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 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. Focused on different areas of psychological science and how they pertain to COVID-19, six working groups present research and make recommendations to the science community, policymakers, and/or the public.

Each group tackles several overarching questions, including:

  • 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?

Working Group on Mental Health and COVID-19

Focusing on the intersection of human development, COVID-19, and mental health. The group examines 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

Examining 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

Investigating 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

Exploring the biology and psychology of infection and how these systems interact, including 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

Assessing 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

Focusing on how psychological science can inform the intersection of education and COVID-19, including 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

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