Western Psychological Association

Last updated
Western Psychological Association
Formation1921
Type Learned society
Legal status501c3
PurposePsychological research
Location
Region
Western United States
Membership (1962)
1,917
President
Christina Maslach
President-elect
Heidi R. Riggio
Past president
Laura Freburg
Affiliations American Psychological Association
Website westernpsych.org

The Western Psychological Association (abbreviated WPA) is an American learned society dedicated to the study of psychology and other behavioral sciences. [1] It is a regional association focused on the Western United States, and is affiliated with the American Psychological Association. [2] It promotes psychological research through an annual conference, which it has held since its founding, and where psychologists read their research papers to one another. [3] Reports from these conferences were originally published in Psychological Bulletin starting in 1924, and are now published in American Psychologist . [4] [5]

Contents

History

The Western Psychological Association was established in 1921 with fourteen members, [3] and held its first meeting in August of that year. The meeting took place in Berkeley, California, and was held in conjunction with the Pacific division of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. At the meeting, members elected Lewis Terman and Edward Tolman as the Association's president and vice president, respectively. [5] The organization's membership increased to 1,917 members by 1962. [3]

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References

  1. "About WPA". WPA Web Site. 2013-09-04. Retrieved 2017-09-02.
  2. "Regional Psychological Associations". American Psychological Association. Retrieved 2017-09-02.
  3. 1 2 3 Lindsley, Donald B. (1964). "History of the Western Psychological Association". American Psychologist. Retrieved 2017-09-02.
  4. Scientific and Technical Societies of the United States and Canada. National Academies. 1899. p. 357.
  5. 1 2 Carroll, David W. (2017-04-27). Purpose and Cognition. Cambridge University Press. p. 73. ISBN   9781107122505.