SPSSI Council: A Collective Biography

A collective biography of the members of SPSSI Council from 1936–1986 was done and a comparison made to findings about SPSSI presidents of the same period [J. H. Capshew (1986), “Networks on Leadership: A Quantitative Study of SPSSI Presidents, 1936–1986,” Journal of Social Issues, 42(1), 75–106]. The results for the two groups are remarkably similar. Relatively few nonwhites and, until recently, few women have been elected to leadership positions. Clusters were found for geographic location as well as institutional affiliation. A distinct demographic trend was also found in terms of increasing identification with social psychology as both an area of training and major field of interest. These data suggest that professional networking has been a major factor in the emergence of SPSSI leadership at all levels.