2013 Convention News
Stay connected to the latest research presented this week by distinguished scientists at the 25th APS Annual Convention. Find daily meeting coverage - from Thursday through Sunday - here and on social media.
Orchestras Without a Conductor
In his keynote address, Michael S. Gazzaniga suggests the brain may work through local gossip rather than central planning.
A composer standing with hands at his side while the orchestra plays a perfect symphony — that's how the brain works.
At least that was the metaphor offered by Gazzaniga of the University of California, Santa Barbara, during the keynote address of the 25th APS Annual Convention. Gazzaniga argued that the brain's specialized modules may converse with one another rather than be guided by some almighty leader.
How to Fix a Fractured Nation
Psychological scientist Diane Halpern of Claremont McKenna College spoke about how to address political polarization in her James McKeen Cattell Fellow Award address at the 25th APS Annual Convention.
Brain Differences Are Not Always Deficits
In her Bring the Family Address, language-processing researcher Morton Ann Gernsbacher explained why it makes more sense to accept disabilities like autism as examples of brain diversity rather than viewing them as defects.
From Molecules to the Mind
In the Presidential Symposium at the 25th APS Annual Convention, four distinguished psychological scientists took attendees on a tour of the psychological and biological mechanisms that contribute to the formation of memories.
Biological Bases of Social Behavior
Shinobu Kitayama, University of Michigan, has documented signs of cultural differences embedded in the brain.
The outcomes of our social behavior are clear and present just about every minute of every day — in fact, many of us publish them online rather obsessively (thanks, Facebook; thanks, Twitter). But the biological sources guiding these interactions remain hidden from plain view. An interdisciplinary theme program at the 25th APS Annual Convention burrowed into the brain for a look at these underlying social…
Tags: APS 25th Annual Convention (2013), Biological/Neuroscience, Brain, Personality/Social, Physiological Psychology, Social Behavior | No Comments »
Grit Versus Aptitude: Relative Influence of Effort and Intelligence in Academic Success
In educational research, an age-old question has remained unanswered: Does IQ or hard work matter more in predicting success in school? Intellectual gifts have been studied extensively, but other non-cognitive factors contributing to success have been less carefully examined. One factor is “grit”, defined by Duckworth et al (2007), as “perseverance and passion for long-term goals.” This research studies the impact of grit, or perseverance for long-term goals and intelligence on middle school students’ GPAs.
We hypothesized that change in grit over a span of two years would be a better predictor of GPA than aptitude (New York State Education…
Tags: 2013 Convention Video Blogs, Academic Achievement, APS 25th Annual Convention (2013), Developmental Psychology, Education, Grit, Intelligence, IQ, Video | No Comments »
New Frontiers in the Science of Positive Emotions
The distinctions between meaningful and hedonic pleasure is crucial for understanding how positive emotions affect health, says Barbara Fredrickson, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The notion that positive emotions play a critical role in our well-being is not new. By studying the evolutionary origins of emotions and emotions’ specific effects on our health, scientists are discovering that positive emotions don’t just make you feel good — they have an impact on our…
Tags: APS 25th Annual Convention (2013), Emotions, Health, Personality/Social, Positive Psychology, Well-Being | 1 Comment »
Social Networking in a Graduate Industrial/Organizational Program
While social networks proliferate, insight is lacking about how graduate students, faculty, and administration collaboratively engage such networks. In early 2011, University of Phoenix rolled out what has become the world’s largest, single institution, educational social networking site, PhoenixConnect. The authors examined graduate student, faculty, and administrator contributions and interactions within this university social network.
Participants from the graduate program in Industrial/Organizational (I/O) Psychology were given qualitative interviews during bimonthly face-to-face classes to investigate the ways participants from different cohorts used social networking. The results revealed different patterns and frequencies of use by students, faculty, and administrators.
Student participants made…
Tags: 2013 Convention Video Blogs, 25th APS Annual Convention, APS 25th Annual Convention (2013), Industrial/Organizational, Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Personality/Social, Social Networking, Technology, Video | No Comments »
Developing a Clinical Decision Support System
A Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS) is an application that analyzes complex patient data to help healthcare providers make better clinical decisions. While these tools have been successfully used to reduce medical errors and improve healthcare efficiency, they have not always been embraced by providers. David Albert of Columbia University describes the development of a CDSS designed to help dentists and dental hygienists provide tobacco cessation counseling in the dental office. In this poster, he shows how the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was used to explore the different factors that influence the adoption of a new technology, and discusses how…
Tags: 2013 Convention Video Blogs, 25th APS Annual Convention, Clinical Psychology, Decision Making, Health, Health Decision Making, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), Video | No Comments »
Failure to Replicate the Mehta and Zhu (2009) Color Effect
Mehta and Zhu (2009) reported several studies in Science on the effects of the colors red and blue over a series of cognitive tasks. Red was hypothesized to induce a state of avoidance motivation which would cause people to become more vigilant and risk-averse in a task. Blue was hypothesized to induce a state of approach motivation which would cause people to use more innovative or risky strategies. Studies appear in high-impact journals, like Science, often because they report novel or far-reaching effects. Such studies need to be replicated in order to determine whether the finding is reliable.
My lab…
Tags: 2013 Convention Video Blogs, APS 25th Annual Convention (2013), Biological/Neuroscience, Replication, Video, Visual Attention, Visual Perception | No Comments »
Do Scare Tactics Work? A Meta-Analytic Test of Fear Appeal Theories
Melanie B. Tannenbaum, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, presents her research “Do Scare Tactics Work? A Meta-Analytic Test of Fear Appeal Theories,” at the 25th APS Annual Convention in Washington, DC.
Fear appeals evoke a polarizing reaction; proponents are confident in its efficacy, whereas opponents assert that ‘scare tactics’ often backfire. Several recent meta-analyses have found a positive effect of fear on intentions and behavior, particularly in combination with efficacy messages, while others have found null or even negative effects. Yet prior meta-analyses on the topic have been limited in scope, either due to few included papers or a limited…
Tags: 2013 Convention Video Blogs, APS 25th Annual Convention (2013), Behavior Change, Behavioral Assessment, Emotions, Fear, Health, Learning, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), Video | 1 Comment »
Party Like It’s 1988!
Attendees partied like it was 1988 at the 25@25 Celebration and Concert.
Scientists and students rocked to hits from the 80s (and a couple of other decades) as APS celebrated its 25th anniversary at the special 25@25 Celebration and Concert.
The 80s-themed concert, which took place May 25 at the 25th APS Annual Convention in Washington, DC, featured an ensemble of top-notch musicians that included some leading psychological scientists!
The performers…
Tags: APS 25th Annual Convention (2013) | No Comments »
Improving Oral Health Behavior and Message Memory
Cameron Brick presents his research on “Improving Oral Health Behavior and Message Memory: Matching Cultural Exposure and Message Frame” at the APS 25th Annual Convention in Washington, DC. Brick received one of the 2013 NIDCR “Building Bridges” APS Convention Travel Awards.
Dental caries, gingivitis, and periodontitis are widespread health problems that increase the risk of tooth loss, stroke, and cardiovascular disease, but many Americans reject preventive behaviors such as brushing and flossing. These studies examine the benefits of congruency between an individual’s motivational orientation and the framing of persuasive health messages. People differ in whether they are motivated…
Tags: 2013 Convention Video Blogs, APS 25th Annual Convention (2013), Biological/Neuroscience, Culture, Health, Health Decision Making, Memory, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), Personality/Social, Video | No Comments »
Understanding Replication: Confidence Intervals Much Better Than p Values
Geoff Cumming, La Trobe University, Australia, presents his research on “Understanding Replication: Confidence Intervals Much Better Than p Values,” at the 25th APS Annual Convention.
Replication is at the heart of science. A current hot topic across medicine, psychological science, and other disciplines is that a number of widely-accepted published results cannot be replicated.
A major cause of the problem is reliance on null hypothesis significance testing (NHST). The imperative to achieve statistical significance, or getting a p value that is greater than .05, leads researchers to select data, variables, and analysis techniques, until they reach that goal. This results…
Tags: 2013 Convention Video Blogs, APS 25th Annual Convention (2013), Data, General, Replication, Statistical Analysis, Video | No Comments »
Exploring Stanley Schachter’s Legacy
Lenny R. Vartanian of the University of New South Wales, Jerry M. Suls of the University of Iowa, and Lori Francis of Pennsylvania State University.
Psychological scientist Stanley Schachter (1922-1997) is credited with conducting innovative research on eating behavior from the perspective of social psychology. And his externality theory of obesity — which posits that non-physiological external cues has a particularly strong influence on eating in people prone to obesity — continues to shape research…
Tags: APS 25th Annual Convention (2013), Eating Habits, Health, Obesity, Personality/Social, Relationships, Social Influences, Well-Being | No Comments »
Memelab: Simulation of a Campus Population
Ian D. Miller, University of Toronto, presents his research “Memelab: Simulation of a Campus Population,” at the 25th APS Annual Convention in Washington, DC.
How do you predict when a picture or video is going to become an online viral phenomenon? In this experiment, participants created memes using our online laboratory (“Memelab”) and shared them with friends. Over a 2-month period, our web server counted how many times each picture was viewed by Internet users. On that basis, we determined which pictures were “more viral.” Although it mattered whether the picture was funny and relevant, the creator of the picture…
Tags: 2013 Convention Video Blogs, Communication, Emotions, Personality/Social, Video | 1 Comment »
Convention Attendees Meet a Legend
Michael Gazzaniga poses for a photo with some of his fans.
For some attendees, the highlight of the 25th APS Annual Convention was meeting a legend in person. APS Past President Michael Gazzaniga signed copies of his books and chatted with Convention attendees after his May 23 Keynote Address on “Unity in a Modular World.”
Gazzaniga is known for his innovative work with split-brain patients and his extraordinary discoveries related to the…
Tags: APS 25th Annual Convention (2013), Biological/Neuroscience, Brain, Laterality | No Comments »
Integrated Data Management Processes Expedite Common Data Management Tasks in Autism Research
Frank Farach from Prometheus Research, LLC presents his poster “Integrated Data Management Processes Expedite Common Data Management Tasks in Autism Research,” at the 25th APS Annual Convention in Washington, DC.
Many researchers engage in disposable data management (DDM) practices: They clean and organize data after a study has been finished, repeating the process for each new analysis. Anecdotal evidence suggests that these DDM approaches are inefficient because they waste money, human resources, and valuable time. In contrast, integrated data management (IDM), is a systematic process for managing data as a reusable resource. We investigated whether our organization’s adoption of IDM…
Tags: 2013 Convention Video Blogs, APS 25th Annual Convention (2013), Autism, Biological/Neuroscience, Data, General, Personality/Social, Video | No Comments »
Preserving the History of Psychological Science
APS Convention attendees stop by the Center for the History of Psychology exhibit to take a look at Milgram’s famous “shock box.”
Cathy Faye, Assistant Director of the Center for the History of Psychology at the University of Akron in Ohio, has a message for psychological scientists who have made significant contributions to the field:
Don’t throw away your notes, correspondence, or lab equipment!
Faye spoke on Friday, May 23, at the 25th APS Annual Convention to educate attendees about the Center’s collection of papers, photographs, recordings, moving…
Tags: APS 25th Annual Convention (2013), Experimental Psychology, History of Psychology | No Comments »
Birthday Flash Mob Surprises Convention Attendees
APS Executive Director Alan Kraut shows off his dance moves on the big screen
The 25th APS Annual Convention is off to a lively start — some might even call it a flashy start.
Last night, APS members who had gathered to watch science superstar Michael Gazzaniga’s Keynote Address on “Unity in a Modular World” were surprised when more than 30 of their fellow attendees broke into a choreographed dance while The Beatles’ “Birthday” blared from the loudspeaker.
If you missed the flash mob commemorating…
Tags: 25th APS Annual Convention, APS 25th Annual Convention (2013), APS Fellows, General | 1 Comment »
The Benefits of Traditional vs. Wikipedia Assignments
Watch Megan John from Concordia College present her poster “The Benefits of Traditional vs. Wikipedia Research Assignments for Introductory Psychology Students” at the APS 25th Annual Convention in Washington DC.
This presentation describes how a Wikipedia assignment was integrated into a psychology course to replace the traditional major paper typically assigned in such courses. Thirty-three students worked on significantly expanding and improving eight different Wikipedia articles over a period of 15 weeks. A 30-item survey was administered at the end of the academic semester in order to capture and quantify students’ perceptions of the experience. The survey yielded both qualitative…
Tags: 2013 Convention Video Blogs, APS 25th Annual Convention (2013), Learning, Students, Teaching, Video, Wikipedia Initiative | No Comments »
