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81995Volume 8, Issue5September 1995

About the Observer

The Observer is the online magazine of the Association for Psychological Science and covers matters affecting the research, academic, and applied disciplines of psychology. The magazine reports on issues of interest to psychologist scientists worldwide and disseminates information about the activities, policies, and scientific values of APS.

APS members receive a monthly Observer newsletter that covers the latest content in the magazine. Members also may access the online archive of Observer articles going back to 1988.

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    Disaster Response and Recovery

    Disasters like Hurricane Florence and Typhoon Mangkhut draw massive media coverage, trauma interventions, and financial donations to victims. But psychological research shows the efforts don’t always yield the intended benefits.

Up Front


  • Psychology Does Have Friends in Washington

    Recent actions by the House Science Committee relating to the value of research in the behavioral and social sciences in the context of National Science Foundation funding (see Anne C. Peterson's guest presidential column, July/August 1995 Observer) illustrate yet again how vulnerable we are to political pressure. Our pronouncements and recommendations concerning public policy sometimes seem to conflict with the moral/ethical views of some of our critics. Indeed, it is critical to separate completely public policy recommendations and values. An example that has been widely debated is the legislation of some illegal drugs of abuse. It would seem that at least two conflicting values are at work here: efforts to reduce crimes associated with illegal drugs versus effort to reduce the number addicts.

Practice