Your source for the latest psychological research.
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.
Wakebe and his coauthors noted that, according to the information gain model, when presented with alternatives, people tend to choose the course of action that produces the largest expected information gain, as demonstrated by a mathematical model that calculates the extent to which pursuing each alternative reduces uncertainty. However, they suspected that risk aversion — a factor…
Tags: Cognitive Psychology, Decision Making, International, Learning, Risk Taking | No Comments »
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. McKay, Jennifer Watling Neal, Lawrence Wissow, David Chambers Thursday, May 23, 2013 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Developmental Mechanisms in Psychopathology: The Permeable Boundary Between Behavior and Biology Elaine F. Walker Friday, May 24, 2013 9:00 AM – 9:50 AM
Psychology’s Public Interest Problem: Why Many Laypersons and Politicians Don’t View Our Field as…
Tags: 25th APS Annual Convention, Education, General, Teaching | No Comments » 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. (Theoretically, this phenomenon would be compounded by the fact that so many medical personnel were already at the finish line on standby to help runners suffering from the typical end-of-race exhaustion or muscle aches.) But more recent studies suggest that compassion – defined as an authentic desire to help people who are suffering – may be a natural human instinct. The interpersonal connection that occurs during times of crises… Tags: Disaster, Social Behavior, Social Interaction, Stress | No Comments » 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. What we know is that the diagnostic criteria will change in some ways – and will stay somewhat the same in others. One of the largest changes will be the consolidation of what used to be several diagnoses into one. Most striking will be the consolidation into Autism Spectrum… Tags: Autism, Cognitive Psychology, Language, q and a | No Comments » 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? Why Aren’t EBTs More Widely Used? Tags: Clinical Psychology, Interventions, Mental Health, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Psychological Science in the Public Interest | No Comments »
The Science Behind the Heroism in Boston
Q&A With Morton Ann Gernsbacher
What You Should Know About Treatment for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
