Thomas M. Ostrom Award

PMIG was founded by Thomas M. Ostrom, and was organized by him for many years until his untimely death in 1994. Beginning in 1998, PMIG initiated an annual award to honor Tom Ostrom's memory. The Thomas M. Ostrom Award recognizes outstanding lifetime contributions to theory and research in the field of social cognition. The criteria for "contributions" are modeled after those so clearly exemplified in Tom's career. Therefore the Thomas M. Ostrom Award recognizes someone whose career manifests not only a record of significant and influential publications but also contributions to social cognition through training students, editing important volumes and journals, and facilitating collegial interaction through meetings and conferences. The recipient receives a plaque commemorating this recognition and is invited to give a talk at the PMIG meeting.

Charles (Chick) Judd, Bernadette Park winners of 2010 Ostrom Award

Chick Judd and Bernadette Park, both of the University of Colorado, were named recipients of the 2010 Thomas M. Ostrom Awards at the PMIG meeting in Paynesville, MN. The awards recognize their many contributions, both collaborative and individual, to social cognition research and theory. The selection committee was Mick Rothbart, Don Carlston, and chair Jim Uleman.
Photo: PMIG co-organizer Eliot Smith, Park, Judd, PMIG co-organizer Dave Hamilton.

Previous Award Winners

Don Carlston (Purdue University) was named the recipient of the 2009 Thomas M. Ostrom Award at the PMIG meeting in Boothbay Harbor, ME. The selection committee was Mick Rothbart, Marilynn Brewer, and chair Jim Uleman. Photo: Carlston (center) with previous award recipients Fritz Strack (left) and Russ Fazio (right). Fazio introduced Carlston's award talk.

Myron (Mick) Rothbart (University of Oregon) was named the recipient of the 2008 Thomas M. Ostrom Award at the PMIG meeting in Petaluma, CA. The selection committee was Marilynn Brewer, Russ Fazio, and Don Carlston (chair). Pictured here: Eliot Smith, Myron Rothbart, and Dave Hamilton, who introduced Mick at the award presentation.

Marilynn B. Brewer (Ohio State University) was named the recipient of the 2007 Thomas M. Ostrom Award at the PMIG meeting in Zion, Illinois. The selection committee was Norbert Schwarz, Russ Fazio, and Don Carlston (chair). Pictured here: Russ Fazio, Marilynn Brewer, and Glenn Reeder, who introduced Marilynn at the award presentation.

Russell H. Fazio (Ohio State University) was named the recipient of the 2006 Thomas M. Ostrom Award at the PMIG meeting in Worton, Maryland. The selection committee was Fritz Strack, Eliot Smith, and Don Carlston (chair). This photo shows Smith, Strack, former Ostrom awardee Tony Greenwald, Fazio, Carlston, and former Ostrom awardee Dave Hamilton.

Norbert Schwarz (University of Michigan) and Fritz Strack (University of Wuerzburg) were named the recipients of the 2005 Thomas M. Ostrom Award at the PMIG meeting in Julian, California. The selection committee was Susan Fiske, Eliot Smith, and Mahzarin Banaji (chair). This photo shows PMIG co-organizer Dave Hamilton with Strack and Schwarz.

Eliot R. Smith (Indiana University) received the 2004 Thomas M. Ostrom award at the PMIG meeting at the Stagecoach Inn, Salado, TX. Donal Carlston, who introduced him at the meeting, presents the award plaque in this photo. This year's selection committee was Susan Fiske, Jim Sherman, and Mahzarin Banaji.

Susan T. Fiske (Princeton University) and Shelley E. Taylor (University of California, Los Angeles) were both named as recipients of the Ostrom award in 2003. Fiske presented her award address at the meeting at Whispering Pines Conference Center, Rhode Island; unfortunately, Taylor was unable to attend and will present her address at a future PMIG meeting. The selection committee consisted of the two previous award winners and Mahzarin Banaji, shown in this photo.

Steven J. Sherman (Indiana University) is the 2002 recipient of the award, presenting his award address at the 2002 PMIG meeting at Salt Fork State Park, Ohio. He was selected by a committee made up of the previous two award winners and chaired by PMIG regular Patricia Linville.

Anthony G. Greenwald (University of Washington) is the 2001 recipient of the award, presenting his award address at the 2001 PMIG meeting in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. He was selected by a committee made up of the previous two award winners and chaired by PMIG regular Patricia Linville.

The 2000 recipient of the Ostrom Award, named by a committee made up of the previous two award winners and chaired by Patricia Linville, was David L. Hamilton (University of California, Santa Barbara). He was given the award and presented his talk at the October 2000 PMIG meeting.


At the PMIG meeting in October 1999 both the first and second awardees were honored and presented their talks. The recipient of the 1998 Thomas M. Ostrom Award was Robert S. Wyer, Jr. of the University of Illinois (Bob had been in Hong Kong and was unable to attend the 1998 PMIG meeting.) Bob was honored for his seminal work on person memory models, for his prolific record of empirical and theoretical publications, and for his service to the field through editing important volumes (including two editions of the Handbook of Social Cognition and the Advances in Social Cognition series).

The 1999 award recipient was E. Tory Higgins (Columbia University). Tory's notable work includes the development and refinement of models of construct accessibility, a concept with applications in clinical and developmental as well as social psychology, and work on self-discrepancies and self-regulatory systems. Tory also edited Social Psychology: Handbook of Basic Principles.

Dual award presentations at the 1999 PMIG meeting.
Left to right: Eliot Smith (PMIG co-organizer), E. Tory Higgins, Robert S. Wyer Jr., David Hamilton (PMIG co-organizer)