Shinobu Kitayama, Robert Sellers, and Henry Wellman Receive APS Awards

Robert Sellers received the APS James S. Jackson Lifetime Achievement Award for Transformative Scholarship. APS provided the following statement about Dr. Sellers's work: "APS Fellow Robert Sellers is the Charles D. Moody Collegiate Professor of Psychology and a professor of education at the University of Michigan. His seminal work on Black American racial identity challenged prevailing assumptions and transformed the way scholars understand and study racial and ethnic identity, discrimination, and well-being. Sellers and his colleagues not only conceptualized a theoretical framework for understanding the multiple dimensions of racial/ethnic identity, but also developed an instrument for its assessment, the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity (MIBI). The impact of this work reaches beyond personality and social psychology into developmental, educational, and clinical psychological science, and Sellers’s trainees and others have drawn upon it to examine identity processes in other groups, in numerous contexts, and throughout the lifespan. Sellers’s work has been recognized with multiple awards, including a 2023 APS Mentor Award."

Shinobu Kitayama received the APS William James Fellow Award. APS provided the following statement about Dr. Kitayama's work: "Shinobu Kitayama, the Robert B. Zajonc Collegiate Professor of Psychology and Research Professor of the Research Center for Group Dynamics at the University of Michigan, is a pioneering leader in socio-cultural psychology. His exploration into the cultural diversity of mental processes positions him at the forefront of this evolving field. Since establishing the field’s foundation with a seminal paper with Hazel Markus, Kitayama has consistently inspired both students and fellow researchers alike. His studies spanning cultural neuroscience to varying forms of interdependence in non-Western societies continue to reshape the psychological understanding of culture. His transformative contributions to psychology have been recognized with a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Research Award, and the Distinguished Scientific Contributions Award from the American Psychological Association. A Fellow and Charter Member of APS, he also assumed the role of APS President from 2020 to 2021."

Henry Wellman received the APS William James Fellow Award. APS provided the following statement about Dr. Wellman's work: "Henry Wellman is the Harold W. Stevenson Collegiate Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Michigan. Wellman’s research on children’s development of theory of mind has had a profound impact on developmental psychology, reshaping our understanding of cognitive growth, and his exploration of cultural variations in cognition has highlighted the intricate interplay between individual and societal influences. His extensive publication record includes over 200 journal articles and five books, including Making Minds: How Theory of Mind Develops (2014), which won two academic book awards, and Reading Minds: How Childhood Teaches Us to Understand People (2020). Wellman’s seminal work has garnered immense recognition and has earned him the distinctions of Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and APS Fellow, among others. His dedication to nurturing young talent was recognized with a 2022 APS Mentor Award, and he is an APS Charter Member."