Name: Frederick L. Oswald, PhD
Home State: Texas
APA Division: Division 5 (Quantitative and Qualitative Methods), Division 14 (Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology)
American Psychological Association. (2024, August 1). Advocate Spotlight: Frederick L. Oswald, PhD. https://www.apaservices.org/advocacy/get-involved/advocate-spotlight/frederick-oswald
Fred Oswald, PhD, serves APA as a current Advocacy Coordinating Committee member, and current Future of Work advisory group member; he was past chair and member of the Board of Scientific Affairs, and past chair and member of the Committee on Psychological Tests and Assessment. Fred is a fellow and past president of APA Division 14 (Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology), as well as a fellow of Division 5 (Quantitative and Qualitative Methods) and Division 8 (Society for Personality and Social Psychology). He is professor and Herbert S. Autrey chair in social sciences at Rice University in the department of psychological sciences. Fred’s research, in collaboration with his graduate students, focuses on the scientific, ethical, and legal concerns pertaining psychological tests implemented in a wide range of employment and educational settings. Learn more on the Organization and Workforce Laboratoryopens in new window website.
What is something important you have learned about advocacy that has made you more effective?
Advocacy work requires communicating relatable stories that are backed by psychological science; building relationships with representatives that connect your own goals and ‘asks’ with their own interests; and having a coalition of people supporting your efforts. On this last point, APA Services does and continues to do a phenomenal job of training its members in advocacy (such as myself). You can get a clearer idea about what advocacy work is done that might interest you, and you can get involved, on the Advocacy website.
Can you give us a key tip in doing successful advocacy that others may not be aware of?
Before speaking with a representative, at least read through their website, which is a key access point for their constituents. Understand the issues that they care about, so that in conversation, you can more easily make connections to their own priorities.
What would you want APA members who are not engaged in advocacy to know?
If everyone reading this would engage in even a small form of advocacy at the community, state, or national levels, sharing your knowledge while listening carefully to the perspectives and interests of others, our shared science of psychology stands to inform and benefit society so much more.
How does your advocacy work bridge different sectors across the discipline of psychology?
My advocacy work involving the workforce and employment testing extends to many different areas of psychology, because employment tests measure psychological and situational characteristics found in personality psychology, educational psychology, cognitive psychology, and human factors psychology—to name a few. This creates opportunities to advocate for the effectiveness, fairness, and future of employment testing from a broader perspective.