Gardner Murphy: American Psychological Foundation Gold Medal Award.

Each year at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association, the American Psychological Foundation presents its Gold Medal Award to a senior American psychologist in recognition of a distinguished and long-continued record of scientific and scholarly accomplishment. Additionally, with the Medal goes a cash award of $1,000. Past recipients of the Gold Medal Award are Edwin B. Guthrie, Edwin G. Boring, John Dashiell, Walter Miles, Gordon W. Allport, Heinrich Kluver, Karl M. Dallenbach, Floyd H. Allport, Henry A. Murray, Sidney L. Pressey, and B. F. Skinner. The 1972 award recipient is Gardner Murphy. Murphy is well known to several generations of psychologists through his Historical Introduction to Modern Psychology, his ground-breaking Experimental Social Psychology, and his Personality: A Bio-Social Approach to Origins and Structure. His interests in psychology have ranged even more widely. A brief biography is presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

American Psychological Foundation Gold Medal Award and the Distinguished Contributions to Education in Psychology Awards: 1970.

At the Annual Meeting of the APA in Miami Beach, Florida, on September 5, 1970, the American Psychological Foundation (APF) announced the recipients of the Gold Medal Award and the Distinguished Contributions to Education in Psychology Awards. Presentations were made by APF President Nicholas Hobbs. Sidney Pressey is this year's Gold Medal Award winner. Freda Rebelsky and Fred Keller, won the 1970 Teaching Awards. One part of the APF program is the presentation of the Gold Medal and a check for $1,000, given to an American psychologist in recognition of a distinguished and long-continued record of scientific and scholarly accomplishments. The Award is limited to psychologists 65 years of age or older and to those residing in North America. This year, for the first time, the American Psychological Foundation has given awards for distinguished contributions to education in psychology. Initiation of these awards was suggested by the APA Division on the Teaching of Psychology, and are intended to recognize individuals who have made unusual contributions to instruction in psychology either through their own teaching or through other instructional functions such as the development of new courses or execution of creative work in evaluation of research in the teaching of psychology. The award is a check donated to the college of the awardee's choice to be used at the discretion of the awardee to further education in psychology. The article also includes the names of previous award winners. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A history of teaching machines.

The development of teaching machines is traced from the patented educational devices of the 19th century through the initial teaching machines of Sidney Pressey in the 1920s to the machines invented by B. F. Skinner in the 1950s. The obscurity of Pressey's pioneering work in this field contrasted with the fame achieved by Skinner is discussed in a historical context. The final sections discuss the short-lived success and eventual failure of classroom teaching machines in the 1950s and 1960s. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychology's Status as a Scientific Discipline: Its Empirical Placement Within an Implicit Hierarchy of the Sciences.

Psychology's standing within a hypothesized hierarchy of the sciences was assessed in a 2-part analysis. First, an internally consistent composite measure was constructed from 7 primary indicators of scientific status (theories-to-laws ratio, consultation rate, obsolescence rate, graph prominence, early impact rite, peer evaluation consensus, and citation concentration). Second, this composite measure was validated through 5 secondary indicators (lecture disfluency, citation immediacy, anticipation frequency, age at receipt of Nobel Prize, and rated disciplinary hardness). Analyses showed that the measures reflected a single dimension on which 5 disciplines could be reliably ranked in the following order: physics, chemistry, biology, psychology, and sociology. Significantly, psychology placed much closer to biology than to sociology, forming a pair of life sciences clearly separated from the other sciences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Awards for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest: 1980.

The Award for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest is presented to a person (or persons) who has advanced psychology as a science and/or profession by distinguished contributions in such areas as the identification or solution of significant social problems; unusual initiative or dedication, in activity that makes psychology more accessible in meeting client and/or community needs; and the integration of psychology with social action. This year awards were presented to Isidor Chein and Nicholas Hobbs at the APA convention in Montreal. Chein and Hobbs each received a check for $1,000 and an engrossed citation detailing their contributions. A citation and brief biography is presented for each award recipient. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Changes in modern psychology: A citation analysis of the Kuhnian displacement thesis.

Many psychologists believe a Kuhnian revolution, a competitive event between incommensurate paradigms in which a winner displaces losers after chaotic upheaval, has occurred in psychology. Cognitive psychology is said to be displacing behavioral psychology and psychoanalysis, but few published data support this thesis. Social science citation records from the leading journals in cognitive psychology, behavioral psychology, and psychoanalysis between 1979 and 1988 were analyzed. Results show an increasing trend for cognitive psychology but also high citation rates with no downward trends for behavioral psychology. Citation rates for psychoanalysis are not as high, but indications of decline are marginal. These findings do not support the Kuhnian displacement thesis on changes in modern psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Scientific Contribution Awards 1957.

"Distinguished Scientific Contribution Awards of the APA were presented to Edward C. Tolman (in absentia), Carl I. Hovland, and Curt P. Richter (in absentia) during special ceremonies at the 1957 APA Annual Meeting. Each recipient was presented, in person or in absentia, with a formal citation of his outstanding scientific contribution to psychology and an honorarium of $1,000." The citation for Edward Chase Tolman read in part: "For the creative and sustained pursuit of a theoretical integration of the multifaceted data of psychology… for forcing theorizing out of the mechanical and peripheral into the center of psychology without the loss of objectivity and discipline; for… his purposive-cognitive theory of learning." The citation for Carl Iver Hovland read in part: "For his original and provocative contributions to the scientific study of persuasive communications and the modification of beliefs and attitudes." The citation for Curt Paul Richter read in part: "For his pioneering investigations of physiological mechanisms affecting behavior." A brief biography and a complete bibliography of his scientific publications is included for each award recipient. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the citation analysis of psychology journals.

Comments that M. J. White and K. G. White (see record 1978-01848-001) neglected to cite E. Garfield's (1975) citation study of psychology and behavior journals, a very important reference relevant to their work on the citation analysis of psychology journals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Harry F. Harlow: American Psychological Foundation Gold Medal Award.

Recognizes receipt of the American Psychological Foundation Gold Medal Award. Harry F. Harlow is this year's recipient of the Gold Medal Award. The accompanying article notes that Dr. Harlow has built a distinguished scientific career upon the study of basic psychological phenomena that are simultaneously of great scientific interest and great social importance. It is fair to say that, while he has been concerned with learning and behavior changes accompanying maturation from infancy to adulthood, and while he has shown some interest in therapeutic communities, a larger share of his attention has been given to affective behavior--especially to the affective relations between parents and offspring and to the pathologies of these relations. The American Psychological Association Foundation presents its Gold Medal Award to a senior American psychologist in recognition of a distinguished and long-continued record of scientific and scholarly accomplishment. With the Medal goes a cash award of $1,000. Past recipients of the Gold Medal Award are Robert Sessions Woodworth, Edwin R. Guthrie, Edwin G. Boring, John F. Dashiell, Walter R. Miles, Gordon W. Allport, Heinrich Kliiver, Karl M. Dallenbach, Floyd H. Allport, Henry A. Murray, Sidney L. Pressey, B. F. Skinner, and Gardner Murphy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Readings in General Psychology: Canadian Contributions.

Reviews the book, Readings in General Psychology: Canadian Contributions by A. W. Pressey and J. P. Zubek (1970). A collection of seventy articles, sixty-eight of which are written by Canadian psychologists and other psychologists resident at some point in Canada, comprise the content of this set of readings. Two other contributions are by distinguished Canadian physicians. The organization of the book is in fourteen parts following the traditional divisions of an introductory text in psychology. The articles are from a variety of places but predominantly from the Canadian Journal of Psychology. Others are from such prestigious sources as Science and Nature. First-course instructors will find the "readings" well worth examining. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sidney H. Newman (1912–1989): Obituary.

Sidney Harold Newman died at his home in Bethesda, Maryland, on January 1, 1989. His professional career spanned more than 50 years and included several career transitions, all dedicated to serving and advancing the field of psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Linguistic Isolation of American Psychology.

Comments on the original article "Linguistic isolation of American social psychology: A comparative study of journal citations," by L. J. Finison and C. L. Whittemore (see record 1990-57169-001). In this comment, the author makes two remarks relevant to the linguistic isolation of American psychology in general. First, the low citation rate to foreign language publications in American psychology journals, such as that found by Finison and Whittemore for social psychology journals, does not necessarily mean that almost every piece of research published in psychology is contributed by an American psychologist, or that American psychologists ignore the work of foreign researchers. Second, another factor that may explain partially, and at least in some areas of psychology, the high English-language citation rate in psychology journals is the translation of the work by foreign psychologists into the English language. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Fred S. Keller: Distinguished Contributions to Education in Psychology Award.

Presents the citation of the American Psychological Foundation's Distinguished Contributions to Education in Psychology Award for 1970. Fred S. Keller is one of this year's recipients. His award citation reads: "Pioneer in applying behaviorism to the teaching of psychology. He and his followers have wrought major changes in undergraduate psychology courses." A check for $1,000 was also presented to the recipient. The article includes Keller's personal biographic information. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Awards for distinguished professional contributions: Robert D. Weitz.

Presents the citation, biography, and selected bibliography for Robert D. Weitz, this year's (1994) winner of the American Psychological Association's Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions--Distinguished Professional Contributions to Applied Psychology as a Professional Practice. From Weitz's citation: "Dr. Robert D. Weitz has filled a lifetime of energy, enthusiasm, and achievement into his 50-plus year career in professional psychology. As a clinician, educator, editor, and activist, he has been an inspiration and role model for generations of clinical and applied psychologists who have benefited from the efforts of the early pioneers of the profession. More than a dreamer, Bob has manifested the ability to turn ideas into reality, with the development of his own successful clinical practice, the evolution of two professional schools of psychology, a scholarly journal for practitioners, and the significant advances for the profession in the political arena. Of his greatest accomplishment, he has obtained these goals while earning and maintaining the love and respect of his colleagues and preserving an unmatched zest for life and people." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Contribution by a Psychologist in the Public Interest Gold Medal Award: Kenneth B. Clark.

Kenneth B. Clark is recognized for his long and distinguished career in promoting the public interest. He has been a pioneer in defending the civil rights of his fellow man, as well as a renowned analyst of the human condition. It is also noted that he has the distinct honor of being chosen a second time to receive the Psychological Public Interest Award. In addition to the citation, a biography is presented of Clark's life, as well as his contributions to psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Knowledge.

Presents a citation for Marvin R. Goldfried, who received the Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Knowledge, which is given in recognition of the discovery and development of new information, empirical or otherwise, to the body of knowledge in applied psychology. Goldfried "has made significant and continual contributions to the science and practice of clinical psychology." Accompanying the citation are a biography and selected bibliography, as well as Goldfried's award address, entitled "Integrating Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Issues Into Mainstream Psychology." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Award for Distinguished Contributions to the International Advancement of Psychology.

Presents a citation for Juris G. Draguns, who received the 2001 Award for Distinguished Contributions to the International Advancement of Psychology, which is given to an individual who has made sustained and enduring contributions to international cooperation and the advancement of knowledge in psychology. Draguns is recognized for "his tireless pioneering of academic and professional contacts and research in psychology across multiple national boundaries and difficult language barriers." Accompanying the citation are a biography and selected bibliography, as well as Draguns' award address, entitled "Toward a Truly International Psychology: Beyond English Only." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gold Medal Award: Anne Anastasi.

The Gold Medal Award is given to an American psychologist in recognition of a distinguished and long-continued record of scientific and scholarly accomplishments. The award is limited to psychologists 65 years of age or older and to those residing in North America. This year's winner is Anne Anastasi. Anastasi is cited as a scientist, scholar, and teacher whose career has spanned more than a half century. She has made major conceptual contributions to our understanding of psychological traits, environmental and experiential influences upon psychological development, and the construction and interpretation of tests. In addition, in tackling critical controversies that confront the psychology of individual differences and their measurement, she has furthered the development of psychology as a quantitative behavioral science. Along with the citation, a short biography of Anastasi's personal and professional life is presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

2003 Gold Medal Award for Life Achievement in Psychology in the Public Interest.

Presents the 2003 American Psychological Foundation's Gold Medal Award for Life Achievement in Psychology in the Public Interest, which was presented to Ethel Tobach. A biography of Tobach is provided, along with a selected bibliography and the text of the award citation: "Following her mentor, T. C. Schneirla, Ethel Tobach sustains his vision: Comparative psychology includes humans, and the highest standards of scientific scholarship must integrate responsible concern for human welfare. She advocates preventing 'unintended consequences' by examining the formulation of research to guard against socially unjust effects. She has exposed the unsound science and social damage of genetic determinism institutionalized as racism and sexism. She has been a leader in psychology activist groups seeking constructive public policies, nuclear disarmament, and peace-building--all necessary to nurture life and science. She is a socially responsible scientist." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Thomas J. Fagan: Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Practice in the Public Sector.

Presents the citation for Thomas J. Fagan, who received the Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Practice in the Public Sector "for his service as a leader in correctional psychology." A brief profile and a selected bibliography accompany the citation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)