Highlights of August 2024 APA Conference and Council of Representatives Meeting

Jennifer Wessel, Program–APA Chair

APA Conference

The American Psychological Association held its annual conference in Seattle, WA, on August 8–10. We had an excellent program featuring SIOP speakers and several topics of interest to SIOP members. These included

A main stage event on artificial intelligence featuring SIOP Past President Tara Behrend (https://0-convention-apa-org.library.alliant.edu/agenda/main-stage).
A feature stage event on the psychological experiences of minoritized professionals (Jorge Lumbreras, Melissa-Ann Lagunas, Jamie Crites).
An invited address by SIOP member Paul Yost on resilience in the workplace.
An informative and interactive session for junior I-O researchers led by Tara Behrend and Richard Landers.
Numerous engaging sessions on organizational and employee resilience. Our speakers discussed supporting employee mental health (Leslie Hammer), resilience and stigmatization (Laura Hamill, Danielle King), and much more!

Next year’s APA Convention is in Denver on August 7–9, 2025. The Program Chair will be Jennifer Wessel and Chair-in-Training will be Melissa Jenkins. They welcome your suggestions.

APA Council of Representatives Meeting

APA’s Council of Representatives is APA’s policy-making body. It functions similar to the U.S. Congress. It includes 187 members total. SIOP’s 2024 representatives to APA Council are Tammy Allen, Gary Carter, Rodney Lowman, and Roni Reiter-Palmon.

Council met August 5–7. Several resolutions of interest and relevance to SIOP were on the agenda:

Statement on artificial intelligence and the field of psychology. Council approved a policy (vote 156–2) to recognize the critical role of psychological science and knowledge in guiding the many forms, applications and analyses of AI, and the real and potential impacts of artificial intelligence on psychological research and the training, practice, and application of psychology. The policy states

APA affirms the vital role of the discipline of psychology in addressing societal challenges, the challenges and opportunities related to health and well-being, and the ethical and privacy implications of AI. APA is resolutely committed to identifying, mitigating, and eliminating harmful impacts of AI while ensuring that everyone in society can benefit from AI technologies to the greatest extent possible.

The role of APA and psychology falls into three domains: shaping AI’s societal impact, using AI to promote health and well-being, and addressing and upholding ethics and privacy related to AI. Several SIOP members were involved in the development of the policy.

Statement on Israel-Gaza conflict. After lengthy debate, Council passed a measure, by a vote of 106–52, with 8 abstentions, calling for “an immediate, permanent, and comprehensive ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza conflict. …APA urges all actors to prioritize the protection of civilians, to adhere to international humanitarian law, and to engage in meaningful dialogue and negotiation toward just and sustainable resolutions,” the resolution states. It also calls for “increased access to culturally responsive, contextually relevant, evidence-based psychological resources for those affected by armed conflict and living through humanitarian emergencies.” Passage of this statement continues to be a point of discussion on the Council listserv.
Resolution supporting girls’ and women’s human rights. Regarding the global rights of women and girls, the Council approved a resolution by a vote of 157–4, with 3 abstentions, calling for national and international educational initiatives to enhance awareness of the issue. The measure commits APA to expanding formal education about girls’ and women’s rights and promoting research on factors that “enable versus prevent violations of girls’ and women’s human rights.” This resolution notes that girls and women are denied numerous human and legal rights, including sexual and reproductive rights; educational, work, and economic rights; the right “to choose if, when and who[m] to marry; and the rights of self-expression and self-determination.” The measure also directs APA to work to eliminate research practices that “implicitly but powerfully marginalize girls’ and women’s experiences and rights.”

If you are interested in getting involved with APA, please feel free to reach out to any of your APA Council reps.