Special Events
Browse the online program to view session details, scheduling, and speakers.
Industry Day
Thursday, 28 May 2026, 09:00 – 13:30 (9:00 AM – 1:30 PM)
NEW! The 2026 Annual Convention will include an Industry Day – exploring psychological science in non-academic settings. This program is designed to bring together PhD candidates, industry leaders, innovators, and academic researchers to explore the role psychology plays in today’s rapidly evolving job market and innovation ecosystem. Industry Day will include interactive roundtable panel sessions focusing on key topics: the contribution of psychology to industry, first-person accounts of moving from academia to industry, and practical insights into creating successful spin-offs. There will also be a networking space where attendees can engage with speakers and company representatives. All APS 2026 attendees are welcome to attend Industry Day events.
See the full Industry Day schedule and session details here.
Inclusivity Spotlight
Saturday, 30 May 2026, 10:30 – 11:30 (10:30 AM – 11:30 AM)
The European Association of Social Psychology (EASP) and the Association for Psychological Science (APS) will jointly sponsor the 2026 Inclusivity Spotlight program. This one-hour session is an opportunity for participants to engage with scientists at the leading edge to shine a brighter light on inclusivity issues confronting scientists across Europe. The program will feature EASP Social Psychology Ambassadors in a panel discussion of equity, diversity, and inclusion issues in their countries and regions, which include countries and regions with less developed academic infrastructure.
More information on EASP’s Ambassador program can be found here.
Invisible Barriers and Strength: Doing Social Psychology in a Country at War
Speaker: Iryna Hubeladze, Institute for Social and Political Psychology NAES of Ukraine; Kyiv School of Economics
This presentation explores how Ukrainian social psychologists conduct research under wartime constraints, ethical dilemmas, and unequal access to resources. Focusing on resilience, adaptive methodologies, and collective responsibility, it highlights how limitations have become catalysts for new forms of inclusion, ethical sensitivity, social relevance, and global scholarly engagement in extreme conditions.
Social Psychology in Western Balkans: A Path Forward
Speaker: Dashamir Bërxulli, University of Prishtina, Kosovo
Social psychologists from Kosovo, Albania, and North Macedonia at Albanian-speaking universities joined forces to enhance social psychology’s role in their countries. They founded an association, initiated research projects, and planned summer and winter schools for students, thereby laying a solid foundation for the future development of social psychology in the Western Balkans.
Moderator: Verónica Benet-Martínez, ICREA (Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies) and Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain
APS-David Myers Distinguished Lecture on the Science and Craft of Teaching Psychological Science
Saturday, 30 May 2026, 12:00 – 13:00 (12:00 PM – 1:00 PM)
Where Teaching and Everyday Life Meet: Bringing Autobiographical Memory Into the Lecture Hall
Dorthe Berntsen, Aarhus University, Denmark
Autobiographical memory – memory for the personal past -is typically underrepresented in introductory textbooks and lectures on cognitive psychology. However, because it is a complex real-world phenomenon, teaching autobiographical memory highlights the real-life implications of memory research and its close connections to other areas, notably clinical, social, and moral psychology.
APS Awards Ceremony: A Celebration of Excellence
Saturday, 30 May 2026, 09:00 – 10:00 (9:00 AM – 10:00 AM)
APS honors members throughout their careers with the field’s most prestigious awards and recognitions. The 2026 APS Awards Ceremony will recognize recipients of the James McKeen Cattell Fellow Award, James S. Jackson Lifetime Achievement Award for Transformative Scholarship, William James Fellow Award, Mentor Award, and Janet Taylor Spence Award for Transformative Early Career Contributions. Join your colleagues to celebrate these achievements in psychological science.
