Award For Distinguished Scientific Contributions Research Articles

Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions: Michael S. Fanselow.

The APA Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions honors psychologists who have made distinguished theoretical or empirical contributions to basic research in psychology. "For his systematic and integrative research on the neural and behavioral mechanisms of Pavlovian fear learning. Guided by a functional behavior perspective, Michael S. Fanselow's pioneering studies of conditioned analgesia describe a fundamental biological mechanism for regulating associative learning through error correction. His analysis of the organization of defensive behavior in relation to predatory imminence has yielded a novel theoretical framework for understanding fear, anxiety, and panic. His research has revealed an essential neural architecture for fear conditioning that not only informs how we understand normal and pathological fear but also demonstrates how rigorous neural and behavioral approaches enrich and strengthen one another." (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions: Vonnie C. McLoyd.

The APA Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions honors psychologists who have made distinguished theoretical or empirical contributions to basic research in psychology. "For advancing understanding of the family-level processes through which poverty harms children. Vonnie C. McLoyd extended a family stress model of how families cope with the shock of economic loss to investigate how families cope with poverty and low income as ongoing conditions. Her work demonstrates that poverty and low-income can adversely affect children's psychological functioning through its impact on mothers' mental health and parenting behaviors. It also provides evidence of the protective effects of social support on mothers and children experiencing poverty and neighborhood violence. Her scholarship interrogating and critiquing the deficit, race-comparative paradigm helped move the study of African American children toward one that gives more attention to normative development, contextual influences, and sources of within-group variation." (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Awards for Distinguished Scientific Contributions.

The Awards for Distinguished Scientific Contributions are presented to persons who, in the opinion of the Committee on Scientific Awards, have made distinguished theoretical or empirical contributions to basic research in psychology. The 2023 recipients of the APA Distinguished Scientific Contribution Awards were recognized by the 2022 Board of Scientific Affairs and selected by the 2022 Committee on Scientific Awards. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions: Jennifer A. Richeson.

The APA Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions honors psychologists who have made distinguished theoretical or empirical contributions to basic research in psychology. "For illuminating with theoretical boldness and methodological rigor how sociocultural group memberships such as race and socioeconomic status shape how people reason about, respond to, and experience inequality and injustice. Jennifer A. Richeson has shown how threat impacts misperceptions of inequality and reactions to increasing racial diversity. Her steadfast commitment to being inclusive in the world and research is illustrated in her research on the dynamics of interracial interactions from the perspectives of members of both culturally devalued and traditionally dominant groups. Together, these contributions have transformed our understanding of how prejudice and stereotypes shape basic processes of mind and behavior." (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Awards for Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contributions to Psychology.

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 2023 were applied research; behavioral and cognitive neuroscience; individual differences; perception and motor performance; and social psychology. The 2023 recipients of the APA Distinguished Scientific Contribution Awards were recognized by the 2022 Board of Scientific Affairs and selected by the 2022 Committee on Scientific Awards. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Award for Distinguished Scientific Applications of Psychology.

The Award for Distinguished Scientific Applications of Psychology is presented to a person who, in the opinion of the Committee on Scientific Awards, has made distinguished theoretical or empirical advances leading to the understanding or amelioration of important practical problems. The 2023 recipients of the APA Distinguished Scientific Contribution Awards were recognized by the 2022 Board of Scientific Affairs and selected by the 2022 Committee on Scientific Awards. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Awards for Distinguished Scientific Contributions.

The Awards for Distinguished Scientific Contributions are presented to persons who, in the opinion of the Committee on Scientific Awards, have made distinguished theoretical or empirical contributions to basic research in psychology. The 2022 recipients of the APA Distinguished Scientific Contribution Awards were recognized by the 2021 Board of Scientific Affairs and selected by the 2021 Committee on Scientific Awards. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions: Shinobu Kitayama.

The Awards for Distinguished Scientific Contributions are presented to persons who, in the opinion of the Committee on Scientific Awards, have made distinguished theoretical or empirical contributions to basic research in psychology. The 2022 recipients of the APA Distinguished Scientific Contribution Awards were recognized by the 2021 Board of Scientific Affairs and selected by the 2021 Committee on Scientific Awards. For pioneering theory and research revealing the powerful and dynamic influence of cultures on the human mind. As a founder of modern cultural psychology, Shinobu Kitayama's insightful analyses of Western psychological theories, combined with novel and incisive experimental methods, have moved the field beyond a near-exclusive focus on European American contexts and participants toward the goal of a comprehensive psychology. His research on the significance of independent and interdependent social orientations for cognition, emotion, and motivation, combined with his initiation of the field of cultural neuroscience, has advanced understandings of how cultures 'get under the skin.' His perspectives and wisdom have diversified the field and inspired students and colleagues around the world. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions: Susan A. Gelman.

The Awards for Distinguished Scientific Contributions are presented to persons who, in the opinion of the Committee on Scientific Awards, have made distinguished theoretical or empirical contributions to basic research in psychology. The 2022 recipients of the APA Distinguished Scientific Contribution Awards were recognized by the 2021 Board of Scientific Affairs and selected by the 2021 Committee on Scientific Awards. For her scientific exploration of the interface of language, thought, and culture and the developing mind. Susan Gelman developed one of the main theories of conceptual development, psychological essentialism, that explains how children come to understand categories. She has increased attention to the effects of generic language on people's inferences and beliefs. Her work identifies fundamental psychological questions and provides rigorous, comprehensive, and compelling answers. Dr. Gelman's theoretical advances engage researchers from fields as diverse as psychology, biology, anthropology, linguistics, and philosophy to move forward the boundaries of our understanding of the human mind and how it develops. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions: BJ Casey.

The Awards for Distinguished Scientific Contributions are presented to persons who, in the opinion of the Committee on Scientific Awards, have made distinguished theoretical or empirical contributions to basic research in psychology. The 2022 recipients of the APA Distinguished Scientific Contribution Awards were recognized by the 2021 Board of Scientific Affairs and selected by the 2021 Committee on Scientific Awards. For her outstanding contributions to human brain development theory and assessment. BJ Casey's efforts and insights have helped launch the field of developmental cognitive neuroscience. Her pioneering work showed that the development of self-control is paralleled by differential maturation of the prefrontal cortex and subcortical neurobiology. This research revolutionized theories of how cognitive control, impulsivity, and emotion regulation change during adolescence. She provides translation from research in animal models and humans to policy, including neuroscientifically informed reforms of the juvenile justice system and mental health policy. She has been a pioneer in her scholarship, innovation, and dedication to the next generation of scholars. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

A Blueprint for Genetic Determinism

A Blueprint for Genetic Determinism

Award for Distinguished Scientific Applications of Psychology: Christopher G. Fairburn.

The Award for Distinguished Scientific Applications of Psychology is presented to a person who, in the opinion of the Committee on Scientific Awards, has made distinguished theoretical or empirical advances leading to the understanding or amelioration of important practical problems. The 2022 recipients of the APA Distinguished Scientific Contribution Awards were recognized by the 2021 Board of Scientific Affairs and selected by the 2021 Committee on Scientific Awards. For his groundbreaking conceptualization of eating disorders and the development and implementation of their most effective psychological treatment. Christopher G. Fairburn was the first to propose a transdiagnostic approach that has altered and improved the way in which eating disorders and other mental health disorders are treated. He has been a leader in promoting scalable treatments for the broader community in global mental health, including innovations that digitalize the way therapists are trained. He has had a profound impact on colleagues and students, many of whom have achieved international eminence. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Award for Distinguished Scientific Applications of Psychology.

The Award for Distinguished Scientific Applications of Psychology is presented to a person who, in the opinion of the Committee on Scientific Awards, has made distinguished theoretical or empirical advances leading to the understanding or amelioration of important practical problems. The 2022 recipients of the APA Distinguished Scientific Contribution Awards were recognized by the 2021 Board of Scientific Affairs and selected by the 2021 Committee on Scientific Awards. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Awards for Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contributions to Psychology.

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 2022 were animal learning and behavior, comparative; developmental; health; cognition/human learning; and psychopathology. The 2022 recipients of the APA Distinguished Scientific Contribution Awards were recognized by the 2021 Board of Scientific Affairs and selected by the 2021 Committee on Scientific Awards. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Awards for Distinguished Scientific Contributions.

The Awards for Distinguished Scientific Contributions are presented to persons who, in the opinion of the Committee on Scientific Awards, have made distinguished theoretical or empirical contributions to basic research in psychology. 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. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions: Henry l. Roediger III.

The Awards for Distinguished Scientific Contributions are presented to persons who, in the opinion of the Committee on Scientific Awards, have made distinguished theoretical or empirical contributions to basic research in psychology. 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 outstanding contributions to understanding human memory and cognition, and his leadership in advancing experimental psychology. Through careful experimentation and scholarship, Henry L. Roediger has consistently identified and driven major areas of research that have important theoretical implications and inform our understanding of the human condition. He elucidated the surprising fallibility of human memory, revealed powerful implicit influences on memory, and showed that memory tests do more than evaluate-they facilitate future retrieval. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions: Megan R. Gunnar.

The Awards for Distinguished Scientific Contributions are presented to persons who, in the opinion of the Committee on Scientific Awards, have made distinguished theoretical or empirical contributions to basic research in psychology. 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 elucidating the associations between stress response systems and human behavioral development; for linking these associations to our understanding of how early caregiver experiences moderate stress physiology and facilitate coping in young children; for translating our knowledge about early biopsychosocial development to inform child care policies pertinent to children and adolescents; and for making substantive theoretical contributions to developmental science. Megan R. Gunnar has ushered new ways of thinking about stress to the field of psychology as well as provided strong and generous scientific leadership, leaving a lasting and inspiring impact on psychological science. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions: Lisa Feldman Barrett.

The Awards for Distinguished Scientific Contributions are presented to persons who, in the opinion of the Committee on Scientific Awards, have made distinguished theoretical or empirical contributions to basic research in psychology. 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 groundbreaking contributions to affective science. Lisa Feldman Barrett's theory of constructed emotion has challenged prevailing views of emotions as basic and universal and has created much needed dialogue and innovation. In her work, she models a creative approach to doing psychology that freely ranges over the full breadth of the field, drawing insights from philosophy, biology, anthropology, linguistics, law, and beyond. Her work employs a wide variety of behavioral and brain measures, and she has been a driving force in methodological innovation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Peter F. Merenda (1922-2019).

Presents an obituary for Peter F. Merenda (1922-2019). Peter received his bachelor of science in math and physics and master of arts in education at Tufts, where he was also in the Navy Reserve Officers' Training Corps. He became an ensign and served in the Navy during World War II. After the war he served as director of research at the Naval Training Center and earned his PhD in counseling and statistics at the University of Wisconsin in 1957. In 1960, Peter cofounded the Departments of Psychology and Computer Science/Statistics at the University of Rhode Island. He was chair of psychology for 12 years at the University of Rhode Island and president of the New England Psychological Association (NEPA), the Rhode Island Psychological Association (RIPA), and the International Council of Psychologists (ICP) as well as chair of ICP conventions in Norway, East and West Germany, England, and Paris. And Peter was a captain in the Navy, a position of which he was particularly proud. Inspired, in part, by his Sicilian heritage, Peter served for 5 years as codirector of Project Talent in Sicily. This project informed national development plans for manpower and priority occupations. Peter's contributions were honored by awards from his community; state (RIPA); region (NEPA); APA Karl Heiser Presidential Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions (Division 5); James McKeon Cattell Fellow Award; and awards from Portugal, the Republic of China, and Italy. Peter's contributions also included being influential in building an outstanding quantitative psychology specialty. Over the years, faculty like Wayne F. Velicer (1944 -2017), Lisa Harlow, and Joseph S. Rossi have been recognized as high-impact authors in quantitative and health psychology. Amazing it is that one person could accomplish so much and so well, while being so close to his wife, Rose, whom he met in elementary school when they were both 12. Rose (1922-2014) was a professor at Rhode Island College and an expert in early childhood education. Peter Francis Merenda was a remarkable individual who lived an extraordinary life, impacting people far and wide. In his 97-plus years, Peter accomplished much and gave back much to others- his family, friends, colleagues, students, community, country, and internationally. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions: Elissa L. Newport.

The Awards for Distinguished Scientific Contributions are presented to persons who, in the opinion of the Committee on Scientific Awards, have made distinguished theoretical or empirical contributions to basic research in psychology. The 2020 recipients of the APA Scientific Contribution Awards were recognized by the 2019 Board of Scientific Affairs and selected by the 2019 Committee on Scientific Awards. For seminal contributions to our understanding of the role of early experience in acquiring the stable use of linguistic rules. Elissa L. Newport's multiple, influential lines of research include the innovative "less is more" theory about superior learning in children compared with adults, insightful studies of learning novel grammatical systems in the laboratory as a complement to studies of natural language acquisition, demonstration of the powerful role of statistical information in learning about words and their assignments to grammatical categories, and studies of the remarkable plasticity of the developing brain to acquire language despite injury. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).