APS Convention Newsstand

Thanks for a wonderful convention! Check out the recent media coverage stemming from this year’s excellent program:

New Scientist: Why cockiness counts for more than expertise

US News & World Report: The Whole World is Optimistic, Survey Finds

Psychcentral.com: Lies, Lies, Lies

Science Magazine: A Shake May Prevent  A Crash

USA Today: All the rage in baby names: What’s unusual

Time/CNN: Competitive Altruism: Being Green in Public

Sunday in Pictures

The Ghost in the Machine

Neuroscience is the new black. “It has rappelled down from its ivory tower and eloped from the hospital world,” Martha Farah asserted during her William James Award Address on Sunday. No longer just pretty pictures on a screen, studies of the brain have contributed to a host of enhancement techniques. (more…)

Better Leaders Through Science

“I don’t know if I’m impressed there are so many people here at 9am, or disturbed there are so many people here at 9am.” That was Michigan State psychologist Fred Morgenson’s wry comment at this morning’s session on leadership, chaired by Purdue’s Deidra Schleicher. Bruce Avolio of the University of Washington led off, describing a life-span approach to leader development and raising the question: How important is serendipity (“happy accidents”) in the creation of effective leaders? His answer: Life develops leaders, but we should throw in some training to help it along. Leadership trainers need to examine and develop leadership at the individual level–everyone has a different pattern of development. He referred to this as the “Pandora effect”–as in, one thing builds on another on another.

Morgenson focused on the nature of the team leader. Events challenge teams and leaders by creating uncertainty and disrupting routines. He discussed how events and challenges affect teams, and noted the difficulty in knowing when and how leaders should intervene. 

-Bob Nolan

How do we measure pleasure?

Pleasure is at the core of our lives, yet comparisons of pleasure across groups is still very primitive. Do obese or thin individuals experience more pleasure from food? Do addicts get more pleasure from cocaine than an undergraduate gets from a Big Mac? Does happiness vary in different parts of the world? Although hedonic comparisons like these are made with abandon, they are trickier than they look and current methods can lead to devastating errors. Psychologists have an important role in showing the rest of the world how to measure pleasure.

The purpose of this lecture is twofold: (1) to describe an error in the way we currently make comparisons of sensory and hedonic experiences across individuals and (2) to suggest a way to correct that error.

The purpose of this post is both to discuss the pros and cons of the arguments presented, and (if you agree with the arguments) to discuss how to persuade our colleagues to mend their ways. Please contribute your thoughts in the comments to start the discussion.

Presidential Symposium and Reception

Overheard at APS

“I’ll give you $40 for that teal APS shirt!” -registration

“Alan knows how to throw a party!” -Exhibit Hall

“I think they are psychologists, but they are all really attractive and well-dressed, maybe they are model psychologists.” -Hotel guest in the elevator

“This is so cool! This is mad psychology” -Registration Desk

“Normally I would say every other day, but APS is an exception, you should shower everyday when you come here.” - Exhibit Hall

“APS blue is the new yellow.” - Member commenting on the highlighters at the APS booth

Hear something interesting? Let us know in the comments.

Navigating Gender Issues

Gender stereotypes were put to the test in Nora S. Newcombe’s Psi Chi Distinguished lecture entitled “Women Hate Maps, Men Won’t Ask for Directions: Fact or Myth?”

Newcombe began her talk by contending that any differences between the sexes in navigation ability has been overblown and is not supported by research. While there are some real differences between the sexes in spatial functioning (men are more skilled at mental rotation, horizontality and verticality tasks and mechanical reasoning) any discrepancies between the sexes in navigation abilities cannot be directly attributed to actual differences in spatial ability. (more…)

Day 1 in Pictures

Federal Agencies at the Convention

It’s not only APS members who are soaking up psychological science here in San Francisco — the federal research agencies are right in the thick of things, too.  The Institute of Education Sciences is organizing a panoply of symposia on learning sciences; the National Cancer Institute is sponsoring the PSPI symposium; the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research is promoting the crossing boundaries theme with its sponsorship of the Gene Environment Interplay in Stress and Health program; and the National Institute on Aging is a generous sponsor of the entire convention.  Agency reps and APS members are talking about exciting new oppportunities for research funding in every corner; be sure to seek out your friendly agency rep to do the same!

-Amy Pollick