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Gail Goodman selected for two honors

University of Oslo and American Psychological Association to recognize Goodman's career contributions.

Gail Goodman, a distinguished professor of psychology, will receive two prestigious honors in 2017 — an honorary doctorate from the University of Oslo in Norway and a senior career award from the American Psychological Association for distinguished contributions to psychology in the public interest.

"For the past 40 years, Professor Goodman has dedicated her life to understanding the experiences of children involved in the legal system," the APA award committee wrote. "It is not hyperbole to say that her contributions have altered the lives of children and their guardians (for the better!) across the globe."

Goodman's research on the ability of children to testify in court about events they've experienced or witnessed has led to legislative changes and has been cited numerous times in U.S. Supreme Court decisions. "Because of her research, children involved in the legal system as victims, witnesses and defendants are better protected in terms of decreasing further trauma (e.g., by being allowed to testify via closed- circuit television) and enhancing due process considerations (e.g., by informing judges and attorneys about child and adolescent development)," the committee says.  

The APA award will be presented during a convention Aug. 3-6 in Washington, D.C. 

Social sciences faculty at the University of Oslo nominated her for the honorary degree, which will be conferred at a ceremony next Sept. 1. The honorary doctorate, her first, is similar to one her husband, Distinguished Professor Emeritus Phil Shaver, received during a white-tie ceremony at the University of Stockholm last fall.