American Psychologist

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 2024 recipients of the APA Distinguished Scientific Contribution Awards were recognized by the 2023 Board of Scientific Affairs and selected by the 2023 Committee on Scientific Awards. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions: Nancy Eisenberg.
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 2024 recipients of the APA Distinguished Scientific Contribution Awards were recognized by the 2023 Board of Scientific Affairs and selected by the 2023 Committee on Scientific Awards. For her outstanding theoretical and empirical contributions to prosocial development, empathy, and self-regulation from a multimethod and multidisciplinary approach, Nancy Eisenberg is a 2024 award winner. She has single-handedly launched the field of emotion regulation, defined constructs, and established reliable and valid methodologies. Her expansive longitudinal, cross-sectional, and experimental studies demonstrated the robustness of the phenomena that she investigated. Examples of the brilliant impact of her research are evidenced across multiple fields of psychology, including the social neuroscience of empathy, motivation that underlies effortful control, clinical implications of individual differences, and the developmental origins of emotions and their regulation in the context of peer and adult– child interactions and forms of communication. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Top-down self-regulation as a core construct in children’s and adolescents’ optimal development.
Research and theory on the role of top-down self-regulation (TDSR) in children’s developmental outcomes has received considerable attention in the last few decades. In this review, we distinguish TDSR (and overlapping self-regulatory processes) from bottom-up regulation. With a particular focus on Eisenberg et al.’s body of work, we review evidence for the role of individual differences in children’s TDSR to a variety of developmental outcomes. Children’s TDSR processes are consistently inversely related to externalizing problems and internalizing problems, although less consistently for the latter. Moreover, TDSR processes are positively associated with social competence, empathy-related responding and prosocial outcomes, and school-related outcomes. We briefly review complexities in these associations, such as bidirectional relations, mediators, and moderators. Key areas for future work are also discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions: Robert T. Knight.
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 2024 recipients of the APA Distinguished Scientific Contribution Awards were recognized by the 2023 Board of Scientific Affairs and selected by the 2023 Committee on Scientific Awards. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the understanding of the prefrontal cortex and its many faceted role in supporting complex cognition, Robert T. Knight has received the 2024 award. Through the integrated use of electrophysiological and neuropsychological methods, he has conducted pioneering studies, including the development of electrocorticography, a powerful tool for exploring information coding within and between neural regions. His research has had profound implications for understanding cognition and behavior in healthy individuals and in those with disabling neurological and psychiatric disorders. As an inspiring speaker and teacher, and a beloved mentor to many trainees, his impact on the field of cognitive neuroscience is immense.” (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions: Richard E. Petty.
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 2024 recipients of the APA Distinguished Scientific Contribution Awards were recognized by the 2023 Board of Scientific Affairs and selected by the 2023 Committee on Scientific Awards. For outstanding contributions to understanding attitudes and social influence, especially the development of the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) which identified relatively thoughtful and nonthoughtful routes to persuasion along with the different antecedents (e.g., personal relevance; need for cognition) and consequences (e.g., attitude stability, prediction of behavior) of the two paths, Richard E. Petty is a 2024 award winner. The ELM presaged many issues that became prominent in other dual-process and system theories. Richard E. Petty’s notable contributions also extend to work on embodied cognition, attitude strength, metacognition (especially bias correction and self-validation processes), research methods, and the training of many graduate students and postdocs who have gone on to prominent careers. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
What is unique about acceptance and correction of misinformation? Insights from work on attitudes, persuasion, and beyond.
Research on misinformation has exploded over the past decade in psychology and other disciplines. Much research has been conducted about which variables are associated with the initial acceptance of misinformation (i.e., false statements such as “Venice is the capital of Italy”) and which variables are associated with its correction (“No. Rome is the capital of Italy”). A largely independent literature exists about which variables are associated with the initial acceptance of attitudinal claims (i.e., opinion statements such as “Rome is a beautiful city”) and their correction (e.g., “No, Rome is not a beautiful city”). This article addresses whether the variables impacting the acceptance of factual claims (often expressed as truth judgments) and opinion claims (often expressed as evaluative judgments) are the same. Concluding that these assessments are mostly impacted similarly by the same variables (e.g., source credibility, claim repetition), it is argued that these two seemingly separate literatures should be integrated into one science of persuasion, at least for studies aimed at making general contributions. Finally, findings from the attitudes literature that potentially can inform the misinformation literature and vice versa are discussed. (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 2024 recipients of the APA Distinguished Scientific Contribution Awards were recognized by the 2023 Board of Scientific Affairs and selected by the 2023 Committee on Scientific Awards. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Award for Distinguished Scientific Applications of Psychology: Francis J. Keefe.
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 2024 recipients of the APA Distinguished Scientific Contribution Awards were recognized by the 2023 Board of Scientific Affairs and selected by the 2023 Committee on Scientific Awards. For outstanding research applying psychological theory and principles to advance the management of chronic pain. Francis J. Keefe’s groundbreaking research integrated behavioral and cognitive factors into pain assessment and treatment. He established and validated methods for quantifying observable behaviors exhibited by people experiencing chronic pain and for assessing multiple cognitive and behavioral strategies that people use to cope with their pain. He then validated and rigorously tested innovative cognitive behavioral interventions for pain, which proved efficacious and became a cornerstone of effective pain management. His research has produced a sustained and transformative impact on how we conceptualize and treat chronic pain. (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 2024 were animal learning and behavior; cognition and human learning; developmental psychology; health psychology; and psychopathology. The 2024 recipients of the APA Distinguished Scientific Contribution Awards were recognized by the 2023 Board of Scientific Affairs and selected by the 2023 Committee on Scientific Awards. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Award for Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contributions to Psychology: Stephen P. Becker.
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 his pioneering and programmatic research on attentional difficulties in youth, documenting the structure, external validity, and clinical importance of cognitive disengagement syndrome (CDS), Stephen P. Becker is a 2024 award winner. Grounded in a developmental psychopathology framework, Becker’s theoretically rich and methodologically rigorous work has changed the way the field thinks about the CDS phenotype, including its measurement, developmental course, links with other psychopathologies, and distinct associations with functional outcomes. His recent leadership of a workgroup recommending a change in terminology from sluggish cognitive tempo to CDS documents his contributions in shaping conversations in the field and provides a foundation for the next generation of research and clinical attention to this construct. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Award for Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contributions to Psychology: Gerald G. Carter.
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. Gerald G. Carter’s innovative research on the food-sharing behavior of common vampire bats has advanced our understanding of cooperative behavior in animals. By conducting carefully designed experiments, he discovered how individuals identify food-sharing partners and how acceptance into an exchange network is a gradual process that can take months. Using proximity sensors and network analyses, he documented that social relationships formed among individuals in captivity persist even after those animals are released into the wild. His findings provide insights into the benefits associated with being part of a social group and have broad implications for understanding the social behavior of many other animals. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Award for Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contributions to Psychology: Christopher Krupenye.
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 his inspiring work in elucidating the nature of animal thought, Christopher Krupenye is a 2024 award winner. His methodological creativity has revealed ways in which a range of species represent the minds of others, showing that in the absence of language, primates think about others’ goal states, ignorance, and false beliefs. His work offers key evidence for the question of whether human behavior is evolutionarily ingrained or results from human-specific culture and socialization practices. Christopher Krupenye’s research holds the promise to shed light on one of the most challenging questions in cognitive science: What is human thinking and how did it evolve? (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Award for Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contributions to Psychology: Rebecca l. Pearl.
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 her compassionate illumination of the bias, stigma, and discrimination to which individuals with obesity are subjected in media portrayals and in their daily lives, Rebecca L. Pearl is a 2024 award winner. Pearl has thoroughly revealed the pernicious effects of weight stigma on physical and mental health, particularly in persons who have internalized society’s stigmatization. Her stellar research has included population surveys, structured clinical interviews, and randomized controlled trials, which have captured the complexities of internalized weight stigma while creating a promising cognitive behavioral intervention to counteract society’s weight-stigmatizing messages. With characteristic empathy and scientific rigor, she is now poised to address the stigmatization that erodes the quality of life in individuals who live with HIV, cancer, Type 2 diabetes, chronic pain, and other diseases. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Internalization of weight bias and stigma: Scientific challenges and opportunities.
Weight bias and stigma are widespread, unjust, and harmful to health. Increased empirical attention to the internalization of weight bias and stigma (or weight self-stigma) has revealed significant health implications that require further study and intervention. This review summarizes current knowledge on the conceptualization, measurement, prevalence, and correlates of internalized weight stigma. Associations with mental and physical health outcomes and evidence from emerging interventions are discussed, along with scientific challenges, knowledge gaps, and opportunities to advance the understanding and reduction of this and other forms of internalized health-related stigma. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Award for Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contributions to Psychology: Tomer Ullman.
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 outstanding contributions to the computational understanding of ‘intuitive theories’ in cognition and their development in children, Tomer Ullman is a 2024 award winner. His work on intuitive physics has illuminated an approximate mental model of object dynamics, and his work on intuitive psychology has illuminated a rich mental model of other minds. He has used innovative computational methods to formalize these ideas and tested them in elegant experiments. His work has also contributed to the study of artificial intelligence, showing how machines with humanlike intelligence can be constructed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
The detection of automatic behavior in other people.
The standard model of theory of mind posits that we attribute mental states to other people to explain their behavior. However, what of cases in which we think the other person is being scripted, acting automatically with no goals or beliefs to recover? While a great deal of past work has distinguished between automatic and reflective behaviors in one’s own decision making, here we argue that reasoning about automatic behavior in other people is an important and largely unexplored area in research into theory of mind. We report results from two studies (N = 4,528 total) that examine the detection of automatic behavior in others. In Study 1, we conducted a large-scale survey characterizing the ubiquity of rote interactions in people’s daily lives. In Study 2, we showed participants short video clips from a variety of domains and found that people quickly and reliably attribute automaticity to others and that automaticity judgments are distinct from other related behavioral attributions. On the basis of our findings, we suggest that reasoning about scripted behavior in others is an important, frequent, intuitive inference and propose extensions to the current research in intuitive psychology to study it further. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Award for Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contributions to Psychology: Yijie Wang.
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 insightful and cutting-edge research on the growth and development of racially and ethnically minoritized youth, Yijie Wang is a 2024 award winner. Wang’s innovative scholarship places particular attention on the sociocultural assets that youth possess across school, peer, and family contexts that serve promotive and protective roles against discrimination and other cultural stressors, combating entrenched deficit models. Her multimethodological approaches represent the forefront of statistical analyses and integration of complex multilevel, multimodal data sources. She has pioneered research on the intersection of peer and familial ethnic and racial socialization, unpacking how they independently and conjointly matter for ethnic–racial identity development, academic performance, and socioemotional well-being. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Award for Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contributions to Psychology: Anna E. F. Weinberg.
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. Anna E. F. Weinberg is a 2024 award winner, for combining the absolute highest level of expertise in both psychopathology and psychophysiology; for pursuing systematic research that leverages neurophysiological measures to better understand more specific pathways that link stressful experiences to internalizing disorders (i.e., anxiety and depression) using within-person, longitudinal, family history, high-risk, and experimental designs; and for further elucidating developmental and interpersonal contexts that impact these associations. Her programmatic work has shaped our understanding of reward-related neural activity evident in event-related potentials, and how individual differences in reward responsiveness can function mechanistically in the etiopathogenesis of depression. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Intergenerational transmission of depression risk and the developing brain.
Parental depression is a well-established risk factor for depression in offspring. This intergenerational transmission involves a diverse array of mechanisms, both familial and environmental, working at different levels to increase depression in offspring. To identify modifiable mechanisms for depression among this heterogeneity, recent work has turned to neurobiological measures as more proximal indicators of risk. Indeed, there is emerging evidence that one point of convergence for multiple proposed mechanisms of intergenerational transmission may be the effect they have on the developing brain. In this narrative review, we discuss research that has examined associations between familial and environmental influences and offspring brain function, focusing specifically on direct neural measures of cognitive control, motivation, and affective processing. We first survey evidence indicating that genes, gestational stress, parenting, and stress exposure are associated with alterations in these neural measures from infancy to young adulthood. We then present a preliminary conceptual model outlining the roles of altered neural indices of cognitive control, motivation, and affective processing in pathways from parental depression to offspring depression and discuss future research avenues addressing limitations of the existing research. Finally, we conclude by discussing the potential of this research to inform the development of targeted preventive interventions aimed at disrupting the intergenerational transmission of depression. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Awards for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest.
The Awards for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest recognize persons who have advanced psychology as a science and/or profession by a single extraordinary achievement or a lifetime of outstanding contributions in the public interest. The 2024 recipients of the APA Awards for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest were selected by the 2023 Committee on Psychology in the Public Interest Awards. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Award for Distinguished Senior Career Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest: Russell B. Lemle.
The Awards for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest recognize persons who have advanced psychology as a science and/or profession by a single extraordinary achievement or a lifetime of outstanding contributions in the public interest. The 2024 Award for Distinguished Senior Career Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest is bestowed to Russell B. Lemle in recognition of his sustained groundbreaking initiatives that moved firearm-related suicide prevention efforts inexorably forward. Dr. Lemle’s achievements—the inaugural lethal means safety counseling training in the Department of Veterans Affairs, the first national veterans’ firearm suicide conferences, the initial firearm industry stakeholder roundtables, unprecedented articles in popular gun magazines, and congressional legislation—have played a key role in fostering common ground across the firearm sociopolitical divide. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Bridging the sociopolitical divide: Transforming efforts to prevent firearm suicide.
Firearm-related suicide represents a significant public health concern in the United States, contributing to 55% of the approximately 49,000 suicide fatalities recorded in 2022. Research has demonstrated a robust link between firearm accessibility and suicide rates. These findings have prompted interest in developing interventions designed to increase the time and space between an individual’s suicidal intent and access to firearms, allowing for acute impulses to subside. However, pursuing such measures has encountered resistance from factions within the firearm advocacy sphere, citing concerns about potential infringement on self-defense capabilities. Despite these apprehensions, an unprecedented alliance has emerged, bridging existing sociopolitical boundaries. The collaboration encompasses progun advocates, government officials, suicide prevention organizations, health care providers, and researchers, united in the shared objective of reducing firearm suicides. This article examines the evolution of this multifaceted collaboration and the supporting scientific literature over the past 2 decades. Notable initiatives include the development and dissemination of evidence-based lethal means safety counseling that is congruent with gun owners’ values, as well as public education campaigns spearheaded by firearm leaders to promote voluntary secure storage practices among at-risk individuals. The review highlights the increasing willingness of firearm advocates, many of whom have personally experienced suicide within their social circle, to engage in partnerships with governmental agencies and other parties. Viewed through the lens of cultural markers, the landscape of firearm suicide prevention is undergoing a significant transformation, with the potential to positively affect population-level firearm storage practices and suicide rates. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Award for Distinguished Senior Career Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest: Nancy M. Sidun.
The Awards for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest recognize persons who have advanced psychology as a science and/or profession by a single extraordinary achievement or a lifetime of outstanding contributions in the public interest. Nancy M. Sidun, PsyD, ABPP, ATR, is a clinical psychologist, art therapist, educator, administrator, and scholar. She embodies the Public Interest Award through her pioneering and sustained contributions to leadership, mentoring, scholarship, and teaching focused on social justice and human welfare. As the chief of the Behavioral Health Multi-Disciplinary Services at the Tripler Army Medical Center, she served as the first female nonphysician and nonmilitary head of the department. Dr. Sidun was also the first to bring the critical issue of the trafficking of women to the attention of psychologists; she cochaired the American Psychological Association (APA) Task Force on Human Trafficking of Women and Girls. That report pointed out the centrality of the trafficking issue to psychology and how psychological science and practice can be harnessed to improve the lives of trafficked persons. Dr. Sidun has received nationally competitive awards for her contributions to scholarship, and she was invited to address the United Nations on how the COVID-19 pandemic has put more women and youth at risk for trafficking. Dr. Sidun’s work, which takes a feminist, international, and community service perspective, has shaped the field of psychology across all dimensions—research, clinical intervention, advocacy, and public policy. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Award for Distinguished Early Career Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest: Anjhula Mya Singh Bais.
The Awards for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest recognize persons who have advanced psychology as a science and/or profession by a single extraordinary achievement or a lifetime of outstanding contributions in the public interest. Anjhula Mya Singh Bais is the chair of the International Board of Amnesty International, the first psychologist in this role. Dr. Bais has led remarkably on the issue of Ukraine, exhibiting strong and unflinching leadership. The International Board of Amnesty International agreed to publicly oppose the Russian military invasion of Ukraine as a crime of aggression. In August 2022, in accordance with Amnesty International’s policy on impartiality, it published a report about human rights violations being committed by Ukraine. Dr. Bais led substantial work in commissioning an independent review of the report about human rights violations. Dr. Bais reviewed protocols and policies, spoke with multiple stakeholders, from civil society organizations on the ground in Ukraine to Ukrainian government officials at Davos during the World Economic Forum, and balanced the narratives and demands of multiple departments and teams within Amnesty International, always keeping psychological well-being and mental health in mind through this challenging time for the organization. Through her research on the psychological mechanisms and levers of organizational change, her around-the-clock service to Amnesty International, and her advocacy for Amnesty International to serve as a learning organization instead of engaging in retribution, the organization ‘landed the plane’ well. Dr. Bais demonstrated the psychological tenets underlying peace and conflict mediation by eschewing legal advice that apologizing is tantamount to an admission of guilt. Instead, she courageously apologized for the pain caused by the report and spoke to the importance of providing greater context in a cover note that is available to the Amnesty movement of over 10 million members. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Award for Distinguished Career Contributions to Education and Training in Psychology.
This award is given by the Board of Educational Affairs in recognition of the efforts of psychologists who have made distinguished contributions to education and training, who have produced imaginative innovations, or who have been involved in the developmental phases of programs in education and training in psychology. The 2024 recipient of the APA Distinguished Contributions to Education and Training Award was selected by the 2023 Education and Training Awards Committee appointed by the Board of Educational Affairs (BEA). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Award for Distinguished Career Contributions to Education and Training in Psychology: Arpana G. Inman.
This award is given by the Board of Educational Affairs in recognition of the efforts of psychologists who have made distinguished contributions to education and training, who have produced imaginative innovations, or who have been involved in the developmental phases of programs in education and training in psychology. Arpana G. Inman was selected for significant, award-winning contributions through her research, teaching, and service to the education and training of psychologists throughout her career. A Fulbright Scholar and Past President of the American Psychological Association’s (APA’s) Society of Counseling Psychology, Dr. Inman has spent her career immersed in issues for South Asian/Asian American immigrant communities, working to address health disparities for individuals in these communities and build competence for clinicians working with them, focusing on multicultural competencies within supervision. These achievements and many others make her worthy of the 2024 Award for Distinguished Career Contributions to Education and Training in Psychology (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Reenvisioning ethnic–racial identity: Asian Indian American experiences.
Identity formation among immigrant communities, particularly for ethnic–racial minorities like Asian Indian Americans, is a multifaceted process. Shaped by preimmigration histories of British colonization and the caste system and the Indian diasporic postimmigration, experiences of physical and psychological displacement alongside racism in the United States contribute to the complexity of identity for this community. Although existing racial and ethnic identity models offer valuable frameworks, they may not fully capture the nuanced in-between spaces created by the intersectionality of ethnicity and race for Asian Indian Americans in the United States. Drawing from psychological critical race theory (CRT), Asian CRT, DesiCRT, and colonial mentality framework, this article proposes a unique identity model tailored to Asian Indian American experiences. Drawing from recent research, the model illuminates the dynamics of pre- and postimmigrant frictions in the negotiations and coping inherent in Asian Indian American identity formation. By using a multidimensional lens that captures tensions between ethnic identities based in sociopolitical histories and dominant societal categorizations and racism in the United States, this model aims to provide a more comprehensive and strength-based understanding of Asian Indian American identity development across the lifespan of multiple generations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Psi Chi/APA Edwin B. Newman Graduate Research Award.
The Psi Chi/APA Edwin B. Newman Graduate Research Award is given jointly by APA and Psi Chi for the best paper published or presented by a graduate student at the APA or Psi Chi convention or at any regional or state psychological association meeting held between January 1 and December 31 of the previous calendar year. The Edwin B. Newman Graduate Research Award was established in 1979. The award was established to recognize young researchers at the beginning of their professional lives and to commemorate both the 50th anniversary of Psi Chi and the 100th anniversary of psychology as a science (dating from the founding of Wundt’s laboratory). It was named for Dr. Edwin B. Newman, the first national president of Psi Chi (1929) and one of its founders. He was a prolific researcher and a long-time chair of the Department of Psychology at Harvard University. Newman was a member of APA’s Board of Directors, served as recording secretary of the board from 1962 to 1967, and was parliamentarian for the APA Council of Representatives for many years. He served both Psi Chi and APA in a distinguished manner for half a century. The APA/Psi Chi Edwin B. Newman Graduate Research Award is given jointly by APA and Psi Chi. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Psi Chi/APA Edwin B. Newman Graduate Research Award: Logan T. Smith.
The Psi Chi/APA Edwin B. Newman Graduate Research Award is given jointly by APA and Psi Chi for the best paper published or presented by a graduate student at the APA or Psi Chi convention or at any regional or state psychological association meeting held between January 1 and December 31 of the previous calendar year. This award is given to Logan T. Smith for an exceptional research paper titled, ‘Social Jetlag and Trajectories of Mood Symptoms and Reward Responsiveness in Individuals at Low-Risk, High-Risk, and With Bipolar Spectrum Disorders: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study.’ The research for the article was conducted at Temple University with faculty research advisor Lauren B. Alloy, PhD. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Applied Research.
This award is given to a psychologist whose research has led to important discoveries or developments in the field of applied psychology. To be eligible, this research should have led to innovative applications in an area of psychological practice, including but not limited to assessment, consultation, instruction, or intervention (either direct or indirect). Research involving the original development of procedures, methodologies, or technical skills that significantly improve the application of psychological knowledge and provide direct and immediate solutions to practical problem areas will be considered, as will research that has informed psychologists on how better to observe, define, predict, or control behavior. Original integration of existing theories or knowledge is also eligible for consideration. In previous years, this award was called the Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Knowledge. The name was changed in 2003 to better describe this award. The 2024 recipients of the APA Distinguished Professional Contributions Awards were selected by the 2023 Board of Professional Affairs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Applied Research: Pim Cuijpers.
This award is given to a psychologist whose research has led to important discoveries or developments in the field of applied psychology. The 2024 award winner is Pim Cuijpers. When we try to determine how to serve our clients, the key question is ‘What works?’ Pim Cuijpers has done more to answer this for mental health disorders, particularly depression, than any other researcher in the world. He has transformed the use of meta-analysis for examining treatment outcomes and led the movement to systematically organize, rigorously evaluate, and interpret the vast research evaluating interventions for mental health disorders. The importance of his work is reflected in his over 950 publications and his recognition as the top author and expert in the world in psychiatry/psychology, psychotherapy, and depression. His work guides clinicians and policymakers throughout the world on how to best treat people dealing with mental health conditions. Dr. Cuijpers and his team have now created a database including all relevant randomized control trials in the treatment of depression and other areas that allows anyone to access and conduct meta-analyses instantly through a simple, user-friendly interface. This is truly a paradigm-shifting development that changes how we understand treatment and how quickly we can improve care using this growing body of research. These substantial contributions, as well as Dr. Cuijpers’s mentorship, commitment to public service, and willingness to elevate others, demonstrate that none is more worthy of this honor. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
How to improve outcomes of psychological treatment of depression: Lessons from “next-level” meta-analytic research.
Depression is a major public health challenge. Psychotherapy is one of the most important first-line treatments with good outcomes, although there is also room for improvement. In this article, I describe how outcomes can be further improved, based on innovative meta-analytic research. I first describe this innovative approach: a living systematic review of all randomized trials on psychological treatments, regardless of age, target group, or comparator, which provides an overview of everything that can be known about the field from randomized trials. In the second part, I present a brief overview of the research questions that have been answered by this work. Several therapies have been found to be effective, and they are effective in different age and target groups. They are as effective as antidepressants at the short term but more effective at the longer term. In the third part of this article, I describe some recommendations for the field. One important finding is that therapies are effective but not for everyone. More research on sequential treatments and on those who do not respond to a therapy is very much needed. Another important finding is that none of the new therapies that have been introduced over the past 50 years are more effective than previous treatments. It is important, therefore, not to embrace new therapies too easily but to focus on other innovations that will result in better outcomes, such as increased frequency of sessions, feedback to patients, and better matching the needs of patients to the expertise of therapists. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Independent Practice.
This award is intended to recognize outstanding independent practitioners in psychology. Nominations are considered for psychologists working in any area of clinical specialization, health services provision, or consulting, and services provided to any patient population or professional clientele in an independent setting. Services provided to diverse client groups or patient populations, including but not limited to children/adolescents/ adults/older adults, urban/rural/frontier populations, minority populations, and persons with serious mental illness are considered. Contributions are judged distinguished by virtue of peer recognition, advancement of the public’s recognition of psychology as a profession, relevant professional association honors, or other meritorious accomplishments denoting excellence as a practitioner, including advancement of the profession. The 2024 recipients of the APA Distinguished Professional Contributions Awards were selected by the 2023 Board of Professional Affairs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Independent Practice: Erin E. Emery-Tiburcio.
This award is intended to recognize outstanding independent practitioners in psychology. With this award, we celebrate Dr. Erin E. Emery-Tiburcio’s extraordinary contributions to preparing our health care workforce to provide age-friendly health care and competently delivered mental health services to older adults. As a board-certified geropsychologist clinician, educator, researcher, and advocate, Dr. Emery-Tiburcio demonstrates multifaceted leadership. She coleads the Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health Disparities in Aging (the ‘E4 Center’), which advances workforce capacity to meet the behavioral and mental health needs of an aging population through training and technical assistance for health care providers and community organizations. She has been and remains involved in multiple, related initiatives to support geropsychology practice, especially for older adults in underserved communities. Her wide-ranging research has been impactful for practice, with a focus on promoting age-friendly and team-based health care, improving telehealth access, and disseminating evidence-based practices for older adults. Most recently, she cochaired the American productive, collaborative, and effective leaders, for her tireless efforts on behalf of psychologists practicing with older adults and the diverse older adults who benefit significantly from their services. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Age-friendly mental health systems: A step toward geriatric competency.
The 4Ms of an Age-Friendly Health System framework (What Matters, Medication, Mentation, and Mobility) have been effectively implemented in thousands of health systems worldwide to improve the care of older adults. As Americans are living longer lives, the need for age-friendly care will continue to grow. While the 4Ms framework has been highly effective at improving care for older adults, many mental health professionals struggle to see their role in all elements of the framework. Thus, the 4Ms–Behavioral Health framework was developed to clarify roles and enhance specific elements unique to mental health settings. This article describes the framework and ways in which it is consistent with existing geropsychology guidelines and competencies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Institutional Practice.
This award is intended to recognize outstanding practitioners in psychology. Nominations are considered for psychologists working in a wide variety of institutional practice settings (e.g., schools, military, state hospital, Department of Veterans Affairs). Services provided to diverse client groups or patient populations, including but not limited to children/ adolescents/adults/older adults, urban/rural/frontier populations, minority populations, and persons with serious mental illness, are considered. Contributions are judged distinguished by virtue of peer recognition, advancement of the public’s recognition of psychology as a profession, relevant professional association honors, or other meritorious accomplishments denoting excellence as a practitioner, including improvement of institutional service delivery systems or development of psychologically informed public policy. The 2024 recipient of the APA Distinguished Professional Contributions Awards was selected by the 2023 Board of Professional Affairs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Institutional Practice: Lisa K. Kearney.
This award is intended to recognize outstanding practitioners in psychology. “Lisa Kearney is a deeply deserving recipient of the 2024 APA Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Institutional Practice. Her efforts in program development, administration, and policy have contributed hugely to patient care provided by the Veterans Health Administration, to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and to health care in the United States generally. She has played key roles in implementing Veterans Health Administration mental health policy, leadership of the Veterans Crisis Line, and implementing VA’s National Strategy for Preventing Veteran Suicide and the White House Strategy for Reducing Military and Veteran Suicide. She is currently in a direct advisory role to the secretary of VA, ensuring implementation of VA’s top priorities in health care through coordination across the system, other federal agencies, and the White House. Dr. Kearney plays an unprecedented role in guiding VA mental health care, its integration in overall health care, and improvement of the system of care. She displays impressive leadership skills, including critical, timely vision, and the ability to guide senior colleagues to work collaboratively together. Her efforts have been vital in VA’s steady transition toward team-based, patient-centered primary care, with steady integration of mental health and behavioral health care into primary and specialty care. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
APA/APAGS Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to an Outstanding Graduate Student.
The APA/APAGS Award for Distinguished Graduate Student in Professional Psychology is awarded on an annual basis by the APA Board of Professional Affairs and the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS) to a graduate student who has demonstrated outstanding practice and application of psychology. A qualified candidate must demonstrate exemplary performance in working with an underserved population in an applied setting or have developed an innovative method for delivering health services to an underserved population. When two graduate students are equally qualified, the award may be shared. The 2024 recipients of the APA/APAGS Award for Distinguished Graduate Student in Professional Psychology were selected by the 2023 Board of Professional Affairs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
APA/APAGS Award for Distinguished Graduate Student in Professional Psychology: Sarah C. Leighton.
The APA/APAGS Award for Distinguished Graduate Student in Professional Psychology is awarded on an annual basis by the APA Board of Professional Affairs and the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS) to a graduate student who has demonstrated outstanding practice and application of psychology. Sarah C. Leighton is a joint winner of the 2024 awawrd, in recognition of her outstanding practice and application of psychology through her exemplary work with individuals with disabilities and service dogs. Her career spans both academic and practitioner settings, providing her with invaluable insights into the complexities of the complementary intervention of service dog partnership for people with disabilities. With a decade of experience as a leader at the world’s largest service dog organization, Ms. Leighton is a knowledgeable expert in her field, recognized for her innovative thinking and strong work ethic. Thanks to her extensive hands-on experience, Ms. Leighton has helped spearhead collaborative partnerships with service dog providers and study advisory panels composed of community populations. Her work on this topic with an interdisciplinary research group at the University of Arizona has been published in a variety of interdisciplinary journals, presented at national and international conferences, and directly contributed to new and revised federal and state legislation. Ms. Leighton is active in her local community, bridging research and practice as a volunteer for the service dog puppy-raising program at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson, Arizona. She is passionate about refining the service dog intervention to be as effective as possible, deeply committed to dismantling societal barriers to access and belonging, and dedicated to promoting a culture of inclusion. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
APA/APAGS Award for Distinguished Graduate Student in Professional Psychology: Shawntell Nicole Pace.
The APA/APAGS Award for Distinguished Graduate Student in Professional Psychology is awarded on an annual basis by the APA Board of Professional Affairs and the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS) to a graduate student who has demonstrated outstanding practice and application of psychology. Shawntell N. Pace is a joint winner of the 2024 award. Pace is a doctoral candidate in the Counseling Psychology program at the University of Georgia. Throughout her doctoral journey, she has conducted research and engaged in clinical practice that has cultivated sacred, transformative healing spaces for racially, ethnically, and culturally marginalized populations. She is at the forefront of engaging advocacy, where she collaborates with communities and other professionals to organize education, training, and community-serving programming that increases awareness of systemic inequities and mental health outcomes and increases awareness about how to harness community cultural strengths to foster wellness. Her scholarly research, clinical work, and professional service center on amplifying the stories, sociocultural histories, and cultural strengths of marginalized communities, with an emphasis on African descent and Chamorro populations, to continually enhance culturally responsive clinical practice and research. Her professional contributions reflect numerous examples of how she conceptualizes and creates sacred, healing spaces that encourage connection, reflection, rest, and resistance among marginalized people groups. As is reflected in the title of her dissertation, ‘Finding Minagahet,’ Shawntell’s professional endeavors seek truth and provide a pathway for people to share their stories authentically. Indeed, Shawntell’s efforts have made an impact on so many individuals, and she is well-deserving of this distinguished award. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Award for Distinguished Contributions to the International Advancement of Psychology.
This award is given to individuals who have made sustained and enduring contributions to international cooperation and the advancement of knowledge in psychology. The 2024 recipient of the APA Award for Distinguished Contributions to the International Advancement of Psychology was selected by the Board of Directors as recommended by the 2023 Committee for Global Psychology. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Award for Distinguished Contributions to the International Advancement of Psychology: Hector Betancourt.
This award is given to individuals who have made sustained and enduring contributions to international cooperation and the advancement of knowledge in psychology. The Committee for Global Psychology (CGP) is pleased to present the 2024 American Psychological Association (APA) Award for Distinguished Contributions to the International Advancement of Psychology to Hector Betancourt, PhD. Dr. Betancourt, Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Loma Linda University and Professor Titular Adjunto at Universidad de La Frontera, Chile, exemplifies the best of international scholarship, mentorship, leadership, and service. Since receiving his PhD in social psychology from UCLA in 1983, he has worked as a faculty and led the efforts to build three doctoral programs in the United States and Chile. His research focuses on cognition–emotion processes; sociostructural, cultural, and psychological determinants of health behavior and social issues; and cultural biases and interactions in health care. Dr. Betancourt has an extensive history of service to APA and is a fellow of Divisions 1, 45, 48, and 52. He has served on the editorial boards of peer-reviewed journals based in the United States, Argentina, Mexico, Chile, and Spain, and his accomplishments have been recognized within the psychology community through many international awards. CGP especially wants to highlight the practical, long-lasting, and powerful impact of his work on psychology training programs and social issues internationally. CGP is delighted and honored to present this award to Dr. Hector Betancourt. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
International Humanitarian Award.
The International Humanitarian Award recognizes extraordinary humanitarian services and activism by psychologists, including professional and volunteer work conducted primarily in the field with underserved populations. Award recipients are psychologists who, by their extraordinary service at a difficult time, improve the lives and contribute to the well-being of people in a large or small geographic area anywhere in the world. The 2024 recipients of the APA International Humanitarian Award were selected by the Board of Directors as recommended by the 2023 Committee for Global Psychology. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
International Humanitarian Award: Sayed Jafar Ahmadi and Zeinab Musavi.
The International Humanitarian Award recognizes extraordinary humanitarian services and activism by psychologists, including professional and volunteer work conducted primarily in the field with underserved populations. Sayed Jafar Ahmadi and Zeinab Musavi cofounded the Behrawan Research and Psychology Services Organization (BRPSO) in 2015 to provide psychological and crisis intervention mental health services to vulnerable communities in Afghanistan. The BRPSO supported children and families during and after terrorist attacks, in the aftermath of explosions and earthquakes, and during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to providing mental health interventions, Ahmadi and Musavi have developed opportunities for Afghan girls to pursue higher education, and both have maintained a consistent commitment to psychological research, authoring several publications on the efficacy of psychological interventions among Afghan communities. In 2021, the threat posed by the Taliban’s takeover forced Ahmadi and Musavi to emigrate. During that time, they nonetheless maintained support for communities in Afghanistan by providing interventions from afar while also continuing to advance psychological knowledge through education and research. Together, they embody the humanitarian ideals of helping others in need, supporting vulnerable communities, and contributing to the field of psychology with valuable knowledge and research. The Committee on Global Psychology is honored to present the 2024 International Humanitarian Award to Sayed Jafar Ahmadi and Zeinab Musavi. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Acceptance and commitment therapy versus trauma-focused cognitive behavior therapy: A comparative study of the effects on the posttraumatic stress symptoms of female Afghan adolescents.
The objective of this study was to conduct a randomized control trial investigating the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) compared to a trauma-focused cognitive behavior therapy (TF-CBT) in treating symptoms of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in female Afghan adolescents. Participants were randomly assigned to the ACT (20 participants; M = 14.8 [SD = 1.93]), TF-CBT (20 participants; M = 14.80 [SD = 1.85]), or waiting control group (23 participants; M = 15.47 [SD = 1.75]). At baseline, all groups completed Persian versions of the Child Revised Impact of Event Scale–13. The intervention groups then had eight group sessions of ACT or seven group sessions of TF-CBT. The control group had no additional contact. The Child Revised Impact of Event Scale–13 was readministered to all participants after 3 weeks. Analyses used analysis of covariance, with effect sizes measured by Cohen’s d. In terms of PTSS, the groups did not differ significantly at preintervention. At postintervention, only the ACT and TF-CBT groups had significantly lower levels of PTSS compared to the control group. While there was no significant difference between ACT and TF-CBT groups in avoidance or arousal symptoms, we found a significant difference between groups in intrusion symptoms. The findings suggest that ACT and TF-CBT may be promising interventions for the treatment of PTSS in female Afghan adolescents and that further research in the area is warranted. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)

American Psychologist - Vol 79, Iss 9