APA's emerging split personality.

Surveyed the 17 primary American Psychological Association (APA) journals and the American Psychologist for 2 3-yr periods 10 yrs apart to determine whether authors publishing articles in APA journals were APA members. There was a modest decrease between 1973–1975 and 1983–1985 in the percentage of senior authors of articles in APA journals who belong to APA. There was a great deal of variation among journals. APA journals were the preferred outlet for articles by members dealing with professional issues; articles of a more scientific nature were authored by members of other professional organizations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Number of authors per manuscript in APA and EPF journals: 2000–2010.

The PsycINFO metadata records for American Psychological Association (APA) journal articles with publication years 2000 through 2010 were analyzed to obtain a count of authors for each article. The counts were accumulated for each year into categories of one through 25, with one additional category for articles with more than 25 authors. The criteria for journals to be included were that they carried the APA or Educational Publishing Foundation (EPF) imprint and that APA had significant involvement in the editorial process. There were 60 journals involved in the counts. (The number of journals varied over this period, ranging from 27 APA journals and 10 EPF journals in 2000 to 29 APA journals and 31 EPF journals in 2010.) For the years 2000 through 2010, this yielded 30,326 articles and 89,060 incidents of authorship. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Membership opinions about APA: A recent snapshot.

A 1986 survey of 2,100 American Psychological Association (APA) members, to which 78% responded, showed that members belonged to APA for varied reasons and that scientists, scientist-practitioners, and practitioners shared few common rationales for maintaining their membership. Most members belonged to other organizations in addition to APA, and less than 50% of those chose APA as their most important organizational membership. Whereas the APA Monitor and APA journals received a strong endorsement from respondents, the publication of Psychology Today was clearly controversial. The cost and size of the convention also were sources of dissatisfaction. Recommended changes in convention format included scheduling more keynote addresses and establishing area-specific conventions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Telephone Directory Advertising by Psychologists.

Discusses the official APA policy on telephone directory advertising by psychologists. The relative merits and vices of advertising are currently at issue among members of several professions. While the Supreme Court has decided that lawyers may advertise their services, physicians and psychologists continue to debate the matter. APA's guidelines for telephone directory listings have appeared in both the American Psychologist (APA, 1969) and Ethical Standards of Psychologists (APA, 1977). The official APA policy is to discourage advertising. To determine the extent of compliance with the guidelines, telephone directories for 23 cities were surveyed for entries under the heading Psychologist. Survey results indicate that a substantial number of psychologists are currently at least partly disregarding APA's recommendations for telephone directory displays. This suggests that APA might be advised to publicly review its policy and rationale on advertising. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Report of the 1964 Policy and Planning Board.

"In its 1964 meetings, the Policy and Planning Board of APA dealt with 5 main issues: (1) The status of the annual convention. (2) The financial problems of APA delegates to the meetings of affiliated organizations (3) The status of Fellowship in APA (4) Policy with respect to publications (5) The structure and function of the APA." The last 3 items are discussed with there being separate sections on "Background", "Discussion of Policy and Planning Board," and "Recommendations" for each. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Report on a Suit for Libel.

Summarizes a legal experience of the American Psychological Association (APA) involving a suit for libel, in which the APA filed an Amicus Curiae brief. The APA Board of Directors directed that this experience be summarized for the information of the APA membership. The vital question before the court in this instance was whether a psychologist could examine a client at the request of a physician without the fear of being involved in litigation. The United States Court of Appeals held that the report of a psychologist in this instance was qualifiedly privileged and positively free from any actionable malice whatsoever. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The APA income protection and major medical insurance programs: A progress report.

During the past decade APA has arranged for 3 types of coverage: Income Protection Insurance, Major Medical Insurance, and Professional Liability Insurance. Significant changes in the first 2 programs involve (a) a reduction in certain rates for income protection coverage, (b) inclusion of outpatient psychotherapy under the Major Medical Program, and (c) reimbursement for services rendered by qualified psychologists without requiring prior medical referral or examination. An APA Insurance Trust has been established with responsibility for maintenance and revision of existing insurance programs and for negotiating new insurance agreements on behalf of members of APA. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Should industrial/organizational psychologists be licensed?

A historical review of licensing among industrial/organizational (I/O) psychologists demonstrates that the American Psychological Association (APA) policy on such licensing is inconsistent. Arguments for and against licensure for this group are presented. Job analysis and APA data are drawn upon to show that few I/O activities may pose the personal risk that would seem to require the protection of a license. Alternatives are discussed for changes in present APA policy and state licensing requirements. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Making psychology a household word.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 61(8) of American Psychologist (see record 2006-21079-021). This erratum clarifies the APA Council of Representatives response to the the PENS Task Force Report at its August 2005 meeting.] This article addresses Ronald F. Levant's four APA presidential initiatives for 2005. "Making Psychology a Household Word" was both the general theme for his presidency as well as an initiative in its own right. The other three initiatives were "Promoting Health Care for the Whole Person," "Enhancing Diversity Within APA," and "Developing an APA Position on Evidence-Based Practice in Psychology." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

American Psychological Association policy in context: The development and evaluation of guidelines for professional practice.

This article focuses on guidelines for professional practice and related policy development in this area by the American Psychological Association's (APA) Board of Professional Affairs (BPA) over the past decade. BPA's work in this area has been based on its belief that the intention of guidelines should be to facilitate the continued systematic development of the profession and to support a high level of professional practice by psychologists. APA policy related to practice guidelines, as articulated in the "Criteria for Practice Guideline Development and Evaluation" (APA, 2002) is based on the perspective that practice guidelines have a useful purpose for practitioners when they are developed in response to a recognized need in the field and that APA is the most appropriate and reputable organization to develop such recommendations for psychologists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Annual report of the Policy and Planning Board, 1995.

During 1995 the Policy and Planning Board (P&P) of the American Psychological Association (APA) finalized its work on amendments to the APA Bylaws and Association Rules and published the 1995 "Five-Year Report of the P&P." P&P hosted a working breakfast at the annual convention for representatives of divisions and relevant boards and committees to consider APA's long-range role in the changing economic times for both the discipline and individual psychologists. On the basis of information from the P&P retreat meeting, potential models for new APA divisions were developed, and discussion of their merits began with other APA groups as part of P&P's consideration of APA's future direction as an organization. This report is organized as follows: APA/division relations, economy and long-range planning, division formation, and items from the Council of Representatives. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Officers, boards, committees, and representatives of the American Psychological Association, 1992.

In addition to the APA officers, boards, committees and council of representatives, the list includes APA representatives to other professional organizations, APA Division officers, APA-affiliated psychological associations, other organizations of interest to APA members, and secretaries of state and provincial boards and agencies for the statutory licensure or certification of psychologists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Margaret E. Donnelly (1911-2006).

Margaret Extitus Donnelly died on July 16, 2006, at the age of 95. A member of the American Psychological Association (APA) for 64 years, Margaret worked behind the scenes in several APA divisions and was probably best known for an edited book published when she was 81 years old, a tribute to her vitality and lifetime commitment to psychology. Margaret played an important role in the establishment of APA Division 36 (originally called Psychologists Interested in Religious Issues, or PIRI, and now called Psychology of Religion). She was also active in APA Division 1 (General Psychology) and Division 24 (Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology). Margaret made many contributions to the New York State Psychological Association (NYSPA). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Summary report of journal operations, 2001.

Provides summary reports of both the journal operations of the American Psychological Association (APA) and a summary report of APA Division journal operations for the year 2001. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

2003 Report of the Policy and Planning Board.

Presents the 2003 Report of the Policy and Planning Board (P&P) of the American Psychological Association (APA). In 2003, P&P endeavored to find a topic and develop a plan of action for its 2004 five-year review and report to the association. Two situations presented additional challenges for P&P. For the second consecutive year, APA governance meetings were reduced by one meeting. P&P was fortunate that it was able to meet for two of its usual three meetings; some other major boards were reduced to one face-to-face meeting in 2003. The second factor impacting P&P's plans for the five-year review was that a presidential task force was convened in the same subject area prescribed for P&P in the APA bylaws-the structure and function of APA governance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Testing and assessment ethics for all persons: Beginning and agenda.

The previous American Psychological Association (APA) assessment ethics code (APA, 1990) and the new code (APA, 1992) differ in content that is relevant to culturally sensitive practices (i.e., culture-specific assessment technologies, culture-specific service delivery styles, use of clients' first language, and recognition of non-Anglo-American belief systems). The new code falls short in areas that are in the process of development or remain controversial. Suggestions for implementation and supplementation are included. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions: Stanley R. Graham.

Cites Stanley R. Graham for the American Psychological Association (APA) Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions. As president of APA in 1990, Graham did much to reunite the association by supporting the development of strong directorates for science, education, public interest, and practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Report of the treasurer: 1989: The 1980s: A roller coaster decade for APA finances.

This report of the Treasurer provides information on the American Psychological Association's (APA) financial operations for the 1980s. From a financial perspective, the 1980s was unquestionably the most turbulent in the history of the APA. This report focuses on the revenues and expenses of the APA throughout the 1980s while giving a summary and conclusion of all the finances at the end of the report. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)