Psychology and the National Medal of Science.

Abstract

When Congress created the National Medal of Science in 1959 to be awarded by the president of the United States, psychology was not among the eligible sciences. A concerted lobbying effort in the late 1970s changed that situation, adding social and behavioral sciences to the listing of eligible disciplines. This article describes how the award program was created with more restricted eligibility and the behind-the-scenes actions that led to eligibility being broadened, noting particularly the efforts of one very prominent psychologist who was angry about the exclusion of his science.

Public education and media relations in psychology.

“…Those psychologists who have been presented the National Medal of Science are listed in Table 2. Lowman and Benjamin (2012) provide a more detailed description of the National Medal of Science, and they describe APA Past President Harry Harlow's role in getting psychology recognized as a relevant scientific discipline.…”