APS Global Collaboration on COVID-19
COVID molecules floating beside Title Text

APS Global Collaboration on COVID-19



Informing solutions for public health crises through psychological science.

APS Global Collaboration on COVID-19

The APS Global Collaboration on COVID-19 convenes psychological scientists and other behavioral science experts to assess how our field has contributed to combating the COVID-19 pandemic and identify gaps in our understanding that should be addressed through new research.

For this collaboration, APS is establishing working groups focusing on different areas of psychological science and how they pertain to COVID-19. These groups will be comprised of leading experts in the field who will make recommendations to the science community, policymakers, and/or the public.

The overarching questions each group will tackle are:

  • How has psychological science been used to inform solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic?
  • How could psychological science research have been better integrated into the COVID-19 response, and how could it be better used to address future public health challenges?
  • What scientific knowledge gaps must be addressed through new research?

Throughout 2021 and 2022, there will be opportunities for APS Members to participate in this collaborative effort and follow along.

Throughout the collaboration, the below working groups will evolve and more will form depending on APS Member availability and interest. Please stay tuned to this page for updates to working group topics and membership.

Working Group on Mental Health and COVID-19

This group will focus on the intersection of human development, COVID-19, and mental health. The group will examine how COVID-19 has affected mental health of children, adolescents, and younger and older adults, including those who were diagnosed with a mental illness before the pandemic started, among other topics.

  • Leader: Allison Harvey – University of California, Berkeley, USA
  • Martin Antony – Ryerson University, Canada
  • Christopher Beam – University of Southern California, USA
  • Iris Engelhard – Utrecht University, Netherlands
  • June Gruber – University of Colorado Boulder, USA
  • Derek Novacek – University of California, Los Angeles, USA
  • Guangyu Zhou – Peking University, China

Working Group on Fundamental Memory Science and COVID-19

This group will examine the interplay between fundamental memory science and public health, especially as they pertain to COVID-19—for instance, how can our knowledge of how human memory functions help the practice of contact tracing?

  • Leader: Maryanne Garry – University of Waikato, New Zealand
  • Lorraine Hope – University of Portsmouth, UK
  • Anne Scharling Rasmussen – Aarhus University, Denmark
  • Linda Levine – University of California Irvine, USA
  • Suparna Rajaram – Stony Brook University, USA
  • Jennifer Talarico – Lafayette College, USA

Working Group on Work and COVID-19

This group will investigate the effects of new work realities pertaining to COVID-19, such as how different types of work and workers may be differentially affected by COVID-19, what we have learned about productivity, and how uncertainty and anxiety has influenced workers and employers.

  • Leader: Adrienne Carter-Sowell – University of Oklahoma, USA
  • Toni Schmader – University of British Columbia, Canada
  • Katharina Block – University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
  • Gabe H. Miller – Mississippi State University, USA
  • Ashley Whillans – Harvard Business School, USA

Working Group on the Biology and Psychology of COVID-19

This group will explore the biology and psychology of infection and how these systems interact. Topics may include the short and long-term psychological effects of infection and what we’ve learned about brain biology from treating COVID-19 patients.

  • Leader: Kavita Vedhara – University of Nottingham, UK
  • Anna Marsland – University of Pittsburgh, USA
  • Sarah Pressman – University of California, Irvine, USA

Working Group on Misinformation and Disinformation

This group will assess misinformation and disinformation as they relate to COVID-19, for instance, why people believe misinformation; the behavioral processes behind belief; and what factors influence susceptibility to misinformation.

  • Leader: Norbert Schwarz – University of Southern California, USA
  • Dolores Albarracín – University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA
  • Jay Van Bavel – New York University, USA
  • Karen Douglas – University of Kent, UK

Working Group on Education and COVID-19

This group focuses on how psychological science can inform the intersection of education and COVID-19. The group will examine how COVID has affected education and learning as well as the interplay between COVID and college admissions processes.

  • Leader: Jonathan Wai – University of Arkansas, USA
  • Kathryn Asbury – The University of York, UK
  • Drew H. Bailey – University of California, Irvine, USA
  • Joni M. Lakin – University of Alabama, USA
  • Fred Oswald – Rice University, USA
  • Heiner Rindermann – Chemnitz University of Technology, Germany
  • Frank C. Worrell – University of California, Berkeley, USA

Read more APS resources on COVID-19 by clicking here.

Questions about the APS Global Collaboration on COVID-19? Please email aps@psychologicalscience.org.