In 2019, upon the 50th anniversary of our Society, members of the History Committee developed an interactive quiz which was conducted leading up to the 2019 SPPAC. On this page, you'll find the questions, along with the correct response and some context! If of interest to our members, we may add more over time, and please feel free to contact the History Committee with other fun facts and trivia!
1. What year was SPP founded?
The most precise answer is 1969, though 1968 could also be considered correct as the process started then.
2. Which founding pediatric psychologist was a co-author on studies (with Albert Bandura) of children’s imitation and modeling of aggression with the Bobo clown?
Dorothea Ross is one of the founding members of our field (e.g. Wright Ross Salk Award). She worked with Albert Bandura at Stanford on the famous research on modeling and aggression with Bobo. You can access a paper about it here. You can find a real BoBo at the Cummings Center for the History of Psychology and the National Museum of Psychology.
3. Which founding pediatric psychologist made frequent appearances on the morning news programs such as the Today Show to dispense child-rearing advice?
Lee Salk was one of the founding members of SPP and also one of the first “media savvy” members of our field. Check out this article about him!
4. Which pediatric psychologist owned a chain of restaurants?
Logan Wright, often described as the Father of Pediatric Psychology, was also an early founder of the Sonic Burger Drive-In, building 66 restaurants. You can read more in this Peds Psych article, and this Wikipedia page!
5. Who was the first editor of the Journal of Pediatric Psychology?
The first editor of JPP was Diane Willis. Diane was also the first woman president of SPP.
6. Who were the first co-editors of Clinical Practice in Pediatric Psychology?
In 2013 SPP launched its second journal, Clinical Practice in Pediatric Psychology, in response to the anticipated “market” for a scholarly journal devoted to clinically oriented activities. The first editors were a team - Jennifer Pendley and D. William “Doug” Tynan from Nemours A.I. DuPont Hospital for Children (Wilmington, DE).
7. Who was the first editor of the SPP Newsletter?
Grace Gail Gardner (1938-1984) was the first editor of the SPP Newsletter. She collaborated with pediatrician Karen Olness, M.D. and wrote on hypnosis, including the book Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy with Children. She received a bachelor’s degree from Smith College (1960) and her Ph.D. at Columbia (1966). She worked at Cornell University Medical School in New York and then at the University of Colorado Medicine School in Denver.
8. Where was the first pediatric psychology conference held in 1987?
The first regional conference was held in 1987 in Cleveland, OH. Whereas we had 891 people at SPPAC in 2019, our 1987 enrollment was 72 (probably very good for that era!). Members paid $40 to attend and the hotel rooms were $50/night! Who were some of the primary speakers? Michael Roberts gave two talks, a keynote and a luncheon talk. Others included: Gerry Koocher, Sue White, Barbara Anderson, Bob Noll, Patricia Siegel, and Dennis Drotar.
9. How much were SPP annual dues in 1968?
Dues for SPP in 1968 were $5.00! That equates to $37 in 2019. While our dues are higher than that, at $55, we now offer two journals (Journal of Pediatric Psychology, Clinical Practice in Pediatric Psychology), a newsletter (Progress Notes), listservs, awards, discounts, etc. It’s still a good deal.
10. The title “father of pediatric psychology” is usually attributed to:
Logan Wright is often referred to as the Father of Pediatric Psychology. You can read about him here. The other choices for this question are all famous pediatric psychologists. Don Routh and Michael Roberts were at SPPAC 2019. Denny Drotar unfortunately died in 2017.
11. What was the name of the SPP Newsletter before transforming to the Journal of Pediatric Psychology?
Pediatric Psychology
12. What year did the University of Florida host its first child health psychology conference
1988: The “Florida conferences” were very important events in the history of Pediatric Psychology. They were sponsored by the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology at the University of Florida and held every other year, starting in 1988. The conferences included sessions with panels and speakers, keynote addresses and plenty of opportunities for socializing.
13. The first edition of the Handbook of Pediatric Psychology was edited by:
Donald Routh, Ph.D.: The Handbook of Pediatric Psychology is now in its 5th edition. The first edition was edited by Don Routh in 1988. The was also an earlier book, called The Encyclopedia of Pediatric Psychology.
14. Who was the author of the article in the American Journal of Diseases of Children in 1965, “The New Marriage: Pediatrics and Psychology?”
Jerome Kagan, Ph.D., wrote this important article laying out the rationale for collaborations between psychologists and pediatricians! Genik, Yen and McMurthy (2015) discussed this paper and another classic in their Historical Analysis paper in JPP! Lara M. Genik, Jeffery Yen, C. Meghan McMurtry; Historical Analysis in Pediatric Psychology:The Influence of Societal and Professional Conditions on Two Early Pediatric Psychology Articles and the Field's Subsequent Development, Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 40(2), 167–174.
15. Which pediatric psychologist wrote the seminal paper in the American Psychologist entitled “The Pediatric Psychologist: A Role Model”?
Logan Wright
16. How many pediatric psychologists joined SPP in its first year?
In the first year, 97 psychologists joined SPP. The year before, Dorothea Ross had conducted a survey of chairs of pediatrics departments in medical schools across the U.S., asking for the names of psychologists who were associated with the departments (with a 96% return rate). Over 250 names were turned in with about 70% of pediatric departments employing psychologists. These were solicited to join the newly forming interest group. By 1975, there were 300 members of SPP.
17. The Society of Pediatric Psychology became a Division of the American Psychological Association in:
SPP officially became a Division of APA in 2000 after a years-long process of application and advocacy for recognition. At its formation, SPP was “affiliated” with Section I, the Section on Clinical Child Psychology of the Division of Clinical Psychology, later becoming Section V of that Division in 1980. The petition to become a separate Division was approved by APA Council of Representatives in 1999, and the official status started in 2000.
18. The original publisher of the Journal of Pediatric Psychology was:
Plenum Press: Phyllis Magrab of Georgetown Child Development Center and on the SPP Board, negotiated with Plenum Press on behalf of the Society of Pediatric Psychology for a contract to publish the Journal of Pediatric Psychology. (Plenum was later bought by Kluwer, and now is Springer Nature). Plenum published its first issue of JPP, in March 1979, as Vol 4, No. 1. Earlier volumes of JPP were privately printed by SPP.
19. Who was the first woman to serve as President of SPP?
Diane J. Willis was the first women to serve as President of the Society of Pediatric Psychology (1976 – 1977) after serving as the first editor of the Journal of Pediatric Psychology, moving it from an enlarged newsletter to a scientific professional journal. Dr. Willis worked at the Child Study Center, Oklahoma Children’s Hospital, Oklahoma University Health Sciences Center. The Diane Willis Award for Outstanding Article in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology was created to honor her. The APF Div. 37 Diane J. Willis Early Career Award is named after Dr. Willis to honor her life-long advocacy on behalf of children and families. Find out more about Diane Willis, see her article as a Pioneer in Pediatric Psychology and this write-up by Division 37.
20. Why was light blue selected as the color cover for JPP in the early years?
The first three issues of JPP as a journal (not just the expanded newsletters) were privately printed in Oklahoma City, and were edited by Diane Willis in 1976 for Issue Nos. 1, 2, and 3. Don Routh took over as editor for the fourth issue of 1976 (Vol. 1, Issue No. 4). and because he was at the University of North Carolina he arranged for a private printer in Chapel Hill to add the Carolina blue cover and this arrangement continued until Plenum took over publishing the journal in 1979 (and Plenum continued the blue cover tradition).
21. Which successful mystery writer was initially a pediatric psychologist?
Jonathan Kellerman, Ph.D. was a pediatric psychologist who conducted research and started the pediatric psychology program in oncology at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles (CHLA) before he turned to writing best-selling mysteries. His work as a pediatric psychologist broke important new ground in the psychosocial care of children with cancer and their families. You can find his psychology texts and mysteries, with Alex Delaware, psychologist, through your favorite book site or you can Google him, and for more info check out this history spolight article we wrote!
22. Three APA presidents also previously had served as President of SPP! These included:
Logan Wright, Ph.D., Gerry Koocher, Ph.D., and Suzanne Bennett Johnson, Ph.D.
Of note, the original question also included Susan McDaniel, Ph.D., who is a well known family health psychologist. She is Director of the Institute for the Family in the Department of Psychiatry, the Vice Chair of the Department of Family Medicine, and developed and directs the University of Rochester Physician Communication Coaching Program. She has had leadership positions and served on boards and committees on national medical and mental health associations. In 2016, Dr. McDaniel served as President of the American Psychological Association, but she has not ever been president of SPP.
23. The Society of Pediatric Psychology was a section of a Division in the American Psychological Association. Which Division was the Society initially affiliated with as a Section?
SPP was initially a section of Division 12 (Society of Clinical Psychology)
24. Who first established and published about a pediatric psychology clinical practice in pediatrician’s office?
Dr. Carolyn Schroeder is widely recognized for the establishment of a model for psychologists’ participation in primary care pediatrics. Her research interests include pediatric primary care and evidence-based therapy for children and adolescents. Read about her and the SPP Carolyn S. Schroeder Award for Outstanding Clinical Practice in Pediatric Psychology.
25. How many editions of the Handbook of Pediatric Psychology have been published?
There are five editions, published in 1988, 1995, 2003, 1009, and 2017.
