The new proceedings of the 28th Annual meeting of the ISP is available here.

Fechner Day 2013 will be held in Freiburg, Germany, on October 21-25, hosted by Dr.  Jiří Wackermann and colleagues (IGPP, Empirical and analytical Psychophysics). For details of the meeting follow this link.

You are cordially invited to the 28th Annual Meeting of the

International Society for Psychophysics in Ottawa, Canada, October 18 - 21 2012.

Fechner Day 2012 will begin with an opening reception, to be held on Thursday, October 18th, and it will continue until Sunday afternooon,  October 21st.

Registration for Fechner Day 2012 is now available Fechner Day official website.

Welcome! Become a member of the International Society of Psychophysics and expand your network to a lively community of psychophysics. 

Benefits

• Belong to a membership of lively psychophysics community and receive recognition for your contribution.
• Present your research work and attend the Annual Fechner Day Conference.
• Vote at the annual business meeting of the ISP.
• Receive a copy of the Annual Proceedings even if not able to attend the meeting.
• Access to member resources on ISP web site, such as the online Proceedings.

Annual Membership Fee

The normal membership fee is $50 USD (2013)
Student membership fee is $30 USD (2013)
Reduced rate membership fee is $30 USD (2013)

Members wishing to apply for reduced membership, because unwaged, from a low economy country or for other reasons should contact, the Vice President of the society.

 Annual membership can be paid through following options:

Option 1: Bank transfer

Please transfer the membership fee to the following account:

• IBAN (International Bank Account Number): DE82508501500000744697
• BIC (Business Identification Code): HELADEF1DAS 
• Bank: Sparkasse Darmstadt, Germany

The Society meets annually and when possible on the anniversary of the conception of psychophysics by Gustav-Theodor Fechner which occurred on the morning of October 22^nd 1850. The annual meetings are scientific and business events, originally attended by a core of some 50 – 60 members and currently enjoying attendance of around double that number. In the links that follow you will find information from the annual Fechner Day meetings.

• Ottawa, Canada, October 18-21, 2012
  • Organizers: Craig Leth-Steensen, Bill Petrusic, Jordan Schoenherr , Dean Verger, and Steven Carroll
• Herzliya, Israel, October 24-27, 2011
  • Organizers: Danny Algom, Yaniv Mama
• Padua, Italy, October 19-22, 2010
  • Organizers: Alessia Bastianelli, Giulio Vidotto, Luca Filipponi, David Polezzi, Andrea Spoto, Davide Massidda, Michele Scandola
• Galway, Ireland, October 21-24th, 2009

Organisers: Mark A. Elliott, Stanislava Antonijević, Sarah Berthaud, Paul Mulcahy, Caitríona Martyn, Brian Bargary and Heike Schmidt

• Toronto , Canada, July 29-August 1, 2008

Organisers: B. Schneider, M. Schneider

• Odaiba, Tokyo, Japan, October 20-23, 2007

Organisers:  S. Mori, T. Miyaoka, W. Wong

• St Albans, Herts, UK, July 25-28, 2006

Organisers: D. Kornbrot, R. Msetfi & S. McRae

• Traverse City, Michigan, USA, October 18-22, 2005.

Organisers: J. Monahan, J. Townsend & S. M. Sheffert

• Coimbra, Portugal, October 18-22, 2004.

Organisers: A. Olivera, M. Teixeira G. Borges & M.J. Ferro

• Larnaca, Cyprus, October 19-23, 2003.

Organisers: B. Berglund & E. Borg

• Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, October 22-26, 2002.

Organisers: J.A. da Silva, E.H. Matsushima & N.P. Ribero-Fihlo

• Leipzig, Germany, October 20-23, 2001.

Organisers: E. Sommerfeld, Th. Lachmann & R. Kompass

• Strasbourg, France, August 31-September 4, 2000.

Organiser: C. Bonnet

• Tempe, AZ, USA, October 21-24, 1999.

Organisers: P.R. Killean & W.R. Uttal

• Québec, Canada, August 15-18, 1998.

Organisers: S. Grondin, Y. Lacouture & R. Rousseau

• Poznan, Poland, October 16-19, 1997.

Organisers: R. Gotebiewski, E. Hojan, T. Hornowski, P. Kokowski, A. Majchrzak, P. Miecznik, M. Labowski, P. Pekala, A. Preis, E. Skrodzka, E. Wichlinska & A. Wicher.

• Padua, Italy, October 19-22, 1996.

Organiser: S.C. Massin

• Cassis, France, October 21-25, 1995.

Organisers: C.-A. Possamaï H. Ross, B. Scarf, R. Teghtsoonina, & L. M. Ward

• Vancouver, Canada, August 6-9, 1994.

Organiser: L.M. Ward

• Mallorca, Spain, October 21-24, 1993.

Organisers: A. Garriga-Trillo, P.R. Miñón, C. Carcía-Gallego, P. Lubin, J.M. Merino, M.J. Rubio-Gómez & A. Villario.

• Stockholm, Sweden, July 25-28, 1992.

Organisers: G. Borg, Å. Helsström & T. Neely.

• Durham, NH, USA, October 17-21, 1991.

Organiser: G.R. Lockhead

• Würzburg, Germany, October 18-21, 1990.

Organiser: F. Müller.

• Cassis, France, October 21-24, 1989.

Organisers: A.M. Bonnel, G. Canévet, C.-A. Possamaï & B. Scharf.

• Stirling, Scotland, October xx-yy, 1988.

Organisers: H. Ross, R. Macdonald, C.-A. Possamaï R. Teghtsoonian, M. Treisman & R. Warren.

• Durham, NH, USA, October xx-yy, 1987.

Organisers: M. Teghtsoonian, & R. Teghtsoonian.

• Cassis, France, October xx-yy, 1986.

Organisers: A.M. Bonnel, G. Canévet, C.-A. Possamaï, B. Scharf, B. Berglund, U. Berglund & R. Teghtsoonian.

• Marseille, France, October xx-yy, 1985.

Organisers: G. Canévet & B. Scharf.

]]> http://www.ispsychophysics.org/fechner-day/feed/ 0 http://www.ispsychophysics.org/history/ http://www.ispsychophysics.org/history/#comments Sun, 19 Nov 2006 17:49:20 +0000 Committee http://www.ispsychophysics.org/wordpress/?p=9 The Society was conceived during discussions among varying combinations of Birgitta Berglund, Ulf Berglund, Bertram Scharf, Martha Teghtsoonian, and Robert Teghtsoonian, during the early part of 1985, and had its first meeting later the same year in Marseille, France. Scharf and his colleagues in the CNRS laboratories in Marseille agreed to serve as a local [...]]]>

The Society was conceived during discussions among varying combinations of Birgitta Berglund, Ulf Berglund, Bertram Scharf, Martha Teghtsoonian, and Robert Teghtsoonian, during the early part of 1985, and had its first meeting later the same year in Marseille, France. Scharf and his colleagues in the CNRS laboratories in Marseille agreed to serve as a local organizing committee and be our hosts for a first meeting divided between meeting rooms at the CNRS and various locations in the picturesque (and conveniently nearby) village of Cassis.

Despite the very short lead time available, the group in Marseille organized and conducted with great success that first meeting on October 21 and 22, the second of those days being the date widely associated with Fechner’s insight about the scaling of sensation. Some 35 scientists from seven different countries assembled and found the experience so rewarding that it was agreed then and there to meet again in Cassis the following year. Just before that first meeting began, a smaller group of about a dozen enthusiasts (not members because there wasn’t anything yet to belong to) gathered on a sunny terrace in Cassis to pick a name for the new Society, and to discuss its structure and purpose. As a result, a draft constitution was prepared (by Gunnar Borg, Jerry Tobias, and Helen Ross) for presentation at the 1986 meeting, and with its approval the Society was officially under way.

Subsequent meetings confirmed what we had believed at the outset: There is a lively group of scientists widely distributed geographically who, whether psychophysics is for them a primary interest or simply a tool focused on other research issues, are eager to meet each year to discuss their shared interests in the field. And so meetings have been planned for Cassis yet again in 1995 (commemorating the end of our first decade), Padua in 1996, and Poznan, Poland, in 1997, and at least the immediate future of the Society seems secure.

The rationale for such a group is easily stated. Psychophysics stands as the first and oldest discipline in the broad field of experimental psychology. Although its practitioners have never been large in number they have produced a steady stream of fundamentally important ideas and measurement techniques that have received wide acceptance in psychology and the biomedical sciences, as well as in such diverse disciplines as cartography, criminology, and exercise science. The pool of those directly concerned with the study of psychophysics itself, along with the much larger group of investigators who make use of psychophysical techniques, ensures a steady flow of contributors to the annual meetings of our Society.

We have envisaged at least two general categories of contribution corresponding to the general categories noted above. There is certainly a need among those doing research in psychophysics for a forum in which their ideas can be discussed with peers. For whatever reason, annual meetings of more broadly defined groups (such as the regional psychological associations in the USA, or the Psychonomics Society) have only occasional contributions in psychophysics. And, from the outset, the organizers have believed that it is vital to maintain close contact with those using psychophysical methods in applied settings. At nearly every meeting thus far there have been sessions devoted to the use of psychophysics in some practical application, such as food and beverage evaluation, pain assessment, and medical diagnosis. We expect this linkage between theorists and practitioners to continue.

Thus the Society welcomes all those who contribute to the field whether through basic research or experience in applied settings. And we have also been very happy to have sessions devoted to research in specialized areas where psychophysical measurement plays an important role, such as loudness adaptation, size and distance judgment, and music perception. Finally, it should be said that the Society has no theoretical ax to grind, and no hidden agenda. Everyone with an interest in the field is welcome as a member, and those who enjoy spending three days each year engaged in face-to-face discussion and debate on relevant topics are welcome to attend the annual meeting. For the present those meetings are comfortably small (usually about 50-60 people), very informal, happily lacking in complex business issues (we collect dues to defray the costs of organizing and conducting the annual meeting and printing the proceedings), and always situated in locations where the opportunity for other forms of recreation is extensive. Although outsiders may think of psychophysics as a dull and dry field, both of those attributes have been notably absent from all our past meetings. Our members have displayed a remarkable penchant for the exploitation of local gastronomic resources (from couscous in Marseille to haggis in Scotland) and athletic opportunity (such as swimming in the Mediterranean, hiking on the Scottish moors, and tennis in Mallorca), and we fully expect future meetings to offer similar diversions as well as a continuing opportunity for relaxed and informal discussion of psychophysical science.

Society President

Dr. Martha Teghtsoonian
Psychology Faculty
Smith College
Phone (413) 585-3902
e-mail: mteghtso@smith.edu

Society Vice-president

Society Treasurer

Prof. Wolfgang Ellermeier
Applied Cognitive Psychology
Technical University of Darmstadt
Darmstadt,
Germany
Tel: +49-6151 16 5315
Email: ellermeier@psychologie.tu-darmstadt.de

Society Secretary

Dr. Elisabeth Borg
Psykologiska institutionen
Stockholms universitet
106 91 Stockholm
Tel: 08-163869
Fax: 08-159342

Advisors to Executive Committee

Mark Elliott    Email:  mark.elliott@nuigalway.ie
Lawrence Ward    Email: lward@psych.ubc.ca

Former executive committees

ARTICLE 1

NAME
The name of this organization shall be the International Society or Psychophysics.

ARTICLE 2

OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the Society shall be the furtherance of theoretical and applied research and teaching and the encouragement of international communication and cooperation within the field of psychophysics.

ARTICLE 3

MEMBERSHIP
The Society consists of active members,honorary members, and benefactor members.

ARTICLE 4

GOVERNANCE
The Society is governed by an Executive Committee elected by the membership. The specific structure and mode of election are set forth in the By-Laws, so that they may be changed as ecessitated by developments within the Society. The basic principles of the structure shall be:

• maximal participation by the membership in all policy and operational decisions
• direct election of all officers by the membership
• regular review of organizational activities and procedures by the membership

ARTICLE 5

ACTIVITIES
The Society shall encourage the scholarly development of psychophysics by holding regular meetings, furthering publications in psychophysics, organizing educational programs, seeking means to support young scientists in their training and research activities, performing public relations work and maintaining relationships with other national and international organizations that share the main goals outlined in the Constitution.

ARTICLE 6

AFFILIATIONS
The Society may accept affiliations with other organizations according to the By-Laws.

ARTICLE 7

AMENDMENTS
Amendments to the Constitution or the By-Laws may be proposed by the Executive Committee or in a petition signed by ten members. Alterations may only be executed at a General Meeting. The resolution proposing the alterations shall be included in the notice convening the Meeting, and shall require a two-thirds majority of those voting. Votes on such a resolution may be delivered by post or by hand, and shall be ccepted if received when or before the chairman calls for votes on the resolution.

ARTICLE 8

DISSOLUTION
Dissolution of the Society follows the same rules as amendments but has to take place on two successive General Meetings. All the assets of the Society will then be transferred to the International Union of Psychological Sciences (IUPsy).

BY-LAWS: (ISP By-Law Amendment Agreed at General Meeting, October 2007)

1. MEMBERSHIP

A.     To be eligible for active membership in the Society, an individual shall have shown interest in the aims of the Society through research, publications, or training. Upon payment of the membership dues, the individual may then be elected to membership by the Executive Committee.
B.     An individual who has performed special services for the Society or for Psychophysics may be nominated for honorary membership in the Society. The Executive Committee shall determine which nominees are to receive honorary membership.
C.     Benefactor members are those individuals who give major donations to the Society. The Executive Committee shall define major donation.
D.     Membership may be terminated by the Executive Committee for cause, or at the request of the member, or if the membership dues have not been paid for two years in succession.

2. GOVERNANCE

A.  The Executive Committee consists of an elected Treasurer, three elected members, and as a fifth member the individual designated as Organizer, or Chair of the Organizing Committee responsible for the meeting in any given year (see 2G below).
The treasure will be elected for SIX years and will have the responsibility of managing the financial business of the Society.
Other elected members will serve for THREE years. Each year, the three elected members shall arrange by mutual consent a division of the responsibilities normally assigned to a President (calling and presiding over meetings), Vice-President (serving in place of the President when necessary, liaising with appointed Web Master), Secretary (maintaining the correspondence of the Society, and recording the minutes of its meetings). These titles are not to be regarded as honorifics or distinctions of any sort, and may not be used except in compliance with the legal requirements of a country, state, or locality in which the Society may conduct business.

B.    The Treasurer will be elected for SIX years by secret ballot.
ONE new member of the Executive Committee will be elected each year by secret ballot.
The results will be announced to the membership annually.

C.     Candidates for election must be nominated by the Executive Committee or by two active members of the Society. Nominations must reach the Secretary at least two months before the scheduled announcement of election results.

D.     In case of vacancies, the Executive Committee will appoint replacements.

E.     The Executive Committee shall appoint a member as Historian of the Society.

F.     The Executive Committee shall meet at least once a year.

G.     At the annual business meeting, the chairman of the Organizing Committee for the next year’s meeting will be determined by majority vote of those members present. That person is empowered to select members of the Organizing Committee to assist in the planning and   arrangements for the next meeting. The Chairman of the Organizing Committee will also serve as a member of the Executive Committee from the time of the election to the end of the next annual meeting.

3. COMMITTEES

Committees may be formed as required by the activities of the Society. Their composition and charge shall be determined by the Executive Committee.

4. MEETINGS

A.     A General Meeting for all members of the Society shall be held at least every second year for the purpose of communication and exchanging scientific ideas. At a business meeting during the General Meeting, officers’ reports will be delivered and all major decisions required by circumstances and by the Constitution shall be undertaken.
B.     Scientific programs may also be planned for presentation at conferences arranged by other societies.

5. FINANCES AND DUES

A.     The Executive Committee is authorized to solicit funds in support of the activities of the Society.
B.     The membership dues are fixed and other financial questions are voted on at the General Meeting.
C.     Each Meeting and conference shall operate within a special budget separate from the Society’s general budget.
D.    The Society will hold a contingency reserve of US $6000