Division 7 Bylaws

1. The name of this organization shall be the Division of Developmental Psychology of the American Psychological Association.

2. The exclusive purposes of this organization shall be (a) to promote research in the field of Developmental Psychology; (b) to facilitate the exchange of scientific information concerning Developmental Psychology through publication and meetings; and (c) to promote high standards in the application of scientific knowledge to the practical problems of engaging in psychological services and research in this field, including for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations under Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (or the corresponding section of any future Federal tax code.)

3. The official publication and organ of the Division is The Newsletter.

1. The Division shall consist of three classes of non-voting members: Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students, and Affiliates. The Division shall also consist of three classes of voting members: Associates, Members, and Fellows.

2. An Undergraduate Student member shall be a Psychology major who is taking or has taken at least one Developmental Psychology course and is interested in the purposes of the Division.

3. A Graduate Student member of the Division of Developmental Psychology must be a graduate student whose program includes a significant focus on Developmental Psychology.

4. An Associate of the Division must be an Associate of the American Psychological Association for at least one year. Since January 1, 1958, requirements for Associate status in the American Psychological Association are as follows: "The individual must have (a) completed two years of graduate work in Psychology at a recognized graduate school and be devoting full time to work or graduate study that is primarily psychological in character; or (b) been granted the study that is primarily psychological in character; or (c) been granted the Master's degree in Psychology by a recognized graduate school plus having completed one year of professional work in Psychology and must be devoted to full time work or graduate study that is primarily psychological in character." In order to qualify for Associate status in the Division of Developmental Psychology, a significant portion of the work or graduate study mentioned above must be in Developmental Psychology.

5. A Member of the Division must be a Member or Fellow of the American Psychological Association, as these terms were defined on January 1, 1958: "An applicant for Member status must have received the doctoral degree based in part upon a psychological dissertation and conferred by a graduate school of recognized standing. Application for Membership shall also include evidence that the applicant is engaged in study or professional work that is primarily psychological in nature." A significant portion of the dissertation, study or professional work mentioned above must be in the field of Developmental Psychology in order to qualify the applicant for Membership in the Division of Developmental Psychology. On January 1, 1958, all individuals who had been Associates of the American Psychological Association automatically became Members. Any such people may become Members of the Division on Developmental Psychology if a significant portion of their graduate study or present professional work is in the field of Developmental Psychology.

6. An Affiliate Member of the Division must have received the doctoral degree based in part upon a psychological dissertation and conferred by a graduate school of recognized standing. A significant portion of the dissertation, study or professional work mentioned above must be in the field of Developmental Psychology in order to qualify the applicant for Affiliate Membership in the Division of Developmental Psychology. Application for Affiliate Membership shall also include evidence that the applicant is engaged in study or professional work that is primarily psychological in nature.

7. The designation of Fellow of the Division of Developmental Psychology shall be awarded to those Members of the Division who, in the judgment of their peers, have made a distinguished scholarly or scientific contribution in the field of Developmental Psychology. The following qualifications and procedures shall apply in the nomination and election of Fellows of the Division.

A. Qualifications. Under the by-laws of the American Psychological Association, the following minimum standards for Fellow status are applicable:

1) a doctoral degree based in part upon a psychological dissertation conferred by a graduate school of recognized standing;

2) prior membership as a Member for at least one year;

3) five years of acceptable professional experience subsequent to the granting of a doctoral degree;

4) evidence of unusual and outstanding contribution or performance in the field of Psychology;

5) for Fellow status in this Division, requirement (4) above must represent a distinguished scholarly or scientific contribution in the field of Developmental Psychology. The contribution will ordinarily take the form of published papers or books documenting the candidate's work in empirical research, the development of theory or method, or other scholarly pursuits.

(No rigid criteria can be specified for determining what constitutes a "distinguished" contribution, but the following considerations may be useful as guides:)

(a) The candidate has contributed to the resolution of important issues in the field.

(b) The candidate has opened up new and fruitful areas of investigation.

(c) The candidate's work has served as a primary basis for the work of others.

6) Nomination and election will be in accordance with the procedures outlined below (Article III Section 4, Clauses B and C; Article III, Section 2).

8. On all matters calling for action by the membership of the Division, each voting member (as defined in Article II, Section 1) shall have one vote, and no voting by proxy shall be allowed.

1. The officers of the Division shall be a Divisional President, a Divisional President-Elect, a Divisional Past President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, a Newsletter Editor, three Membersat- large of the Executive Committee, two Early Career Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee, and such Divisional Representatives to the Council of Representatives of the American Psychological Association as are provided for in Article III of the By-Laws of the American Psychological Association. All Divisional officers and the elected Representatives of the Division on the Council of Representatives shall be members of the Division and shall be chosen by the members of the Division, except as provided in Section 8 and 9 of this article.

2. The term of office for the Divisional President, Divisional President-Elect, and Divisional Past President will be one year, for the Secretary three years, for the Treasurer three years, for the Divisional Representatives three years. The Divisional President is not eligible to succeed himself or herself and may not be re-elected until at least three years have elapsed since holding that office. Terms of office for all Division offices except Fellows Chair shall commence on January 1, with terms running for the calendar year.

3. The Divisional President shall serve as Chair of the Division. He or she shall preside at all business meetings, act ex-officio as Chair of the Divisional Executive Committee, exercise supervision over the affairs of the Division with the approval of the Divisional Executive Committee, and perform such other duties as are incident to the office as may properly be required of him or her by vote of the Divisional Executive Committee. In the last year of his or her term, the President shall give an address at the annual meeting of the Division. In the year following his or her term of office, the President (as Past President) shall act as Chair of the Nominations Committee and of the Policy and Planning Committee.

4. The Divisional President-Elect shall serve as Vice President of the Division for one year, and shall succeed to the office of the Divisional President in the ensuing year. During his or her term as Divisional President-Elect, the individual shall perform the duties of the Divisional President in the event of the absence or incapacity of the Divisional President, and in the case of the latter's resignation, on through his or her own term of office. He or she shall serve as a member of the Divisional Executive Committee with right to vote.

5. The Secretary shall keep the records of all meetings of the Division; issue calls and notices of meetings and of nominations for offices; have custody of property and files of the Division: collect any special dues that may be voted in accordance with Article VIH, Section I; and serve as ex-officio member of the Fellows Committee. The Treasurer shall make disbursements as authorized by the Divisional Executive Committee; and serve ex officio as member of the Program Committee.

6. The Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee and Early Career Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee shall represent the interests of the membership in supervising the affairs of the Division as provided in Article IV of these By-Laws. They shall attend meetings of the Executive Committee with the right to vote.

7. The Divisional Representatives shall be elected in accordance with Article IV of the By-Laws of the American Psychological Association, shall perform the duties and accept the responsibilities specified in Article IV of the By-Laws of the American Psychological Association. The Representatives shall also serve as members of the Divisional Executive Committee, with right to vote. 

8. In the case of death, incapacity, or resignation of any of these officers excepting the Divisional President, the Divisional Executive Committee shall by majority vote elect a successor to serve until the next meeting of the Division.

9. The Divisional Executive Committee shall by majority vote elect a Newsletter Editor to serve for a three-year term. The term of the first Editor elected under these provisions shall be adjusted to be non-current with that of the Secretary. The Newsletter Editor shall edit the Newsletter of the Division and shall attend meetings of the Executive Committee, with right to vote.

10. The President shall appoint a Membership Chair to serve for a three-year term. The term of the first Chair elected under these provisions shall be adjusted to be non-current with that of the Secretary. Prior to the final year of the Chair’s service the current President shall appoint a Membership Chair-Elect to work with the current Membership Chair for one overlapping year, after which the Chair-Elect shall assume the full duties of the Membership Chair. The Membership Chair shall work with the Executive Committee on all matters concerning recruitment and retention of members in all categories. The Membership Chair shall attend the meetings of the Executive Committee with the right to vote.

11. The President shall appoint a Webmaster to serve for a three-year term. The Webmaster shall be responsible for maintaining the Divisional website and Listserv and shall attend meetings of the Executive Committee, with the right to vote. The Webmaster will be responsible for the maintenance of email lists, Division and Executive Committee Listservs, and the Division website.

12. The Communications Committee will consist of the Membership Chair, Newsletter Editor, Secretary, and Webmaster, with the Membership Chair as Chair of the Committee. The Communications Committee will be responsible for all communications with and among the membership and with prospective members.

13. The President shall appoint an Education and Training Chair to serve for a three year (renewable) term. This person will oversee the activities of the DOTDEP (Directors of Training in Developmental Psychology) Initiative, organizing and administering all activities connected with meetings and communications among departments engaged in graduate level training in the developmental area, and will appoint additional members of the committee. At his or her discretion the chair may participate in activities concerned with education in developmental psychology at levels other than that of graduate programs.

14. The President shall appoint a Historian/Archivist to serve for a three-year (renewable) term. This person will be responsible for assembling current and historical documents to revise and update previous histories of the division, and to maintain files of past, present and future activities, awards, officers, and other materials of record.

1. The Divisional Executive Committee shall consist of the Divisional President, the Divisional President-Elect, the Divisional Past President, the Divisional Secretary, the Divisional Treasurer, the Newsletter Editor, the Membership Chair, the Webmaster, the Education and Training Chair, the Historian/Archivist, the Divisional Representatives on the Council of Representatives of the Association, the Chair of the Program Committee, three Members-at-Large, two Early Career Members-at-Large, and a non-voting Graduate Student representative. The Members-at-Large shall serve for three years each in staggered terms. The Early Career Members-at-Large shall serve for two tears each in staggered terms. The Graduate Student representative shall serve for two years.

2. The Divisional Executive Committee shall have general supervision of the affairs of the Division, performing the duties specified in these By-Laws. Actions of the Divisional Executive Committee affecting divisional policies are subject to approval by majority vote of the members responding to a special mail ballot.

3. The Divisional President shall be ex-officio Chair of the Divisional Executive Committee, and the Secretary of the Division shall be Secretary of the Divisional Executive Committee.

4. Voting members of the Divisional Executive Committee shall include all of those whose membership is specified in this article.

1. The divisional officers and the Members-at-large of the Divisional Executive Committee shall be elected by a preferential count of the members of the Division responding to a mail or electronic ballot.

2. The Secretary shall arrange with the Past President as Chair of the Nominations Committee to issue a call for nominations for the offices of Divisional President-Elect, Secretary, and Treasurer in those years when a term of office expires, for the offices of Divisional Representatives, for Members-at-large of the Divisional Executive Committee, and for two members of the Fellows Committee, not later than January 1 of each year. The nominating ballot shall provide spaces for at least three names for each office to be filled. Nominations shall be by means of a preferential voting system.

3. The Nominations Committee shall send a list of nominees in rank order to the Central Office by March 15 of each year. The Nominations Committee must determine eligibility and willingness to serve prior to submission of the list.

4. Individuals may be nominated for only one office in any given year, except when one of the offices is that of Divisional Representative. Individuals whose names appear on two lists have the right to choose for which office they will run. An office-holder may accept nomination for another office with the understanding that, if the individual is elected he or she will resign from the first office.

5. At least three nominees shall be named on the election ballot for the office of Divisional president-elect and there shall be at least twice as many nominees as there are persons to be elected for each other office.

6. The preferential count of the votes for each office shall be obtained by the Divisional Secretary from the Election Committee of the Association. The Secretary informs the successful and defeated officers of the results of the election. The names of the newly elected officers of the Division shall be reported at its annual business meeting.

7. Officers shall assume office on the first day of the calendar year (January 1) and shall hold office until their successors are elected and assume office in their stead. If an officer should fail to accept his or her election, the place shall be filled by a majority vote of the Executive Committee.

1. The annual meeting of the Division shall take place during the annual meeting of the Association, and in the same locality, for the transaction of business, the presentation of scientific papers, and the discussion of professional matters. The Division shall seek to coordinate its program with, and participate in, the program of the Association.

1. The Committees of the Division of Developmental Psychology shall consist of such standing committees as may be provided by these By-Laws and such special committees as may be established by vote of the Divisional Executive Committee. Committees shall serve for one year unless otherwise specified.

2. The Fellows Committee shall consist of four elected members and the Divisional Secretary, who shall be an ex-officio member of the Committee but shall not be its chair. Two members shall be elected annually for a two-year term, the member receiving the most votes serving as Chair of the Committee in his or her second year. No member may serve two terms in succession on the Committee. All members of the Fellows Committee must be Fellows of the Division. It shall be the duty of the Fellows Committee to receive applications for Fellowship status, to examine the credentials submitted in the light of Fellow requirements set forth in Article II of these By-Laws, and to recommend to the Divisional membership and the general Association those persons who meet the requirements specified in the aforementioned Article II. A favorable recommendation requires an approving vote by at least four of the five members of the Fellows Committee. It shall be the duty of the Secretary to receive and act upon applications for all other classes of membership, both voting and non-voting, as specified in Article II.

3. The Program Committee shall consist of two members serving staggered terms of two years each. In any one year, the member of the Committee serving his or her second year serves as Chair. The Division President in consultation with the Divisional Executive Committee shall appoint from the members of the Division to fill vacancies or unexpired terms. It shall be the duty of the Program Committee to make arrangements for the program and annual meeting of the Division in accordance with the Provisions of Article VI of these By-Laws, and to coordinate the divisional program with that of the Association through the Association Convention Program Committee.

4. The Nominations Committee shall consist of the past President as Chair and two other members of the Division. It shall be the duty of this committee to receive and count the nominations received by mail, as provided in Article V of these By-Laws and report the results to the Central Office of the Association and to the Division Secretary.

1. Changes in annual dues and assessments of any special dues shall be recommended by the Divisional Executive Committee and decided by majority vote of those present and voting at an annual meeting or responding to a mail ballot of the members.

2. The minimum membership dues shall be one dollar a year for each member, paid to the Division by the American Psychological Association out of the member's annual subscription to the Association.

3. No part of the net earnings of the organization shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to its members, trustees, directors, officers or other private persons, except that the organization shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of Section 501(c)(3) purposes. No substantial part of the activities of the organization shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the organization shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office.

4. Upon the dissolution of this organization assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future Federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the Federal government, or to a state or local government, for a public purpose.

Amendments to these By-Laws may be adopted by the Division by either of two procedures:

(1) by vote of two-thirds of the members present at any annual meeting; or

(2) by a majority vote of the members of the Division responding to a mail or electronic ballot providing that each proposed amendment has been first (a) presented and read at the preceding annual meeting; or (b) mailed or electronically sent to the most recent address of each member or published in the official organ of the Division, at least two months prior to the final vote.

Revised June 2018