The Distinguished Scientific Award for an Early Career Contribution to Psychology is an annual award that has been given by the American Psychological Association since 1974. [1] It is given to outstanding research psychologists who are in the early stages of their career, defined as the first nine years after they receive their Ph.D. Every year, the award is given to five psychologists, each from one of ten different areas of psychology:
This means that every two years, one psychologist from each area will receive the award. [2]
Former winners of the Distinguished Scientific Award for an Early Career Contribution to Psychology include:
Linda B. Smith is an American developmental psychologist internationally recognized for her theoretical and empirical contributions to developmental psychology and cognitive science, proposing, through theoretical and empirical studies, a new way of understanding developmental processes. Smith's works are groundbreaking and illuminating for the field of perception, action, language, and categorization, showing the unique flexibility found in human behavior. She has shown how perception and action are ways of obtaining knowledge for cognitive development and word learning.
Edwin A. Fleishman was an American psychologist best known for his work in the field of industrial and organizational psychology. Among his notable achievements was a taxonomy for describing individual differences in perceptual-motor performance. The Fleishman Job Analysis Survey (F-JAS) that he developed under Management Research Institute has been cited 100 times since 1995. Additionally, Fleishman is the author of more than 250 research articles and journals.
Dr. John D. Robinson was a psychologist and Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Surgery at Howard University College of Medicine. In 1973, Robinson became the first African-American psychologist in the U.S. Air Force, and, in 1975, the first African-American psychologist in the U.S. Navy. He also served as the first African-American administrator at the University of Texas at Austin.
The APA Distinguished Scientific Award for the Applications of Psychology is an award of the American Psychological Association
Nicki Rae Crick was a psychologist and professor of child development and family studies known internationally for her research on relational aggression, defined as the use of relationships as agents of harm. At the time of her death, she held the position of Distinguished McKnight University Professor and Irving B. Harris Professor of Child Psychology at the Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota.
Ruth Kanfer is a psychologist and professor at Georgia Institute of Technology in the area of Industrial and Organizational Psychology. She is best known for her research in the fields of motivation, goal setting, self-regulation, job search, adult learning, and future of work. Kanfer has received numerous awards for her research contributions including the American Psychological Association Distinguished Scientific Award for an Early Career Contribution in Applied Research in 1989, the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) William R. Owens Scholarly Achievement Award in 2006 and the SIOP Distinguished Scientific Contributions Award in 2007. Ruth Kanfer has authored influential papers on a variety of topics including the interaction of cognitive abilities and motivation on performance, the influence of personality and motivation on job search and employment. and a review chapter on motivation in an organizational setting.
Janellen Huttenlocher was a psychologist and professor known for her research in the field of the child's environment in the development of cognitive skills. She was the William S. Gray Professor Emeritus in Psychology at the University of Chicago at the time of her death.
Nancy Elinor Adler was an American health psychologist. She was the Lisa and John Pritzker Professor of Medical Psychology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and director of UCSF's Center for Health and Community Sciences. Adler was known for her research on health behaviors, health disparities, and social determinants of health.
Gregory Adams Kimble was an American general psychologist and a professor at Duke University, a position from which he retired in 1984. He was known for his efforts to unify psychology as a single scientific discipline, and for his lifelong devotion to behaviorism. He also served as an advisor to the magazine Psychology Today in the 1980s, when it was owned by the American Psychological Association (APA), of which he became a fellow in 1951. His positions at the APA itself included presidency of its Divisions of General Psychology and Experimental Psychology. He received the APA's Award for Distinguished Career Contributions to Education and Training in 1999, as well as the C. Alan Boneau Award from the APA's Division of General Psychology.
Emily A. Holmes is a clinical psychologist and neuroscientist known for her research on mental imagery in relation to psychological treatments for post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), bipolar disorder, and depression. Holmes is Professor of Clinical Neuroscience at Karolinska Institute in Sweden. She also holds an appointment as Honorary Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Oxford.
Marvin R. Goldfried is an American psychologist and retired distinguished professor of clinical psychology at Stony Brook University. His area of interest include psychotherapy integration and LGBT issues. He is married to Anita Goldfried and has two sons, Daniel and Michael.
Rogers Hornsby Wright was an American psychologist and writer. He was known as the "Father of Professional Psychology" for his work aimed at improving the recognition of professional psychology as a psychological specialty. He was the co-founder and first president of the Committee for the Advancement of Psychological Professions and Sciences, and he received the American Psychological Association's Award for Distinguished Contributions to Applied Psychology as a Professional Practice in 1985. He served as president of the American Psychological Association's Division 12 in 1988.
Cynthia D. Belar is a scientist known for her contributions to clinical psychology with specific focus on health psychology, clinical service, and education. She is a Professor Emerita at the University of Florida Health Science Center.
Antonette M. Zeiss is an American clinical psychologist. Zeiss was chief consultant for mental health services at the Central Office of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs – the first woman and the first psychologist and nonphysician to hold this position. In 2013 she received the APA Award for Lifetime Contributions to Psychology from the American Psychological Association (APA).
The CPA Donald O. Hebb Award for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology as a Science is an annual award presented by the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA).
Ruby Takanishi was a developmental psychologist known for her efforts in developing early childhood education policies and advocacy work on behalf of the behavioral sciences.
Nadya A. Fouad is an American vocational psychologist. She is the Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Vocational Behavior and distinguished professor and chair of the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Lillian Comas-Díaz is an American psychologist and researcher of multiethnic and multicultural communities. She was the 2019 winner of American Psychological Association (APA) Gold Medal Award for Life Achievement in the Practice of Psychology. In 2000, she received the APA Award for Distinguished Senior Career Contribution to the Public Interest.
Jane Simmons Halonen is an American educational psychologist whose career has focused on advancing the scholarship of teaching and learning in psychology. She holds the position of Professor of Psychology at the University of West Florida where she also served as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences from 2003 to 2012. Halonen is a contributing writer for The Chronicle of Higher Education.