INSNET

Number 1

Winter 1996

Launching the Liaison Committee and INSNET

By the Editor

Since the beginning, the International Neuropsychological Society (INS) has been committed to facilitating world wide interaction among practitioners and scientists in neuropsychology. This is a developing process. The formation of the International Liaison Committee (ILC) and its newsletter INSIVET mark further important steps toward a truly international society.

This is the first issue of INSNET. The current plan is to publish the newsletter twice a year or more frequently if needed. It will be sent in regular INS mailings, but also mailed to interested persons who are not currently INS members to expand interactions to neuropsychologists in all parts of the world. INSNET is beginning. It's format and content will be dynamic and will change as we learn and grow. We are open to ideas and welcome your constructive criticism.

INSNET is in four sections: Special Features, Hemispheric News, Bulletin Board, and Special Announcements.

This issue begins with a message from the President of INS, Dr. Gerald Goldstein. This is followed by Dr. Manfred J. Meier's article. Dr. Meier was invited to contribute this article because he has been with INS from its inception and is a Past- President. He has keen insights. Although his perspective is his own and not an official INS opinion, it should be carefully considered. His insights give a valuable historical context to better understand the formation of ILC and INSNET. This is followed by a letter from the ILC Chairperson, Lydia Artiola, Ph.D.. Her letter helps us understand the status of the committee, its goals, and future plans.

By Gerald Goldstein, Ph.D.

This inaugural edition of IASNET represents an important effort by INS to enhance the interaction between the Society and our colleagues throughout the world. The INS has been in existence for over 25 years and is dedicated to promoting research and education in neuropsychology. The society is a multi- disciplinary organization which currently has more than 3,400 members from virtually every continent. One of the goals of the Society is to enhance communication between the disciplines that comprise the field of neuropsychology, and to promote contacts and interaction between neuropsychologists throughout the world.

The Society holds an annual meeting 'in North America in early February, and holds a mid-year meeting in some other part of the world. Recent mid-year meetings have been in Madeira, Portugal, Durham, England; Angers, France-, and Cainis, Australia. The 1996 meeting will be held in Veldhoven, The Netherlands on June 18-22, and the 1997 meeting will be held in Bergen, Norway. The abstracts of these meetings are published in the Society's official journal (Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society). This journal is published by Cambridge University Press. Information about the Society, the forthcoming meetings, or the journal may be obtained from the INS office (Suite 550, 700 Ackerman Road, Coltunbus, Ohio, 43202 USA; Fax (614) 263-4366).

I am confident that you will fmd this newsletter informative, and helpful in keeping you aware of the activities of the INS. I encourage you to contact the Liaison Conuiiittee with your comments about how the INS and its members could interact with you and other neuropsychologists in your country. I also hope that you will consider joining the INS and participating in our annual meetings.

International Initiatives: A New Beginning

By Manfred J. Meier, Ph.D.

From its inception, the INS has striven to become a vehicle for the advancement of neuropsychological knowledge and application beyond the North American borders within which it was conceived and launched. One of the first initiatives of the INS to become more international was the sending of a representative to the International Congress of Psychology in Moscow in 1966, to invite A.R. Luria to become its first president. The prevailing sociopolitical conditions in Russia prevented Luria from attending INS meetings in North America, so that this initiative failed to yield movement toward the development of an effective mechanism for international cooperation and participation. Subsequent efforts to enlist other prominent international figures in neuropsychology also did not produce significant movement in this direction. The small size of INS in these

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