Theme Programs

The APS 20th Annual Convention will feature three special theme programs addressing important issues in the field of psychological science. Each program will incorporate a variety of invited guest speakers, a roundtable discussion, and posters relating to the theme. The theme sessions will be on Friday, May 23, 2008.

• Brain, Body, Behavior, and Health
• Genetics, Environment, Culture and Behavior
• Learning, Competitiveness, and Real-World Achievement

Brain, Body, Behavior, and Health

Researchers are increasingly recognizing the complex interplay between neurobiological and behavioral processes. Leading researchers across different areas of psychology will discuss evidence from studies with animals and humans, including the connections between maternal behavior and neurobiology in offspring, maternal stress and fetal immune system functioning, regions of the brain and social and emotional functioning, and physiological processes and health.

Alison Fleming
University of Toronto
Mothering and Dopamine

Karen Matthews
University of Pittsburgh
Getting to the Heart of the Matter: Psychobiological Origins of Cardiovascular Disease

Christopher L. Coe
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Prenatal Origins of Health and Illness

David Amaral
University of California, Davis
Neuroimmune Interactions in Autism

Genetics, Environment, Culture and Behavior

Advances in genetics and the interplay between genes and the environment are having an impact on all areas of psychology. This program will include a "While You Were Out" refresher course on the role of the environment in gene regulation and expression; an invited talk on the innovative use of behavior genetic designs to understand the roles of genes and the environment in the association between the family environment and child adjustment; and an invited symposium on the role of genes in eating, including flavor perception, intake regulation, and dieting.

Steve Cole
University of California, Los Angeles
Social Regulation of Gene Expression

Brian D'Onofrio
Indiana University
What Can Behavior Genetics Tell Us About the Family Environment (If Anything)?

Linda Bartoshuk
University of Florida
Nature, Nurture, and Nachos

Learning, Competitiveness, and Real-World Achievement

This symposium spans research in cognitive, educational, social, and organizational psychology related to learning and achievement in education and work settings. Speakers will present cutting edge work on research into learning and performance from the individual level to the level of organizations and teams. Work discussed in this symposium will also address how motivational and emotional factors interact with learning and performance processes to influence the probability of skill success versus skill failure and the likelihood of cooperation versus competition.

Robert S. Siegler
Carnegie Mellon University
There's Nothing So Practical As a Good Theory

Jennifer A. Mangels
Baruch College, City University of New York
Performance and Learning in Challenging Situations: Why Mindset Matters

Art Markman
University of Texas
The Psychology of Learning and Motivation

Michael Frese
University of Giessen & London Business School
Learning From Errors by Individuals and Organizations

Daniel R. Ilgen
Michigan State University
Team Learning: Much More Than Raising Individual Learning Models to the Team Level

Amy Edmonson
Harvard University
Team and Organizational Learning