SPSSI Leaders: Collective Biography and the Dilemma of Value‐Laden Action and Value‐Neutral Research

Abstract

This study provides a collective biography of Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI)'s most recent cohort of leaders and compares their characteristics with those of previous generations of leaders. Unlike previous collective biographies, I use responses to an e-mail questionnaire from 90 individuals who have been elected to SPSSI office, most since 1986. I examine the social categories to which individuals belong; educational experiences; the branch of psychology in which they received their PhD; and the role of collegial networks in the recruitment of leaders. I also introduce an historical perspective by comparing data on early and more recent cohorts of SPSSI leaders. Finally, through this study I explore possible links between leaders' characteristics and their reasons for becoming involved in SPSSI. In particular, I examine relationships between the variables previously discussed and leaders' reasons for being involved in SPSSI, with special attention to differential views about the role of values in research. Leadership within the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues(SPSSI) has always been disciplinarily and politically diverse. Despite its close association with social psychology, many of its founders and early leaders were not social psychologists; but they were still deeply committed to social activism. Most of SPSSI's leaders have endorsed the organization's dual commitment to the use of empirical science in support of positive social change. But this stance involves epistemological assumptions that sometimes conflict. The contradiction is not always acknowledged, but has influenced policy since the organization's inception in 1936. Inconsistency at the policy level has made it difficult for some historians to decide whether or not to characterize SPSSI as a progressive organization

Liberal Privilege in Academic Psychology and the Social Sciences

“…This statement represents an ideal, but the proportion of social scientists who share it is unclear. Many people explicitly choose careers in the social sciences to advance their political values (e.g., Unger, 2011) or explicitly advocate infusing left-wing agendas into “science” (e.g., Jost & Kruglanski, 2002; Lather, 1986). Numerous sources of bias that do not necessarily but can serve political goals have been identified (Freedman, 2010; Ioannidis, 2005; Rosenthal & Fode, 1963; Simmons, Nelson, & Simonsohn, 2011).…”

“…That is a stereotype. As a probabilistic generalization, it is also accurate (as demonstrated not only by Inbar & Lammers, 2012, but by Abramowitz, Gomes, & Abramowitz, 1975; Haidt, 2011; Rothman, Lichter, & Nevitte, 2005, and Unger, 2011). Regardless, as you read through this list, it is, perhaps, worth keeping in mind the many ways each of these privileges distorts and undermines the objectivity and validity of the “science” that social psychology and other social sciences ultimately produce.…”

Unasked questions about stereotype accuracy.

“…We propose that this ignoring of the evidence occurs because of the following taboo trade-off (Tetlock et al, 2000). Scientists generally do strive to be true to the science; but, especially among those studying intergroup relations, many are also committed to social justice (Unger, 2011). If fighting bigotry is viewed as a high moral calling (Jussim, Crawford, Stevens, et al, 2016), admitting into evidence that people already for the most part make meritocratic decisions risks undercutting emphasis on the power of biases—and such an emphasis is itself useful rhetoric for advocating for large scale interventions (such as implicit bias or microaggression trainings) to redress such biases.…”

Feminism and Women Leaders in Spssi

“…From what we know about the careers of Lewin's female students, social psychology might have been less interested in laboratory research and more in social justice had more women been encouraged to participate. It is noteworthy that Deutsch has had a larger number of female students who have become part of SPSSI's leadership than any other senior leader (Unger, 2011). We can only guess what contributions to SPSSI's organizational and scholarly work might have been provided by these missing women.…”

“…More recent generations of SPSSI leaders show fewer sex differences in career attainment than has been true in the past. One explanation for the earlier sex difference is the way dissertation advisors recruited their students into SPSSI leadership positions (Unger, 2011). Until fairly recently, both mentors and students were male.…”