Cornell University developmental psychologist Stephen J. Ceci is the co-winner of the 2003 American Psychological Association's (APA) Distinguished Scientific Award for the Applications of Psychology.

"This award is an outstanding accolade for scientific achievement," says Harry Reis, head of scientific affairs for the APA. The award – a plaque and $1,000 to be shared with Elizabeth F. Loftus of the University of California, Irvine – will be presented at the APA's annual meeting in Toronto, August 7, 2003.

This is Ceci's fourth major scientific recognition within a year. Previously he won the APA's Bronfenbrenner Award, the Society for Research in Child Development award for Distinguished Contributions to Public Policy for Children, and was elected as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Ceci holds the Helen L. Carr chair in developmental psychology at Cornell. He studies the accuracy of children's courtroom testimony as well as the development of intelligence and memory. His honors include a Senior Fulbright-Hayes fellowship, a National Institutes of Health Research Career Scientist Award, the IBM Supercomputing Prize, three Senior Mensa Foundation Research Prizes and the Arthur Rickter Award.

Ceci's 1996 book On Intelligence: A Bio-Ecological Treatise (Harvard University Press) received wide critical acclaim, and his book (co-written with Maggie Bruck) Jeopardy in the Courtroom: A Scientific Analysis of Children's Testimony (1995) was the winner of the 1999 William James Award for Excellence in Psychology. Ceci founded and co-edits the journal, Psychological Science in the Public Interest , published by the American Psychological Society.