(C) PLOS One This story was originally published by PLOS One and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Leading through unity and change: APA 2026 [1] ['Plos One Editors', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline', 'Sourceurl Https', 'Everyone.Plos.Org Wp-Content Plugins Co-Authors-Plus Build Blocks Block-Coauthors Style-Index.Css', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Where Img', 'Height Auto Max-Width'] Date: 2026-10-09 PLOS One Senior staff editor Avanti Dey attended the American Psychological Association (APA) annual convention over three days in August 2026 at Washington, DC’s Walter E. Washington Convention Center. As a leading conference in the discipline, the event brought together thousands of educators, practitioners, researchers, students, applied psychologists, and policymakers from across the United States and internationally, spanning nearly 1,000 sessions across 54 distinct divisions. Psychology leading the way The theme of the conference was “Lead Through Change”, and this sentiment was iterated powerfully by APA President Wendi S. Williams in her opening plenary session on the first morning of the conference: “I want you to connect with one another, be reminded of our shared power when we stand together. There are as many reasons to give up as there are to fight – for our vision for the field of psychology, for what our ethics require, for what the people need. And you are the reason it keeps moving. Not the institutions. Not the funding. But you.” Such powerful calls to action were a resounding theme throughout the sessions in the days to follow, reflecting a committed determination among speakers to drive change and demonstrate leadership through psychological research. Diversity and AI take the spotlight Keynote sessions and symposia highlighted recurring themes of AI, ethics, and diversity, with speakers not only being leaders in their field but powerful orators with the ability to motivate and inspire attendees. Panel discussions brought together a range of perspectives and views from experts in the field, which was particularly valuable during discussions of controversial and evolving topics. Although consideration of the topics was largely discussed within the context of upholding APA principles, follow-up discussions (both formal and informal) made it clear that such conversations extended beyond the organisation itself as well. A unique and timely focus of the convention was on the topic of diversity and intersectionality. In addition to smaller sessions on topics such as “Equity in Publishing” and “Framing Diversity as Threat: Pathways to Authoritarianism”, a highlight of the conference was a keynote address and conversation on intersectionality featuring Lisa Bowleg, PhD, MA, the founder and CEO of the Intersectionality Training Institute and Kimberlé Crenshaw, JD, pioneering legal scholar and civil rights advocate best known for bringing the term ‘intersectionality’ into the larger public sphere. The session was an inspiring and rousing one, as both speakers discussed the urgency for modern psychology to not only address but advocate for issues surrounding systematic inequalities, both in research and in practice. Lisa Bowleg and Kimberlé Crenshaw in conversation OpenAI was a sponsor of this year’s conference, and the presence of AI was a recurring theme throughout sessions and discussions at the conference, from resources for psychologists in interacting with AI resources in their work to its wider ethical and practical implications for the field and society at large. These were highlighted in plenary sessions such as “The Human Side of AI” and “Unintended Ethical Consequences of AI Adoption”, in which speakers discussed the urgent need for ethical considerations as educational and organizational settings increasingly undergo AI integration. Speakers presented various scenarios in educational and institutional settings in which AI already plays a prominent role, highlighting informed consent challenges, data privacy protection, and the need to safeguard vulnerable populations during institutional AI adoption. Challenges and benefits of aging At the Main Stage Headline event “The Aging Paradox: Change, Growth, and Psychology’s Essential Role”, experts in the field of aging participated in a panel conversation discussing the so-called ‘paradox’ of aging: while aging is associated with real cognitive and physical challenges, older adults also often report greater emotional well-being, and deeper satisfaction than younger people. Moreover, recent advances have suggested that the brain is not limited to decline with aging, but can actually reorganize and refine itself in response to enriching environments. Tanisha Hill-Jarrett discussing structural considerations in successful aging Yaakov Stern, PhD, of Columbia University discussed how older adults who take up new skills, keep active social circles, and show variety in their hobbies and exercises, show evidence of boosting memory and attention to levels beyond their counterparts who don’t engage in such activities, sometimes even to levels of people decades younger. However, the panel also noted that opportunities for aging well are not necessarily distributed equally well in society. Crucial remarks from Tanisha Hill-Jarrett, PhD, from University of California San Francisco, and Daniel Jimenez, PhD, University of Miami, discussed how socioeconomic status is a strong predictor of successful aging, and that structural disadvantages have the potential to set people at different strata of society on different lifecourse trajectories, impacting their ability to age well. The full panel of the Aging Paradox discussion with a captive audience – the session was so popular that the conversation continued outside the auditorium! The next generation of psychologists Early-career researchers and graduate – and sometimes even undergraduate – students stepped into the spotlight during the poster sessions which were organised by division across the days, with multiple divisions grouped together. Despite the limited allotted timeslots, presenters often ended up arriving early and staying later to accommodate further discussions on their poster. Sessions were highly diverse and topics were often repeated across the conference days; unsurprising given the sheer breadth of work represented. Attendance at the sessions was consistently high and rows were often crowded with both presenters and attendees engaging in animated discussion. The presenters appeared to take the organisation’s mission statement of “Advancing psychology to benefit society and improve lives” to heart, appearing particularly attuned to the present social and political climate when discussing and situating their work, displaying a keen knowledge of rapid developments in their field and the ability to connect them to the pervasive themes of AI, diversity, and ethics present throughout the conference. Open science and the future of psychological research Throughout the meeting, there was a clear commitment to open science practices and wide research dissemination in psychology, reflecting the discipline’s heightened focus on reproducibility. Key aspects like preregistration and open data sharing featured prominently in discussions, and many attendees spoke enthusiastically about the ability of these methodologies to help accelerate the exchange of scientific knowledge within academia as well as the general public. In addition to APA’s ongoing dedication to rigour and transparency in psychological research, this year’s convention was marked by its particular attention to platforming invigorated discussions of equity and diversity, in both experimental and clinical settings. The sheer breadth of topics represented at the conference reflected an active and engaged scientific community that is not only producing compelling science, but also passing such knowledge and enthusiasm on to the next generation of psychologists. APA 2027 will be held in San Francisco, CA. [END] --- [1] Url: https://everyone.plos.org/2026/10/09/leading-through-unity-and-change-apa-2026/ Published and (C) by PLOS One Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons - Attribution BY 4.0. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/plosone/