The Association for Psychological Science (APS) has established a travel award in the name of distinguished psychologist Scott O. Lilienfeld to “honor and extend” his influence on the next generation of clinical psychologists.
Lilienfeld is the Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Psychology at Emory University in Atlanta. He is an APS fellow as well as a fellow and member of the Executive Council of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. He has been a prolific author of articles on pseudoscience in pop psychology and clinical psychology and on scientific skepticism in general. In fact, he is the lead author of “Intellectual Humility: A Guiding Principle for the Skeptical Movement?” in this issue and coauthor of the cover article “The Nobel Disease” in SI’s May/June 2020 issue.
The APS honor noted that he has made a “seminal contribution to understanding of personality and personality disorders, in addition to his work on cognitive biases, memory, and traits that support scientific thinking.”
He is editor in chief of Clinical Psychological Science and a past president of both the Society for the Science of Clinical Psychology and the Society for the Scientific Study of Psychopathology.
Among the many books he has coauthored or coedited are 50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology, Psychological Science under Scrutiny, Science and Pseudoscience in Clinical Psychology, Navigating the Mindfield: A Guide to Separating Science from Pseudoscience in Mental Health, and Brainwashed: The Seductive Appeal of Mindless Neuroscience. He is also author of textbooks such as Psychology: From Inquiry to Understanding.
“[Scott Lilienfeld’s] encyclopedic knowledge and contributions across multiple domains have moved our field forward in many directions. … His kindness, generosity, and giving nature have touched the lives of so many grateful collaborators and friends across the globe,” said APS Fellow Steven J. Lynn of Binghamton University. “That says a lot about the man who will be a fitting role model for the special student who is the recipient of this high honor.”
“Scott is a scholar and a gentleman who has fearlessly confronted ‘pseudoscience’ in clinical psychology in reasoned, evidence-based debate,” added APS Fellow Richard J. McNally of Harvard University. “Never reluctant to address controversial issues, his fair-minded, nondogmatic manner is a model for everyone in our field. These are among the attributes we seek in recipients of the award in Scott’s honor.”