A Quantitative Review of the History of Clinical Neuropsychology in North America

Abstract

Abstract Objective: To quantitatively measure influence of both individuals and organizations in the field of neuropsychology, analyzing data from four organizations: The International Neuropsychological Society (INS), the National Academy of Neuropsychology (NAN), Society for Neuropsychology (SCN; APA Division 40), and the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology (AACN). Methods: Individuals were ranked in four domains of influence: (1) organizational leadership (e.g., number, significance of offices); (2) speaking at annual meetings (number, significance of presentations); (3) editorial board membership (number, significance of board membership) for the official journals of INS, NAN, SCN and AACN; (4) impact of publications (citation impact). The top 100 individuals were ranked for each of the four domains, extending back in time to the founding year of each organization up through and including 2017. Rankings were transformed to a common metric. For the analysis of organizational influence (membership size, size of meeting, impact factor of each official organization journal), we analyzed data from the past 20 years through and including 2017. Results: The top 100 neuropsychologists in each of the four domains represent about 3% of persons surveyed, and often appeared in other domains. Nonetheless, factor analysis yielded two factors: (1) a factor characterizing organizational leadership, editorial board membership, and speaking at annual meetings; and (2) a factor defined solely by citation impact. Organizationally, AACN is growing most rapidly, with membership stable in INS and declining slightly in NAN and SCN. Many leading neuropsychologists belong to all four organizations.