The Behavioral Neuroscientist and Comparative Psychologist Division 6 — American Psychological Association Volume 20 • Number 2 • Summer, 2005 Editor Eric P. Wiertelak, Macalester College In This Issue A Message from the President 3-6 Jim Grau Welcome to Vote for APA President 6 APA’s Committee on Animal 7-8 Research and Ethics (CARE) Mark Blumberg Washington, D.C. Announcements 8-9 Special Section Annual Convention 2005: 10-15 Division 6 Programming DIVISION 6 EMAIL REFLECTOR Division 6 maintains an email refl ector to keep members up to date with the latest information on research funding, employment opportunities, and other items of general interest. If you have recently changed your email address, you may need to re-subscribe to the refl ector. To update your current address or to join the list for the fi rst time, follow these simple instructions: Send precisely the following 4-word message: SUBscribe div6 John Doe Change John Doe to your fi rst and last name; the computer will fi nd the subscriber’s email address in the message automatically. Put nothing else in the message. Mail the 4-word message to the folowing address: [email protected] More info can be found at: http://listserv.apa.org Page 1 Division Officers and The Behavioral Neuroscientist and Comparative Psychologist is the official news- Committees 2004-2005 letter of APA Division 6 — Behavioral Neuroscience and Comparative Psychology President: James Grau — and is published 3 times a year. Mailing addresses used are those appearing on the Texas A&M University official APA roster and a separate Division roster. Corrections and changes of address [email protected] should be sent directly to the APA Directory Office, 1400 North Uhle St., Arlington, VA 22201, and to the newsletter editor (see below). Past-President: Edward Wasserman University of Iowa As the official newsletter of Division 6, BNCP publishes official business, commit- [email protected] tee reports, news items, job announcements, information on technical issues, topics of current interest, and information about the professional activities of Division 6 President-Elect: Tom Zentall members. News items and articles should be submitted to the Editor at the address University of Kentucky below (preferably by email). Paid advertisements are not officially endorsed by Divi- [email protected] sion 6. The Editor welcomes comments and suggestions for ways in which BNCP can better serve the needs of the members. The preferred method of submission is Secretary/Treasurer: Chana Akins by email. Send correspondence and submissions to Eric P. Wiertelak via e-mail at University of Kentucky [email protected]. Postal mail should be sent to Eric P. Wiertelak, Department [email protected] of Psychology, Macalester College, Saint Paul, MN 55105. Other contact information: Council Representative: MaryLou Cheal Phone: (651) 696-6111; FAX: (651) 696-6348. Arizona State University [email protected] Members-at-Large: Mark E. Bouton University of Vermont [email protected] Melinda Novak University of Massachusetts [email protected] Chair of Membership & Growth Committee: Robert C. Drugan University of New Hampshire [email protected] Chair of Fellows Nomination Committee: Mary W. Meagher Texas A&M University [email protected] Chair of Program Committee: Molly V. Wagster National Institute on Aging [email protected] Chair of Awards Committee: Joseph E. Steinmetz Indiana University Going to the convention in Washington DC? [email protected] Newsletter Editor: Eric P. Wiertelak Plan to attend APA Night at the Macalester College National Museum of the American Indian [email protected] Division Historian/ Archivist: Donald A. Dewsbury Friday, August 19th, 7:00 to 9:50 PM. University of Florida Visit the APA Special Events Desk in the [email protected]fl.edu APA Registration area to get tickets. Page 2 A Message from the President Jim Grau ate the magnitude of neurosci- chemistry, but counter to APA? ence. Lets compare some num- We promote our students as lead bers, limiting our discussion to authors and the senior scientist is individuals in (or affiliated) with normally last, in what many (within academia. For APA, the number of neuroscience) consider the second members within academia is just most prestigious position in the au- under 30,000 and the American thor list. We publish in odd places, Psychological Society has about like the Journal of Neurophysiolo- 12,000 members. The Society for gy and Neuroscience that, although Neuroscience has 36,000 mem- they have good impact scores, our bers. The Web of Science lists just colleagues view with skepticism Let me begin my last essay as Pres- under 200 journals in the category because they have not heard of ident of Division 6 with a question: of neuroscience (2004 JCR Science these journals (and, therefore, the How do you label your area of Edition). In this same edition, 60 journals must not be prestigious). study? What are you? Thirty years are listed for psychology and biol- Grant success may be negated by a ago, I believe that many within ogy has 64 journals. Neuroscience view that it is “easy” to get grants Division 6 would have answered, is not a small, specialty area. It is in the area of neuroscience and we a physiological psychologist. The large field of study and it has been may see returned indirect chan- label suggested a particular relation growing much faster than psychol- neled to areas that have little hope to the field of psychology—that we ogy. Most universities recognize of funding. And then there are the saw ourselves as psychologists who neuroscience as an interdisciplinary continued arguments for resourc- study the neurobiological mecha- faculty and some are developing es—deans within liberal arts find nisms that underlie the processes undergraduate programs within the it difficult to fathom half-million (learning, memory, motivation) area. Indeed, our Newsletter Edi- dollar start-up packages, dedicated studied by other psychologists. But tor, Eric Wiertelak, has developed laboratory space, and the cost of today, ask this same question and a model undergraduate program in maintaining a large vivarium. the more likely response is that “I neuroscience at Macalester Col- am a neuroscientist”, not a psychol- lege (see http://www.macalester. Of greater concern is a movement ogist. This answer is especially edu/~neurosci/) and has been work- led by a minority within psycholo- likely from those trained within the ing to help other schools develop gy. At issue are the animal models last decade. It seems that many programs in this area. At both the used to study the mechanisms that now see themselves as aligned with local and national level, forces are underlie phenomena of interest to a different field of study. working to bring neuroscientists to- psychologists. I have been lucky to gether. The lure of the young field be affiliated with departments and On the off chance that someone has the potential to split neurosci- universities where this has never outside of Division 6 reads this es- ence from psychology, ending what been a problem. But in recent say, let me say a few words about has been a troubled marriage. years, attacks have occurred at the field of neuroscience. Used other universities and some mem- without a qualifier (e.g., behav- What is the temptation? In part, bership groups within APA appear ioral), the label refers to a very it is fueled by petty frustrations. to have an antivivisectionist agenda large, interdisciplinary, program How often do we need to explain (see page 7). Yet, we must remem- of study. It is my impression that that neuroscientists adopt publica- ber that APA (as an organization) many within APA do not appreci- tion norms common in biology and (continued on page 4) Page 3 (Message, from page 3) ogy would be lost. a scary proposition as we enter a strongly supports animal research time when funding lines are stated and the Science Directorate What do neuroscience students in single digit percentiles. regularly sponsors programs that trained within psychology gain? Yet another reason to look before highlight the benefits of animal re- I believe that most have a much you leap concerns a transition that search. Indeed, I would argue that better appreciation of experimen- is occurring within other areas of the Science Directorate has been tal design, statistical analyses, the psychology. Imaging techniques our greatest champion, provid- importance of converging opera- are allowing cognitive psycholo- ing educational resources to high tions, and the difficulties associ- gists to link mental processes to school students, lobbying con- ated with formulating and testing particular brain regions, fueling gress, and developing programs at a linking hypothesis. Our students an interest in neural systems—an the national convention that show- find postdoctoral positions where area of neuroscience. Similarly, case discoveries based on animal they are viewed as resources in kits are allowing researchers in research. Nevertheless, among these areas. Sure, they need to other areas to measure a variety the membership, some antagonism learn advanced techniques in other of physiological processes (e.g., is apparent and this does little to areas, but it helps that they have cortisol, hormones) and develop- foster enthusiasm for the organiza- a unique area of expertise and my mental psychologists have been tion or psychology. impression is that this aspect of paying greater attention to the our training is gaining, not losing, parallels between cognitive and Given the long-standing tension, appreciation. Researchers seek- neural development. Your cogni- why maintain the marriage? I will ing to characterize how genetic tive colleague may now tell you argue that, if neuroscience breaks manipulations impact behavior, that her area is cognitive neurosci- from psychology, both areas will learning, and memory, need the ence, not cognitive psychology, lose.