It has been a pleasure to serve as President Elect, President, and Past President of the Society for Experimental Psychology and Cognitive Science (Division 3) during these tumultuous times of the COVID-19 pandemic. Looking to the past, Division 3 has played an historic role in the science of our field and it has been my honor to preserve that precious tradition. Looking to the future, we have made progress in diversity and inclusion, ranging from our youngest (e.g., our Early Career Committee) to oldest (e.g., distinguished senior Fellows) members. I want to thank everyone who has agreed to serve on our Board and Committees. Our representation has broadened but we have miles to go before we sleep (with apologies to Robert Frost). I look forward to a future in which we can celebrate the talents and creativity of all of our members: ¡Sí, se puede!
I have been pleased to serve APA in various capacities, such as Chairing the Publications and Communications Board and supporting psychology as a STEM science. During my time as President of this Division, we were able to secure an agreement to ensure that authors have access to complete copyedits to manuscripts, which saves a huge amount of time in checking articles prior to publication. Our 5 flagship journals are the soul of our Society and we must ensure that they remain responsive to authors. We have also been able to work with Mitch Prinstein, PhD, ABPP, Adrienne Butler, BHP, and many others in strengthening science at APA. I believe strongly in the relevance of experimental psychology to both basic and translational science, which were incredibly well represented at this year’s convention thanks to our indefatigable Program Chairs, Angela Gutchess, PhD, and Krystia Reed, PhD. You can still take a peek at the Program and some recorded talks; you will be assured of the vibrancy and relevance of our field.
In these COVID-19 times, it has never been clearer that psychological science can be a matter of life and death. Working with partners (e.g., the World Health Organization), APA is addressing these issues (e.g., risk taking during the pandemic among students on college campusesopens in new window). Like many of us, I pivoted to research on COVID-19 and related topics, such as misinformation, during the pandemic.1,2 Together, we can work to prevent some of the world’s suffering. Your rigor and skills – experimental psychology – are needed more than ever, which is sometimes underappreciated among faculty, students, and society at large. Let’s not diminish the importance of those WEIRD experiments using laboratory tasks while diversifying our samples and extending our research beyond the laboratory. We have two arms so we can embrace both lab and “life” sciences, recognizing their interdependence. Defend basic science at this difficult time because solutions often begin with basic science.
I am gravely concerned by trends in our field that are well-meaning but have devolved in some instances into ad hominem conflict. Many yearn for greater civility, positivity, and mutual tolerance, which does not require agreement but respects the autonomy of individuals. Freedom of speech and of inquiry are essential for science to flourish. It is time to turn the corner on negativity and focus more on the substance of science. The bureaucracy has become overwhelming and does not ensure good science; we must reduce the bureaucracy so that we have time for family, community, and work. With charity toward all and malice toward none, as Abraham Lincoln said, think about the vital work that is not getting done as we worry about our colleagues’ motives instead of doing substantive science. In these difficult times, we must come together to reject anger and turn toward kindness so that young people want to join our field and make a difference.
- Reyna, V. F. (2021). A scientific theory of gist communication and misinformation resistance, with implications for health, education, and policy. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118 (15), 1-6.
- Reyna, V. F., Broniatowski, D. A., & Edelson, S. M. (2021). Viruses, vaccines, and COVID-19: Explaining and improving risky decision-making. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 10(4), 491–509.