Allen L. Edwards Endowed Lectureship in Psychology

Professor Allen Louis Edwards was affiliated with the University of Washington Department of Psychology for half of a century, from his arrival in Seattle in 1944 as an Associate Professor to his death in 1994. Edwards was an outstanding teacher, researcher, and writer who is credited with changing the way modern psychological research is conducted by introducing modern statistical techniques into the science. Three of his seven books are considered landmarks in the field.

Edwards is also known for developing personality tests, in particular the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule (EPPS), which was designed to eliminate the test-taker's bias toward socially desirable answers. Edwards endowed the Edwards Lectureship to bring nationally and internationally renowned psychologists to campus for short visits to interact with faculty and students. The first Edwards Lecture was delivered by a former Ph.D. student of Edwards, Professor Mark Pagel of University of Reading, England, on May 24, 1999. Since the inaugural Edwards Lecture, we have hosted an impressive list of distinguished scholars. 

In each year since 2004, three of the Edwards Lecturers are invited to participate in our public Psychology Lecture series.  In this series, world renowned leaders in a variety of Psychology subdisciplines join our faculty for three evening public lectures on important issues facing our society. The topics vary each year, and they cover issues in mental health, language and cognitive development, social and emotional regulation of behavior, society and individual behaviors, and the neuroscience of normal and abnormal behavioral functions.  These lectures are recorded for future viewing on UWTV. Past lectures are available for viewing. 

Three Psycholgy Department faculty will soon be featured in the 5th public Psychology Lecture Series: Dr. Jessica Sommerville (Feb. 17), Dr. Michael Beecher (Feb. 24), and Dr. Liliana Lengua (Mar. 3). The common theme will be the Development of Behavior, and descriptions of their individual research program can be found below. Also you will find the names of world renowned colleagues who have been invited to participate in each of the lectures. Save the date, and we hope to see you there!