News

We are pleased to announce that Brittany Vincent, Kayleigh Keenan, Courtney Pisano and Anthony Loiacono from St. Joseph’s University (NY) have been chosen as the winners of EPA’s gun violence essay competition for their research proposal, “Examining the effect of threatened masculinity on gun violence.” We will post a version of that proposal on our website in the weeks ahead and the proposal will be presented as a poster at this year’s conference in Philadelphia.   The authors will be present to accept an award and to discuss their essay at the conference.  The proposal also will be published in a forthcoming special issue of Psychological Reports on gun violence.  The EPA Board of Directors extends its congratulations to the winners. 

Virtual APA Graduate School Fair

See announcement under Resources tab

95th Annual EPA Conference

The 95th Annual Conference of the Eastern Psychological Conference will be held at the Downtown Marriott in Philadelphia, February 29-March 1.  The call for papers can be found can be found under the Annual Meeting Tab.  As is our custom, we invite submissions of posters, oral presentations and symposia following the guidelines enumerated on the annual meeting page.  

Rooms may be reserved at the special rate of $209 (single/double + tx) before February 6th, 2024 (the cut-off date) by clicking the link:

https://book.passkey.com/go/EASTERNPSYCHOLOGICALASSOC2024

EPA has negotiated a block of rooms at the discounted rate based on our expectation of the need. We urge you to book as early as possible to avoid being shut out when the contracted rooms have been filled.  

The meeting will also feature a number of invited keynote addresses highlighting recent scientific advances and presented by leading figures in the field.  Here is a partial listing of those addresses:

 
Jennifer Martin, Ph.D. 
School of Medicine
UCLA
Presidential Invited Keynote/Clinical Keynote
Title: Treating insomnia: cognitive behavioral therapy and beyond
Description: This talk will discuss evidence-based psychological treatments for insomnia disorder, and highlight new treatment innovations focused on incorporation of components of acceptance and commitment therapy into treatment.

Michelle G. Craske, Ph.D.
UCLA Anxiety and Depression Research Center
Fred S. Keller Distinguished Lecture
Title: Targeting extinction learning and reward sensitivity in behavioral treatments for anxiety and depression
Description: Exposure therapy is an effective intervention for fears and anxiety disorders, but a substantial number of individuals fail to respond or show a return of fear. Translation from the basic science of extinction learning offers strategies for increasing response rates and reducing return of fear after exposure therapy.

Sara Jaffee, Ph.D.
University of Pennsylvania
Psi Chi Keynote/Developmental Keynote
Title: The Rewards and Challenges of Doing Interdisciplinary Research in Psychology
Description: Increasingly, research in psychology is interdisciplinary. Researchers who embrace a “cells to society” perspective must be able to connect social structural forces with biological processes in their description and understanding of human development. I will describe some of the rewards and challenges of conducting interdisciplinary research, using examples from my own work with both behavioral genetics and low-income housing policy evaluations. 

Kenneth Carter, Ph.D.
Oxford College of Emory University
Teaching Keynote
Title:  Psychology in Context: Thrill-Seeking as a Case Study for Integrated Learning
Description:  Organizing a course around a central theme can provide much-needed context to help students learn psychological concepts. A rich central theme can advance critical thinking, increase motivation, and foster active learning. In this presentation, I’ll demonstrate how the psychology of thrill-seeking can serve as such a theme. 

Cognitive/Social Keynote
Martha Farah, Ph.D.
University of Pennsylvania
Title: TBA

Applied/International/History Keynote
Jutta Schickore, Ph.D.
Indiana University
Title: Historical perspectives on scientific method: Control, replication, and uncertainty
Description:  Best practices in experimentation are often characterized as “rigorous”, whereby scientific rigor is defined as “the strict application of the scientific method to ensure unbiased and well-controlled experimental design, methodology, analysis, interpretation and reporting of results” (NIH). “Scientific rigor” is a recent term, but concerns with robust and unbiased inquiry date back to pre-modern times. This talk examines past understandings of best practices in research, focusing on control, replication, and the fallibility of scientific research.