2021 APS Virtual Convention Preview

The 2021 APS Virtual Convention has begun! 

In addition to the speakers highlighted below, don’t forget to check out the Virtual Poster Showcase and Flash Talks, available to registered attendees in the convention platform until September 1, 2021. Recordings of many speakers will be available until June 28. 

Award Addresses | Keynote Addresses | Panel Discussions | Special Sessions | Student Programs

Award Addresses 

2020 APS William James Fellow Award 

The APS William James Fellow Award honors APS members for their lifetime of significant intellectual contributions to the basic science of psychology. Addresses available on demand. 

2020 Recipients 

• Neil Burgess (University College London, UK) – “Neural Mechanisms of Spatial Memory and Cognition” 
• Carol S. Dweck (Stanford University, USA) – “Mindsets and Opportunities in My Life and Work” 
• Susan A. Gelman (University of Michigan, USA) – “What Children Can Teach Us About Concepts” 
• Andrew N. Meltzoff (University of Washington, USA) – “Imitation as a Vehicle for Social Learning: Theoretical Advances” 

2021 Recipients 

• Michelene (Micki) Chi (Arizona State University, USA) – “How Students Learn” 
• Dante Cicchetti (University of Minnesota, USA) – “Career Pathways: Past, Present, and Future” 
• Nancy Kanwisher (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA) – “Functional Imaging of the Human Brain: A Window into the Organization of the Human Mind” 
• James Pennebaker (University of Texas at Austin, USA) – “Analyzing Words: Personality, Thinking Styles, and Behavior” 

APS James McKeen Cattell Fellow Award 

The APS William James Fellow Award recognizes APS members for a lifetime of outstanding contributions to the area of applied psychological research and critical problems in society at large.  Addresses available on demand. 

2020 Recipients 

• Thomas E. Joiner (Florida State University, USA) – ”The Interpersonal Theory of Suicide” 
• Richard M. Lerner (Tufts University, USA) – “Promoting Positive Youth Development: Plasticity, Specificity, Non-Ergodicity, and Contributions to Social Justice Among Global Youth” 

2021 Recipients 

• Alison Gopnik (University of California, Berkeley, USA) – “Three Ages and Three Intelligences: Explore, Exploit, Care” 
• Megan Gunnar (University of Minnesota, USA) – “When You Are Wrong Is Often More Important Than When You Are Right” 
• Saul Kassin (John Jay College of Criminal Justice and Williams College, USA) – ” False Confessions: A Journey From the Social Psych Lab to the Innocence Project’s Exonerees” 

APS Mentor Award 

The APS Mentor Award recognizes psychological scientists who have shaped the future directions of science by fostering the careers of students and colleagues. Recipients will share insights into scientific mentoring. 

2020 Recipients 

• Toni C. Antonucci (University of Michigan, USA) 
• Elizabeth Ligon Bjork & Robert A. Bjork (University of California, Los Angeles, USA) 
• E. Tory Higgins (Columbia University, USA) 

2021 Recipients 

• BJ Casey (Yale University, USA) 
• Harald Merckelbach (Maastricht University, The Netherlands) 
• Miguel Moya (University of Granada, Spain) 
• Elizabeth Spelke (Harvard University, USA) 

Keynote Addresses 

The Psychology and Neurobiology of Friendship 

Fred Kavli Keynote Address

Robin I.M. Dunbar (University of Oxford, UK) 

Wednesday, May 26, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM EDT (-4 UTC) 

Friendships have evolved to buffer humans and other primates against the stresses of living in large social groups. In this lecture, Dunbar compares the behavioral, cognitive, and neurobiological bases of friendships and shows how we use them as foundations for forming communities. 

Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do 

Fred Kavli Keynote Address

APS President Elect Jennifer L. Eberhardt (Stanford University, USA) 

Thursday, May 27, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM EDT (-4 UTC) 

Racial imagery and judgments shape actions and outcomes in our criminal-justice system, neighborhoods, schools, and workplaces to a startling extent. Eberhardt provides an overview of the many mitigation tools at our disposal to fight bias in the criminal justice system, education, and the workplace. 

American Redemption: Variations on a Good Life Story 

Bring the Family Address

Dan P. McAdams (Northwestern University, USA) 

Thursday, May 27, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM EDT (-4 UTC) 

Beginning in adulthood, humans formulate internal life stories—narrative identities—reconstructing the past and imagining the future so as to confer a sense of plot, purpose, and temporal coherence upon our lives. In one notable case study of a prominent American adult, McAdams contends that former U.S. President Donald J. Trump may never have formulated a narrative identity for his life. 

Race, Social Class, and Culture: Toward a Theoretical Integration 

Presidential Symposium

APS President Shinobu Kitayama (University of Michigan, USA), Hazel Rose Markus (Stanford University, USA), Robert Sellers (University of Michigan, USA) 

Wednesday, May 26, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM EDT (-4 UTC) 

To address the crisis of globalization, we as a field must analyze the impact of race, social class, and culture at every level, from genes and the brain to social judgment and behavior. This symposium highlights urgent research agendas in the integrative psychological science of race, social class, and culture and presents future research directions. 

Panel Discussions

Reimagining Work After COVID 

Tammy D. Allen (University of South Florida, USA), Tara S. Behrend (Purdue University, USA), Ravi S. Gajendran (Florida International University, USA), Sharon Parker (Curtin University, Australia), Kai Chi (Sam) Yam (National University of Singapore) 

Wednesday, May 26, 11:00 AM-12:00 PM EDT (-4 UTC) 

The year 2020 disrupted the way many of us work due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in the sudden transition from physical to virtual workspaces, loss and change of jobs, and increased life demands outside of work. This panel brings together leading scholars whose research speaks to how the nature of work has changed and how it is likely to evolve due to further technological advances in the future. 

From Vaccine Hesitancy to Vaccine Confidence 

Jeremy Ward (Inserm, France), Cornelia Betsch (University of Erfurt, Germany), Heidi Larson (London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, UK), E. Lisako Jones McKyer (Texas A&M University, USA) 

Wednesday, May 26, 11:00 AM-12:00 PM EDT (-4 UTC) 

Vaccine hesitancy is a multidimensional phenomenon that has spawned attitudes ranging from indifference to radical antivaccine beliefs. In this panel, led by E. Lisako Jones McKyer, we consider psychological but also sociological, political, and cultural underpinnings of this phenomenon and explore avenues for increasing vaccine confidence, especially with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Addressing Climate Change and Its Psychological, Ethical, and Socio-Economic Challenges 

Susan Clayton (The College of Wooster, USA), Dale Jamieson (New York University, USA), Joyashree Roy (Institute of Technology, Thailand), Kim-Pong (Kevin) Tam (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology) 

Thursday, May 27, 11:00 AM-12:00 PM EDT (-4 UTC) 

Mitigating the potentially devastating political, socioeconomic, and environmental consequences of climate change requires urgent and wide-ranging action. In this panel, researchers discuss the vulnerabilities of human societies and natural systems, factors that lead people to accept or deny the reality of climate change, and the factors that contribute to individual and collective environmental action. 

Misinformation: Psychological Processes and Social Network Mechanisms 

Dolores Albarracin (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA), Nadia M.  Brashier (Harvard University, USA), Ciara M. Greene (University College Dublin, Ireland), Gordon Pennycook (University of Regina, Canada) 

Thursday, May 27, 11:00 AM-12:00 PM EDT (-4 UTC) 

As the number of sources and amount of information available online have increased, the ability of citizens to effectively sort out facts from non-facts has often been jeopardized. Understanding how the human mind succeeds or fails in processing information as well as misinformation can be critical for society to make steps toward regulating how information is delivered on public channels and by public officials. 

Special Sessions 

Inclusivity Spotlight: Reducing Race and Other Disparities in and Through Psychological Research 

Stephanie J. Rowley (Teachers College, Columbia University, USA), Steven O. Roberts (Stanford University, USA), Rihana Shiri Mason (Georgia State University, USA), Ida Momennejad (Microsoft Research, USA), C. Malik Boykin (Brown University, USA) 

Wednesday, May 27, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EDT (-4 UTC) 

This panel discussion, led by C. Malik Boykin, brings together experts to discuss racial disparities across the areas of psychological science and the role of professional societies in anti-racist action. Topics include cultural racism in academia, combatting racism in scientific practices, and methods for simulating systemic bias using computational psychology. 

Clinical Science Forum – Celebrating 25 Years of the Academy of Psychological Clinical Science (APCS): Our Past, Present, and Future 

Chair: Cindy M. Yee-Bradbury (University of California, Los Angeles, USA) 

Wednesday, May 26, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EDT (-4 UTC) and Wednesday, May 26, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EDT (-4 UTC) 

To commemorate the Academy’s silver anniversary, ten leading psychological scientists at varying career stages reflect on successes, challenges, and opportunities for advancing clinical psychological science—from basic research to prevention and intervention—and ultimately improving mental and behavioral health care.  This program is organized by the Academy of Psychological Clinical Science and the Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System. 

Don’t SoTL for Less: Researching Teaching and Learning for a Post Pandemic World 

Regan A.R. Gurung (Oregon State University, USA) 

Thursday, May 27, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EDT (-4 UTC) 

In the 30 years since the phrase Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) was coined, it has undergone many changes and gone by different names. In this session Gurung will provide a contemporary picture of SoTL from within the psychological sciences, overview a process model to guide SoTL, review significant challenges for the practice, and directions for the future. 

BIPOC Mental Health, Social Justice and COVID-19: This Moment Requires Authenticity 

Alfiee Breland-Noble (the AAKOMA Project) 

Thursday, May 27, 1:00 PM-2:00 PM EDT (-4 UTC) 

Given the current and future impacts of the trauma resulting from the dual pandemics of COVID-19 and the continuing fight for racial justice, Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) of all ages are at a critical juncture regarding mental health. The AAKOMA Project is leading work that can inform psychologists’ engagement as community partners to influence positive change in health care and social service sector. 

Go Viral: 9 Pandemic Examples That Teach Psychological Science 

Susan A. Nolan (Seton Hall University) 

Thursday, May 27, 2:00 PM-3:00 PM EDT (-4 UTC) 

The pandemic is an ongoing science lesson, much of which pertains directly to psychological science and has implications for courses across the curriculum. From probability to data visualization to science communication to misinformation, there are scores of examples that elucidate psychological science.  

Student Programs

Establishing Your Digital Presence 

Alaina G. Levine (Quantum Success Solutions) 

Wednesday, May 26, 11:00 AM-12:00 PM EDT (-4 UTC) 

More and more recruiters, search committees, job decision-makers and hiring managers are using the web to find, research, and vet potential candidates. In this session, learn how decision-makers use LinkedIn and other sites, and how to create a winning LinkedIn profile to generate solid leads for your career and brand yourself as a leader in your profession. 

Careers Outside of Academia 

Gregory Davis (Quantitative UX Researcher at Facebook, USA), Anne Kotynski-Gooding (Education Program Specialist at NASA, USA), Asia McCleary-Gaddy (Director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at University of Texas Health Science Center, USA), and Joey Chung Yin So (UX Research Lead at Dell, USA) 

Wednesday, May 26, 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM EDT (-4 UTC) 

The process to successfully navigate the path to a career outside of academia can often be mystifying. In this APS Student Caucus panel, led by Alaina G. Levine, panelists share their own career paths and offer advice for students and professionals considering a career outside of academia. 

Virtual Mentoring: Making the Relationship Work 

BJ Casey (Yale University, USA), May Conley (Yale University, USA), Ana DiGiovanni (Columbia University, USA), Anshu Patel 

Wednesday, May 26, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EDT (-4 UTC) 

If we have learned anything from this past year, it is how to be available without being present. This panel features faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students from various areas of psychological science who share their experiences and offer advice on virtual mentorship. The discussion includes advice on transitioning to online mentorship, managing research assistants, finding balance, and challenges. 

Student Research and RISE Award Recognition 

Thursday, May 27, 11:00 AM-12:00 PM EDT (-4 UTC) 

Celebrate and learn about the award-winning research from APS students. Awardees will present their research during this one-hour session. 

APS Pitch Perfect Competition Finals 

Thursday, May 27, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EDT (-4 UTC) 

APS students will put their persuasive powers to the test as the finalists in the Pitch Perfect Three-Minute Thesis Competition. 

The 2021 APS Virtual Convention is May 26 and 27. Registered attendees can view these and other recorded events in the convention platform until June 28, 2021. The Virtual Poster Showcase featuring posters and Flash Talks will be available online until September 1, 2021.