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DIALOGUE Page 1 Volume 20, No. 1 DIALOGUE Dialogue—Spring, 2005 The Official Newsletter of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology Chris Crandall & Monica Biernat, News from the Executive Co-Editors Committee: The State of SPSP Inside the Current Issue: The theme of the Fall, 2005 issue of Dialogue Society offered her a weekend retreat for two was the changes at the National Institutes of in honor of her long and productive Letter to the Editor 3 Mental Health introduced by the new Director, commitment to SPSP. Thomas Insel, who has demonstrated a deep disinterest in funding basic research in social– Convention. Outgoing Executive Officer personality psychology. Harry Reis reported that the attendance at the Report from the Graduate 4 th Student Committee 5 Annual Convention of SPSP was the This cloud over future funding prospects in our largest ever, with some 1,900 registrants. field shadowed the SPSP Executive This represents reliable growth from the Convention Program Report 6 Committee meeting this January, punctuated previous year; the Convention continues to by small rays of hope. Despite the concerns be a remarkable success, with ever-greater over funding, there was still plenty of SPSP numbers of attendees, presentations and Preview of APA Division 8 7 business of the pleasant or mundane sort, and posters, and awards. The Convention always Programming in general, that’s the sort we’ll report here. poses a financial risk to the Society because our contracts with hotels and convention Passings 8 New Officers. This meeting was the first centers require a significant guarantee of presided over by the new President of SPSP, room rentals and so on. It appears that the Margaret (Peggy) Clark. In addition, it was the New Orleans convention will make a small, first meeting under the care of the new unbudgeted profit for the Society. Friedman on Giving Away 9 Executive Officer David Dunning. The Social Psychology meeting opened with an expression of thanks Membership. Harry also reported that there to outgoing Executive Assistant Gina were 4,334 members as of the end of 2004, Niedenthal on Becoming an 10 Reisinger-Verdin, attending her last meeting with growth among both student and full Academic in France after 10 years of service to the Society. The (Continued on page 2) The Academic Job Market in 12 Social Psychology New Society Fellows Named for 2004 Social Psychology: Graphic 14 The new SPSP Fellows are: With the Executive Version — An Excerpt by By Janet Swim Committee’s endorsement, Paula Niedenthal Lisa Feldman Barrett of the materials for those Boston College, Barbara L. Report from the APA Council 16 The SPSP Fellows Frederickson of the individuals who are Committee meets each year University of Michigan, members of Division 8 of to recommend members for Gregory M. Herek of UC- APA have been forwarded Fellow Status in SPSP. This Davis, Eric S. Knowles of the to the Membership Mills on Person-Social 17 Psychology year’s committee—Janet University of Arkansas, Committee of APA for its Swim (Chair), Blair Johnson, Felicia Pratto of the annual consideration of and Ed Hirt—recommended University of Connecticut, Fellow nominations. Who Publishes in Social- 18 seven important contributors David Watson of the Personality Psychology? to the field for this honor, University of Iowa, and Congratulations to these and all were unanimously Timothy D. Wilson of the individuals for their approved as SPSP Fellows designation as SPSP Announcements 22 University of Virginia. ■ by the Executive Committee. Fellows. Page 2 DIALOGUE The State of SPSP, continued Some of the professional issues sessions had only moderate (Continued from page 1) of the PSPB, which is receiving well attendance, including a meeting with over 500 submissions a year, will funding officials and sessions for memberships. The total number of require an additional associate editor, advocacy training. There was a great SPSP Members who are also members its eighth. Finally, as reported in the deal of discussion about why more of APA and explicitly affiliated with last issue, there are various expenses people do not show up to these very Division 8 has grown in recent years. due to transitions of the PSPB editor important sessions. Is it that faculty This is a small reversal of a long-term (from Rhodewalt/Utah to Harakiewicz/ not understand the importance of trend of SPSP members being less and Wisconsin) and of the Executive advocacy and funding? The less likely to join APA, for a variety of Officer (from Reis/Rochester to Executive Committee sees a pressing reasons. This reversal is generally Dunning/Cornell). need for more people being trained considered A Good Thing, because and involved in these issues, and APA is a powerful and often effective Convention. Lynne Cooper reported welcomes input from members about voice in matters of great interest to that the New Orleans convention involving more people in explaining personality and social psychologists. appears to have been profitable. our field to government, funding Several on-site registrations added a agencies, media outlets, and so on. Some concerns were raised about the fair amount of cash. The higher Additionally, Thursday night value of those who join SPSP solely for registration count represents a 25% programming seemed to escape many the lower rate of convention increase from the previous year. people’s notice. The Thursday attendance, or to be able to present a Students make up about two thirds of program is a major featured poster or a talk. We have good rate of all people registering at the conference, component of the convention, and the continuing memberships, and the and virtually all of the major growth of Committee discussed encouraging expense of one-year-only student the conference is in students. Can the attendance. memberships appears to be offset by Society and the Convention continue to the success of the Society in other grow at this pace? At this early stage in The 2005 Convention also areas. the history of our annual conference, reinstituted the jam session. This was, we are not able to ascertain what is a by all accounts, a fun, worthwhile, There is a trend toward members secular trend, and what is due to the and popular event. paying their dues more quickly, instead venues—are conferences getting bigger of dragging on into the spring of the because we’re growing, or because Convention Program. The Chair of next year. This is in part due to the New Orleans is particularly appealing? the Program Committee, Ed Diener, requirement that membership be paid Next year’s attendance will be reported that there were 1120 poster prior to the convention to receive informative—the conference will be in submissions, and about 1000 were membership rates. The price Palm Springs, California (an appealing accepted (an 89% acceptance rate). differential for member and non- place, but more difficult to get to, The Program Committee received 84 member registration exceeds the cost of especially for those on the East Coast). symposia submissions, and was able dues; this fact is not lost on attendees. to schedule 39 (a 46% acceptance The number of faculty attending the rate). The 2004 Convention had 67 Society business expenses. There were conference has been stable for several symposia submissions and took 34 (a a few unusual expenses that the Society years. There are two ways of 51% acceptance rate). absorbed this past year. The APA interpreting this; that faculty were convention—where SPSP Executive quick to adopt the SPSP Conference as The biggest problem that the Council, by policy, meets—was more an important event, and there is little Committee found was people expensive than usual, due to the room for growth, or that growth among submitting for more than one location in Hawaii. In addition, SPSP faculty is stagnant. Because there is speaking role. The Program has incurred some legal fees as it very heavy competition for speaking Committee will make SPSP policy protects its status as an independent positions at the sessions, and the particularly clear in the future: Only non-profit organization. Because we preconferences have been very one speaking role per person, have been successful at new members successful, there appears to be a including as discussant, is allowed. joining and remaining in SPSP, we continuing strong interest among Enhanced enforcement of the rule is have exceeded the contractual number faculty and other post-Ph.D. attendees. planned. Ed made it clear that certain of PSPB subscriptions, and have had to There were 13 preconferences this “double speaking” is allowed, award pay the publisher a small amount of year—a record. The sessions also have winners, special invitees of the money to cover this cost. The growth a high level of student attendance. (Continued on page 5) DIALOGUE Page 3 Letter to Galen Bodenhausen Named the Editors Editor of Personality and Social Dear Chris and Monica: Psychology Review I am writing with regard to Hazel Markus’s “President’s Column” The Publications Committee of SPSP is pleased to entitled “Thinking outside the person.” announce the selection of Galen V. Bodenhausen of The first point of that article was that Northwestern University as the incoming Editor of the general public does not readily Personality and Social Psychology Review. Dr. grasp the idea that behavior is Bodenhausen will begin receiving manuscripts on influenced by contexts—certainly not December 1, 2005. He will replace Eliot Smith, who as easily as they grasp the idea that that has served as Editor of PSPR since 1999. Bodenhausen behavior is influenced by internal will be the journal’s third editor; Marilynn Brewer was its first. Dr. processes. The second point was that it Bodenhausen received a Ph.D.