If you don’t like the answer change the question ;)

APA elections are funny

Update/edit 7/2/2017: apparently they changed their mind after my e-mail, etc. and decided to use the original question in the APA Monitor. You can find it here.

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So Today, May 24, 2017 I received an email from a staff member at the APA Monitor that the past president of APA has changed the text of one of the questions sent to the candidates for APA president (she is chair of the election committee). These are the questions and answers that will be published in the APA Monitor. This isn’t the first time a question has been changed during my years running for APA president. However, it is amusing that the question has been changed AFTER the deadline for candidates to respond to the question (the candidates had to respond by May 15th). The nature of the change is also fairly amusing IMHO.

Here is the actual text of the email I received today:
HI Todd: Susan McDaniel of the Election Committee shortened question 3 to read “What plans do you have to attract more psychological researchers to APA?”. We noticed that you quote the original question in your answer. Would you like remove the quotes from “lack of attentiveness” and “support”? Let me know, and thanks! Jamie

They “noticed” that I quoted the original question in my answer. Just so it isn’t lost to history since I find this amusing, here is the original question and my original answer– neither will appear in the APA Monitor of course since the question has been changed long after the deadline for answers to have been received (they of course are giving me until Tuesday to change my answer).

Here is the original question from APA:

3. Over the years, many psychologists have left the APA because its lack of attentiveness to and support for psychological researchers. What plans do you have to address this situation?

And here was my response:


This “lack of attentiveness” and “support” from APA reflects a central problem: APA has stopped focusing on members. It’s telling this key question from APA admits this fact. However, it says, “psychological researchers” instead of psychological scientists, a term preferred by some. If psychological scientists feel other associations serve them well that’s good; APA and psychology aren’t the same thing. The success of other psychological associations may not be preferred by APA but it’s not bad for psychology. We’ll serve our members by collaborating with other associations to advance psychology, not compete with them. APA wasn’t formed to advance APA.

I wonder why they “shortened” the question? Is it because my answer pointed out that they admitted a lack of support and attentiveness to researchers? One of the previous questions was even longer at 46 words so it can’t just be word-length, right?

Anyway, I think it is amusing and had to share. It is funny that APA gets to change the questions asked after all the answers are in– though I’m not sure who was running the ship and vetted this question in the first place 😉

I hope all is well with everyone,

Todd

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