Award for Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contributions to Psychology: Laura B. Zahodne.

Abstract

The Early Career Awards, given for the first time in 1974, recognize the large number of excellent early career psychologists. Recipients of this award may not have held a doctoral degree for more than nine years. For purposes of this award, psychology has been divided into 10 areas: animal learning and behavior, comparative; developmental; health; cognition/human learning; psychopathology; behavioral and cognitive neuroscience; perception/motor performance; social; applied research; and individual differences. Five areas are considered each year, with areas rotated in two-year cycles. The areas considered in 2021 were animal learning and behavior, comparative; developmental; health; cognition/human learning; and psychopathology. Each year, panels are selected for the areas under consideration, and these panels recommend nominees to the Committee on Scientific Awards. The 2021 recipients of the APA Scientific Contribution Awards were recognized by the 2020 Board of Scientific Affairs and selected by the 2020 Committee on Scientific Awards. For her seminal contributions to the understanding of individual differences in cognitive aging and Alzheimer's disease, particularly in relation to racial and ethnic inequalities. Laura B. Zahodne's work has provided foundational knowledge concerning the environmental factors that underlie persistent racial disparities in late-life cognition. Specifically, she showed that social stress (e.g., discrimination) independently contributes to cognitive inequalities. Moreover, she identified variables that protect against cognitive aging, including education and social support; thus, her work identifies potential targets for intervention. Through her rigorous and innovative research, she is addressing issues that are among the most critical facing society. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).