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Weighing the Risks
No one can know everything; in our daily lives, we make do with the best information we can get. Psychological scientists are working to understand how people choose to learn facts about the world when the options available to them are limited. In a 2012 study published in the Journal of Cognitive Psychology, a team of researchers led by Toshihiro Wakebe of the University of Tokyo investigated the role of risk aversion in information-gathering behavior.
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Continuing Education Credits at Convention
Don’t miss out on the many opportunities to earn Continuing Education credits at the 25th APS Annual Convention in Washington, DC. A full list is below — please note that separate registration is required for Workshops. From Revolution to Legislation: The NIMH Research Domain Criteria Project Bruce N. Cuthbert, Robert F. Krueger, Elaine F. Walker Thursday, May 23, 2013 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM Beyond the Guild: Innovative Models to Expand Dissemination Science in Mental Health Marc S. Atkins, Kimberly Eaton Hoagwood, Mary M.
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The Science Behind the Heroism in Boston
The onsite response to the Boston Marathon bombings — bystanders bravely running toward the gruesome scene to help the wounded — exemplifies a growing body of psychological research on compassionate behavior. The classic research on the bystander effect and diffusion of responsibility suggests that in the tragedy on Boylston Street, the vast number of onlookers would be more likely than not to avoid providing help — largely because each person assumes there are plenty of others nearby who will do so.
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Q&A With Morton Ann Gernsbacher
APS Past President Morton Ann Gernsbacher is a Vilas Research Professor and the Sir Frederic C. Bartlett Professor of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Gernsbacher is a leader in the field of cognitive psychology. Her research focuses on the cognitive roots of language comprehension. For more information about Gernsbacher and her research, visit www.GernsbacherLab.org. The DSM-5 officially comes out in May. Do you have any insights about what’s going to happen with diagnoses for conditions like autism? This is an important question, and one that many researchers, clinicians, and persons currently with and without diagnoses, are speculating about.
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What You Should Know About Treatment for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
In the May 2013 issue of Psychological Science in the Public Interest, Edna Foa and colleagues explore the challenges in disseminating evidence-based treatments for posttraumatic stress. Here are some important facts about effective treatments for PTSD. What Is The Impact of Using Evidence-based Treatments (EBT) for PTSD? Studies show that several cognitive-behavioral therapies, including prolonged exposure therapy, are highly effective as PTSD treatments. Such programs are relatively short-term, resulting in reduced costs of care.
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The White House Budget: Does It Distort The Science of Choice?
President Obama’s budget proposal released this week has turned the arcane term “chained CPI” into a controversial buzz phrase. This new calculation for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) assumes that as prices rise, consumers will simply turn to lower-cost alternatives, thus softening the impact of the price hikes. For example, if the cost of Red Delicious apples rises, people will just buy Gala instead, the theory holds. But does behavioral science support this measure?
