Eagly Honored by American Psychological Association

EVANSTON, Ill. --- Alice Eagly, professor and chair of psychology and James Padilla Chair of Arts and Sciences in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern University, has received the 2009 Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award from the American Psychological Association (APA).

The award recognizes Eagly’s substantial contributions to basic research in psychology. Eagly, also professor of management and organizations at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern, has advanced the understanding of attitude structure and function and the psychology of gender. Her use of meta-analysis -- a method she pioneered in psychology -- has led to major insights in these fields.

Eagly, a faculty fellow at the Institute for Policy Research, has published numerous articles in top psychology publications. She is the author or seven books, including “Through the Labyrinth: The Truth About How Women Become Leaders.” Labyrinth, Eagly argues in the book, is a more apt metaphor than glass ceiling for describing the various challenges that women encounter as they navigate complex and often discontinuous paths toward leadership.

Eagly is a 2008 recipient of the Gold Medal Award for Life Achievement in the Science of Psychology, also sponsored by the APA. She has received the Distinguished Publication Award from the Association of Women in Psychology, the APA Distinguished Scientist Lecturer Award and numerous other honors.

She has served as president of the Midwestern Psychological Association, president of the Society of Personality and Social Psychology, chair of the Board of Scientific Affairs of the APA, chair of the Executive Committee of the Society of Experimental Social Psychology and co-chair of the Feminist Transformations Task Force of the Society for the Psychology of Women.

Before joining Northwestern, Eagly taught at Michigan State University, University of Massachusetts at Amherst and Purdue University.

Eagly will receive the award at the APA’s annual meeting in August.