparent manner is not project’s findings. Obviously if many identified by the replication project of the under the direct control of Division One studies don’t replicate, we should de‐ Open Science Collaboration. But once or our individual members. mand a literature replete with replica‐ again, there are contributions that the The same can’t be said about the issues tions before accepting the findings as perspective of Division One can bring. raised by the replication project. We are, something approaching received wis‐ For this column, I want to focus primarily after all, a science division and most of us dom. Further, the experiments most on the most recent issue that faces us engage in and teach about psychological likely to replicate were those with large specifically as psychologists – the con‐ research. The state of our science is both effect sizes. cerns about the nature of our science. our concern and our territory. Today, my morning paper had an To some extent this choice is due to As most of us are probably only too opinion piece by another psychologist, the fact that most of what I would say aware, the Replication Project was a joint Lisa Barrett (2015), arguing that this fail‐ about the organizational challenges re‐ effort by a number of individuals in psy‐ ure to replicate is nothing to be upset vealed by the Hoffman Report were cov‐ chological science to replicate results about – it is merely the nature of science. ered in the Division One Executive Com‐ published in three leading psychology She noted that failures to replicate clue mittee’s statement released prior to the journals. They went to great lengths to us into additional factors about when an August APA Convention. At this point, attempt to replicate the methods used effect occurs and when it doesn’t. She perhaps the most important thing that by the original study authors, including further notes that while “much of sci‐ can be said about the issues raised were inviting those authors to provide materi‐ ence still assumes that phenomenon can summarized in the following lines from als and review planned replications. The be explained by universal laws,” psy‐ the statement: results of that project, that 60% of the chologists understand that context mat‐ The structural and philosophical issues that studies failed to replicate, were publicly ters. Here I think that Dr. Barrett is both led to this situation must be addressed. In released in August, published on‐line in correct and incorrect at the same time. particular, we urge APA to consider these Science (Open Science Collaboration, Context does matter. fundamental questions: a) How does a 2015). It is an interesting and important membership organization with volunteer article to read. Furthermore, the authors Connued on page 4... elected leaders operate in a way that ensures provided as open source material sub‐ that the paid staff on which the volunteer 3 President’s Column - Nancy Baker, Ph.D. .........Continued from page 3 nor do we generally get a uniform effect of the variable of in‐ terest on each participant. Currently my students and I are It matters because, as her examples about rats and looking at the frequency with which our studies of psychologi‐ learned fear demonstrate, distinguishing between the situa‐ cal interventions are reported in ways that allow us to address tions where we do get a particular result and the situations intersectional issues. The preliminary impressions are not en‐ where we don’t, provide important information and scientific couraging. I certainly hope that as the field engages in discus‐ clues to a better understanding of the phenomenon under sion about the results of the Replication Project, we begin to study. Hazel Markus and her colleagues previously demon‐ discuss the importance of addressing human diversity rather strated that not only are contexts and materials important, but than looking for universal decontextualized humans following the people participating are as well. Her work has outlined a universal context free laws. That conversation will be reflected number of areas where “classic” psychological findings are in my Presidential theme – Roots and Branches: Envisioning a different in Japan compared to the US (Shweder, et al., 2006). psychology free of racism and sexism. One author of a study that is reported to have asserted this issue saying that the reason her study on women’s hormonal References levels influencing ratings of male attractiveness failed to repli‐ Barrett, L. F. (2015, September 1). Psychology is not in crisis. cate was because she studied Italian women while the replica‐ The New York Times, p. A65. tion used American college students. Open Science Collaboration (2015). Estimating the reproducibil‐ My concern is that, as a profession, we are more imbued with a ity of psychological science. Science, #05, 943‐951. DOI: belief in universal laws and less sensitive to the importance of 10.1126/science.aac4716 context than Dr. Barrett admits. I fear this is particularly true when it comes to the importance of recognizing that the par‐ Shweder, R. A., Goodnow, J. J., Hatano, G., LeVine, R. A., ticipants in our studies are not widgets but humans who ecom Markus, H. R., & Miller, P. J. (2006). The cultural psychol‐ to us with individual, community, cultural, and historical experi‐ ogy of development: One mind, many mentalities. ences that shape how they understand and react to anything Handbook of child psychology (6th :ed.) Vol 1, theoretical we do. While we may have begun to talk about the im‐ models of human development. (pp. 716‐792) John portance of understanding people in their intersectional com‐ Wiley & Sons Inc, Hoboken, NJ. Retrieved from http:// plexity, our research designs and reports don’t seem to reflect search.proquest.com/docview/621353475? that appreciation. Furthermore, in many (most) psychological accountid=10868