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The 2005 Decade of Behavior Research Award symposium event moderated by Howard Silver, COSSA Executive Director, took place on Capitol Hill Monday, May 23.  The popular event was well attended by Congressional representatives, Hill staff, and association colleagues. 

A highlight of the event was the presentation of the awards by Congressmen Brian Baird (D-WA, 3rd District) and Dan Lipinski (D-IL, 3rd District).  The award recipients and symposium moderator are pictured above from left to right: Judith Torney-Purta, William Clark, James L. Gibson, David Epstein, Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Sharyn O'Halloran, and Howard Silver. 

The goal of the symposium was to engage Congressional and Federal agency staff and representatives in thinking about the nature of democracy in the 21st century through a diverse and informative series of social and behavioral science presentations.  The symposium consisted of three sessions, each of which included a question and answer period.

In the first session, Drs. James L. Gibson (Washington University in St. Louis, representing the American Political Science Association) and Judith Torney-Purta (University of Maryland, College Park, representing the American Psychological Association) discussed the function of democracy in the minds of everyday citizens and how young people develop in democratic states.  Dr. Gibson's presentation focused on how citizens in former dictatorships come to embrace the principal institutions and processes of democratic governance. Although his research focuses mainly on Russia and South Africa, he drew some general lessons about how "behavioral democracy" can be established in transitional regimes.  Dr. Torney-Purta considered implications for U.S. policy and educational practice drawn from the results of a recent large-scale survey of adolescents' preparation for their roles as citizens in twenty-eight countries.  Both presentations can be viewed from the Decade of Behavior website. 

In the next session, Drs. William Clark (University of California, Los Angeles, representing the Association of American Geographers) and Sharyn O'Halloran and David Epstein (both from Columbia University, representing the American Political Science Association) focused on challenges facing the democratic processes in diverse communities by examining primarily school choice issues and redistricting models.  Dr. Clark explored the role of demographic change in creating separation in the residential fabric with implications for the democratic process through a discussion of school desegregation and housing choice.  Drs. O'Halloran and Epstein centered their remarks on redistricting issues and the question of how minorities can effectively participate in a majoritarian system.  Both presentations can be viewed from the Decade of Behavior website. 

In the final session, Dr. Kathleen Hall Jamieson's (University of Pennsylvania, representing the National Communication Association) presentation tied the event and theme together through a discussion of media coverage of major political events, messages used to communicate to the citizenry, and public attention to the democratic process.  She examined the role citizens play in elections, including their involvement in and focus on the quadrennial presidential debate series.  Dr. Jamieson's presentation tangentially served to explain how the public reacts to the major events and processes that impact democratic society.