Meet APS Fellow Robert “Rob” Kail, Purdue University, the new editor of Psychological Science, APS’s flagship journal. Kail is inheriting the editorship from James Cutting, who has held the position since 2003. The new guy’s no slouch. Between 1977 and the end of 2006, he has logged nearly 41,000 miles More
Many students currently pursuing degrees in psychology aim to one day work in an academic or research setting, and throughout graduate training they spend a great deal of time developing their CVs and skills to best prepare themselves for the competitive job market that lies ahead. Experience in manuscript preparation More
To the editor: Roddy Roediger has informed us that a committee is working to revise the APA Publication Manual. The Manual dictates certain aspects of language usage in journal articles, as APS members may know. Thus, it is a good time to revisit Roddy Roediger’s column “What should they be More
To the editor: The subtitle of Philip Zimbardo’s (2007) book, The Lucifer Effect, (reviewed by Wray Herbert, Observer, April 2007) is Understanding How Good People Turn Evil. The book follows Zimbardo’s talk of the same name at the 2006 APS convention, the crux of which, according to writer Eric Wargo More
When I defended my dissertation one year ago, I had no inkling that I’d be testifying in front of a Congressional committee soon afterward. Talk about life taking a path uncharted! I recently had the privilege of appearing before the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee More
When I was a psychology student, I found that many people didn’t understand my field. Relatives were disappointed to hear I worked with rats more than with humans; some even became standoffish, convinced my degree was in reading minds. Eventually, I learned to grin and bear it each time I More
In the mid-1990s, scientists at the University of Parma, in Italy, made a discovery so novel that it shifted the way psychologists discuss the brain. After researchers implanted electrodes into the heads of monkeys, they noticed a burst of activity in the premotor cortex when the animals clutched a piece More
It’s that time of the year, the season when students who have toiled through four (or five) years of higher education commence upon the world. Over the next few weeks, across hundreds of commencement exercises, we who wear the hoods will come face-to-face with those who wear the caps and More
In recent years, psychologists have been fond of stating that human happiness, what they call subjective well-being, is largely independent of our life circumstances. The wealthy aren’t much happier than the middle class, married people aren’t much happier than single people, healthy people aren’t much happier than sick people, and More
The Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) recently announced that it will be changing its fellows selection process, allowing researchers and scholars to apply for fellowships instead of soliciting nominations, as has been the tradition. The change will take effect with the 2008-2009 class. Located near the More
What do you get when you mix one part psychology, one part neuroscience, and one part economics? A cocktail called the Society for Neuroeconomics. Five years ago, Gregory Berns, Emory University, organized an informal meeting at Martha’s Vineyard for about 30 researchers whose work blends economics, neuroscience, and psychology. This More
Class sizes seem to increase every year, through the combining of course sections into a few large sections or through class size creep, from 18 students to 25 or even 30. Whether adding a few students, or moving from 30 to 200, faculty must reconsider individual meetings with students, term More
