UW’s Bartsch Named Psychological Association Fellow

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February 20, 2012 — University of Wyoming Department of Psychology Professor
Karen Bartsch has been named a fellow of the Association for Psychological
Science (APS) for significant contributions to the field of cognitive
development.

According to the APS announcement, "Fellow status is
awarded to APS members who have made sustained outstanding contributions to the
science of psychology in the areas of research, teaching, service or
application."

The selection committee cited Bartsch for her
contributions in the areas of social cognition, moral development and theory of
mind.

Her publications include a highly cited, ground-breaking
book, "Children Talk About the Mind"
(Oxford University Press, 1995), which she co-wrote with Henry Wellman. The work demonstrated that children undergo a
qualitative change in their understanding of mental states, from a
"desire" theory of mind to a "belief-desire" theory of
mind.

Other publications by Bartsch appear in top journals in
the field of psychology, including Child Development, Developmental Psychology,
and Behavioral and Brain Sciences. Bartsch recently received a National Science
Foundation grant to support her research on children's developing capacity to
consider the beliefs and desires of people they wish to persuade.

Bartsch joined the UW faculty in
1992. She received a bachelor's degree (1981) from Colorado State
University, bachelor's (1983) and master's (1990) degrees from
Queen's College, Oxford, and a doctorate (1988) from the
University of Michigan.

Previously known as the American Psychological Society,
the APS was founded in 1988 by a group of psychologists interested in advancing
scientific psychology and its representation as a science at the national
level. APS has approximately 23,000 members and includes the leading
psychological scientists and academics, clinicians, researchers, teachers and
administrators.

Photo:

University of Wyoming Department of Psychology Professor
Karen Bartsch has been named a fellow of the Association for Psychological
Science. (UW Photo)