Robert M. Yerkes Award

This award recognizes significant contributions to military psychology by a non-psychologist.

The Robert M. Yerkes Award is given for outstanding contributions to military psychology by a non-psychologist. The award is named for Robert M. Yerkes, the “Founding Father” of military psychology. Yerkes (1876-1956) had a distinguished career as a comparative psychologist first at Harvard, and later at Yale University. He studied chimpanzee behavior extensively, and together with John D. Dodson developed the Yerkes-Dodson Law, relating arousal and motivation to performance.

As the President of APA in 1917, Yerkes led in the application of psychology to the demands of World War I. Also serving as chief of the Psychology Division in the Surgeon General's Office during World War I, Yerkes led in the development and use of the Army Alpha and Beta Tests, the first large-scale application of psychological testing. This program established the value of psychological testing for screening and placement purposes.

Annual Deadline: May 30

Eligibility

To be eligible for this award the nominee must be a non-psychologist.

How To Apply

Nominations should include:

• A brief statement (300-500 words) that identifies the award and describes those aspects of the nominee’s work that support the nomination

• A brief biography of the nominee

Please submit nominations to Tonia Heffner. 

Past Recipients

• General Max Thurman

• Senator Daniel Inouye

• Elizabeth Dole

• Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson