General Information
The 1500+ members of MPA make it one of the largest psychological associations in the world. Members hold positions in universities, colleges, hospitals, clinics, school systems, business and industry, government and private practice. They teach, conduct research in laboratory, field, and industrial settings, do diagnosis, therapy, and counseling, and serve as administrators and consultants. Their interests are among the most diverse in any professional association: from the physiology of vision to social stereotyping, from political psychology to medical psychology, from organizational behavior to children's language development, from memory to depression, from sex roles to drug addiction.

The primary function of the Midwestern Psychological Association is to conduct an Annual Meeting at which scientific papers and symposia may be presented. A declaration adopted by the Council in 1952 states:

"The professional problems of psychology are best handled at the national level by the national organization and at the local level by the state organization. The Midwestern Psychological Association will therefore retain its traditional function of encouraging psychology as a science rather than as a profession. This principle will continue to be reflected in the programming procedures and membership standards.

Although we are nominally a regional organization, both our membership and the attendance at our meetings are national. A recent survey showed attendance at our meeting from 39 states, the District of Columbia, and 3 foreign countries. The registrants came from 250 universities and colleges (including 92 outside the Midwest) and 70 other organizations. Our annual meeting is a major opportunity for psychologists in these many settings to keep in touch with current developments in psychological research, theory, and practice.

Updated by MPA Secretary-Treasurer June 25, 2007
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