APA Distinguished Scientific Awards for an Early Career Contribution to Psychology

The APA Distinguished Scientific Awards for an Early Career Contribution to Psychology honor early career scientists for contributions in the first 9 years post-PhD. For the purpose of this award, psychology has been divided into 10 areas:

• animal learning and behavior, comparative
• developmental
• health
• cognition/human learning
• psychopathology
  
• behavioral and cognitive neuroscience
• perception and motor performance
• social psychology
• applied research (e.g., treatment and prevention research, industrial/organizational research, educational research)
• individual differences (e.g., personality, psychometrics, mental ability, behavioral genetics)

Five areas are considered each year, with areas rotated in 2-year cycles.

For the 2027 program, nominations of persons who received doctoral degrees during and since 2017 are being sought in the areas of:

• behavioral and cognitive neuroscience
• perception and motor performance
• social psychology
• applied research (e.g., treatment and prevention research, industrial/organizational research, educational research)
• individual differences (e.g., personality, psychometrics, mental ability, behavioral genetics)

To submit a nomination for the Distinguished Scientific Awards for an Early Career Contribution to Psychology (ECA), please provide:

• letter of nomination (two pages maximum length)
• current vita
• no more than five reprints representative of the nominee's contributions

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For additional information, please contact Suzanne Wandersman.

2025

Riana E. Anderson (applied research), Wilma A. Bainbridge (behavioral and cognitive neuroscience), Peter E. Clayson (individual differences), Chaz Firestone (perception and motor performance), Amie M. Gordon (social psychology)

2024

Stephen P. Becker (psychopathology), Gerald G. Carter (animal learning and behavior, comparative), Christopher Krupenye (animal learning and behavior, comparative), Rebecca L. Pearl (health psychology), Tomer Ullman (cognition and human learning), Yijie Wang (developmental psychology), Anna E.F. Weinberg (psychopathology)

2023

Michael J. Arcaro (perception, motor performance), Anu Asnaani (applied research), Erin S. Calipari (behavioral/cognitive neuroscience), Daniel McNeish (individual differences), Rebecca Neel (social psychology)

2022

Oriel FeldmanHall (cognition and human learning), Dylan G. Gee (psychopathology)*, Keely A. Muscatell (health psychology), Alexandra G. Rosati (animal learning and behavior, comparative), Eva H. Telzer (developmental psychology), Aidan G.C. Wright (psychopathology)*

2021

Brian A. Anderson (perception, motor performance, Molly J. Crockett (social psychology)*, Corinne A. Moss-Racusin (social psychology)*, Dobromir (Doby) Rahnev (behavioral/cognitive neuroscience), Daisy R. Singla (applied psychology), Laura B. Zahodne (individual differences)

2020

Timothy F. Brady (cognition and human learning)*, Ben Dantzer (animal learning and behavior, comparative), Katherine B. Ehrlich (health psychology), Luke W. Hyde (psychopathology)*, N. Bonnie Nozari (cognition and human learning)*, Michael T. Treadway (psychopathology)*, David S. Yeager (developmental psychology)

2019

Ming-Te Wang (applied research), Marc G. Berman (behavioral and cognitive neuroscience), Wiebke Bleidorn (individual differences), Julie D. Golomb (perception and motor performance), Mesmin Destin (social psychology)

2018

Eliza Bliss-Moreau (animal learning and behavior, comparative), Andrei Cimpian (developmental psychology), Fiery A. Cushman (cognition and human learning), Donald Edmondson (health psychology), Kristin E. Naragon-Gainey (psychopathology), Darby E. Saxbe (health psychology)

2017

Sara N. Burke (behavioral/cognitive neuroscience), Kathryn P. Harden (individual differences), Mark J. Landau (social psychology)*, Adam M. Leventhal (applied research)*, Lara A. Ray (applied research)*, Nicole M. Stephens (social psychology)*, Jessica K. Witt (perception/motor performance)

2016

Adriana Galvan (developmental psychology), Greg Hajcak (psychopathology)*, Nathan M. Holmes (animal learning and behavior, comparative)*, Tania Lombrozo (cognition and human learning), Katie A. McLaughlin (psychopathology)*, Fabian A. Soto (animal learning and behavior, comparative)*, Kate Sweeny (health psychology)

2015

James MacKillop (applied research)*, Iris B. Mauss (social psychology), Bunmi O. Olatunji (applied research)*, Nim Tottenham (behavioral/cognitive neuroscience), Nicholas B. Turk-Browne (perception, motor performance), Simine Vazire (individual differences)

2014

George A. Alvarez (cognition and human learning), J. David Creswell (health psychology), Emily A. Holmes (psychopathology), Laura E. Schulz (developmental psychology), Amanda Seed (animal learning and behavior, comparative)*, Katie E. Slocombe (animal learning and behavior, comparative)*

2013

Adam R. Aron (behavioral/cognitive neuroscience), Naomi I. Eisenberger (social psychology)*, Todd B. Kashdan (individual differences)*, Matthew R. Longo (perception, motor performance), Jon K. Maner (social psychology)*, Kristopher J. Preacher (individual differences)*, Andres De Los Reyes (applied research)*, Mo Wang (applied research)*

2012

Thomas L. Griffiths (cognition and human learning), Angela J. Grippo (health psychology), Bob McMurray (developmental psychology), Friederike Range (animal learning and behavior, comparative)*, Laurie R. Santos (animal learning and behavior, comparative)*, Bethany Ann Teachman (psychopathology)

2011

Adam M. Grant (applied research), Cindy Lustig (behavioral/cognitive neuroscience), Wendy Johnson (individual differences), David Melcher (perception, motor performance), Nicholas Epley (social psychology)

2010

Stanley B. Floresco (animal learning and behavior, comparative), Mara Mather (cognition and human learning), Simona Ghetti (developmental)*, Larissa K. Samuelson (developmental)*, Peter J. Gianaros (health psychology), Benjamin L. Hankin (psychopathology)*, Matthew K. Nock (psychopathology)*

2009

Adam K. Anderson (behavioral/cognitive neuroscience, Daniel J. Bauer (individual differences)*, Ahmad R. Hariri (individual differences)*, Christian N.L. Olivers (perception/motor performance), Robert E. Ployhart (applied research), Jennifer A. Richeson (social psychology)

2008

John J. Curtin (psychopathology), Elissa S. Epel (health psychology)*, Linda C. Gallo (health psychology)*, Samuel D. Gosling (animal learning and behavior, comparative), Jodi A. Quas (developmental psychology), Joshua B. Tenenbaum (cognition and human learning)

2007

Robert D. Gray (applied psychology), Patrik O. Vuilleumier (behavioral and cognitive neuroscience), R. Chris Fraley (individual differences), Jörn Diedrichsen (perception, motor performance), Matthew D. Lieberman (social psychology)

2006

Mark G. Baxter (animal learning and behavior, comparative), Theodore P. Beauchaine (psychopathology), Angela Bryan (health psychology), Seth D. Pollak (developmental psychology), Brian J. Scholl (cognition and human learning)*, Anthony D. Wagner (cognition and human learning)*

2005

Albert Jan (Ap) Dijksterhuls (social), Gunther Knoblich (perception/motor performance), Robert F. Krueger (individual differences), Hendree E. Jones (applied research)*, Frederick P. Morgeson (applied research)*, Russell A. Poldrack (behavioral/cognitive neuroscience)

2004

Edith Chen (Health)*, Gregory E. Miller (Health)*, Elena L. Grigorenko (developmental)*, Thomas G. O'Connor (developmental)*, Jenny R. Saffran (cognition/human learning), Eric Stice (psychopathology), Klaus Zuberbühler (animal learning and behavior, comparative)

2003

Isabel Gauthier (behavioral and cognitive neuroscience), Nancy M. Petry (applied research), Richard W. Robins (individual differences), Daniel J. Simons (perception/motor performance), Steven J. Heine (social)*, Sandra L. Murray (social)*

2002

Deanna M. Barch (psychopathology)*, Donald R. Lynam (psychopathology)*, Nicki R. Crick (developmental), Alexander J. Rothman (health), Marvin M. Chun (cognition/human learning)*, Julie A. Fiez (cognition/human learning)*, Lisa M. Savage (animal learning and behavior, comparative)

2001

Marlene Behrmann (behavioral and cognitive neuroscience)*, Stephen A. Maren (behavioral and cognitive neuroscience)*, Norman B. Schmidt (applied research), Duane T. Wegner (social), Andrew J. Elliot (individual differences)*, James J. Gross (individual differences)*, Paul A. S. Breslin (perception/motor performance)

2000

Alan L. Christensen (health), Robert L. Goldstone (cognition/human learning), Thomas E. Joiner (psychopathology), Dario Maestripieri (animal learning and behavior, comparative), Jeffrey G. Parker (developmental), Karen Wynn (developmental)

1998/1999

Monica R. Biernat (social)*, C. Neil Macrae (social)*, Michael D'Zmura (perception/motor performance), Steven J. Luck (behavioral and cognitive neuroscience), Niels G. Waller (individual differences), Gretchen B. Chapman (applied research)

1997

Seth C. Kalichman (health), Dare A. Baldwin (developmental), Mark S. Blumberg (animal learning/behavior/comparative), Thomas N. Bradbury (psychopathology), Michael J. Tarr (human learning/cognition)

1996

Mark A. Gluck (behavioral neuroscience/animal learning and behavior), Lee Jussim (social/personality), David Lubinski (applied research/psychometrics), Caroline M. Palmer (perception/motor performance)

1995

Avshalom Caspi (developmental), Fernanda Ferreira (human learning/cognition), Charles M. Morin (health), Christopher J. Patrick (psychopathology)

1994

Patricia G. Devine (social/personality), Cheri Ostroff (applied research/psychometrics), Daniel J. Povinelli (biopsychology/animal behavior), Steven Yantis (perception/motor performance)

1993

Patricia J. Bauer (developmental), Terrie E. Moffitt (psychopathology), Stephen T. Tiffany (health), Leda Cosmides (human learning/cognition), Robert M. Nosofsky (human learning/cognition)

1992

Philip L. Ackerman (applied research/psychometrics), Martha J. Farah (perception/motor performance), Daniel T. Gilbert (social/personality), Martin F. Sarter (biopsychology/animal behavior)

1991

Kent C. Berridge (animal learning/behavior), Susan A. Gelman (developmental), Randy J. Larsen (personality)

1990

Rick E. Ingram (psychopathology), Dennis P. Phillips (physiological), Daniel L. Schacter (human learning/cognition)

1989

Donald D. Hoffman (sensation/perception), Ruth Kanfer (applied research), John A. Bargh (social), Thomas K. Srull (social)

1988

David M. Buss (personality), James P. Connell (developmental), Barbara Boardman Smuts (animal learning/behavior)

1987

S. Marc Breedlove (physiological), Gary S. Dell (human learning/cognition), William G. Iacono (psychopathology)

1986

Steven Penrod (applied research), Philip E. Tetlock (social), David R. Williams (sensation/perception)

1985

Nancy E. Cantor (personality), Michael S. Fanselow (animal learning/behavior), Frank C. Keil (developmental), Linda B. Smith (developmental)

1984

Kenneth A. Dodge (psychopathology), Marta Kutas (physiological), Steven Pinker (human learning/cognition)

1983

Russell H. Fazio (social), Carol L. Krumhansl (sensation/perception), (No award given in methodological)

1982

Richard Aslin (developmental), David S. Krantz (personality), Martha McClintock (animal learning/behavior)

1981

Lyn Y. Abramson (psychopathology), Harvey Grill (physiological), Robert Sternberg (human learning/cognition)

1980

Lynn Cooper (sensation/perception), Baruch Fischhoff (methodological), Shelley Taylor (social), Camille Wortman (social)

1979

David Crews (animal learning/behavior), John Kihlstrom (personality), Michael Maratsos (developmental)

1978

John Robert Anderson (human learning/cognition), Philip Groves (physiological), Gary E. Schwartz (psychopathology)

1977

Randolph Blake (sensation/perception), Judith Rodin (social), J. Arthur Woodward (methodological)

1976

Sandra Bem (personality), Rochel Gelman (developmental), Martin E. P. Seligman (animal learning/behavior)

1974

Norman Adler (physiological), John Neale (psychopathology), Michael Turvey (human learning/cognition)

* The award was shared; this was not an award for collaboration