Robert M. Yerkes Award:

This award is given for significant contributions to military psychology by a non-psychologist.  The award is named for Robert M. Yerkes, the “Founding Father” of military psychology.  Yerkes (1876-1956) had a distinguished career as a comparative psychologist first at Harvard, and later at Yale University. He studied chimpanzee behavior extensively, and together with John D. Dodson developed the Yerkes-Dodson Law, relating arousal and motivation to performance.   As the President of APA in 1917, Yerkes led in the application of psychology to the demands of World War I.  Also serving as chief of the Psychology Division in the Surgeon General's Office during World War I, Yerkes led in the development and use of the Army Alpha and Beta Tests, the first large-scale application of psychological testing.  This program established the value of psychological testing for screening and placement purposes. Previous recipients of the Robert M. Yerkes Military Psychology Award include General Max Thurman, Senator Daniel Inouye, Ms. Elizabeth Dole, and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson. 

Congratulations to MG (R) Robert Scales recipient of this years Yerkes Award.

< Back to awards

Division Overview

.

Member Benefits

.

Division ByLaws

.

Division Handbook
.

Research

.

Clinical - Practice

Monitor on Psychology Volume 40, No.6 June 2009

Join Division 19 Today!

Join Division 19 today and receive all of the exceptional benefits of becoming a member. You will receive our quarterly journal, Military Psychology, and our Bi-Annual Newsletter the Military Psychologist. For more benefits of membership please visit our Membership benefits page