Poorly designed ballots can prevent voters from understanding, seeing, using, and processing information correctly, which can lead to voting failures that alter the outcome of elections. Applied psychologists and human factors engineers can make a real difference in ensuring that ballots accurately capture voter intent.
Increased visibility and a commitment to diversity are two of the goals outlined by APS Fellow Patricia Bauer, incoming editor of Psychological Science.
Medical professionals are in no way immune to pitfalls in judgment and decision-making. Guest columnists Don Redelmeier of the University of Toronto and APS Fellow Lee Ross of Stanford University discuss how psychological science can help physicians recognize the biases that affect their practices.