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A “Council of Psychological Science Advisers” Tackles Pressing Policy Issues
Some of the most urgent issues that American society faces today -- including obesity, consumer debt, risk of terrorism, and climate change -- are fundamentally influenced by decision making and behavior at both the individual and institutional levels. Despite this, policymakers have only recently begun to capitalize on insights from research in the behavioral sciences in developing policies that address these issues. A special section in Perspectives on Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, underscores how findings from behavioral science can provide actionable solutions to societal problems. The special section, edited by Bethany A.
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Beating Cancer, But Battling Hiring Discrimination
Job applicants who disclose their status as cancer survivors may be less likely to get a job offer, according to new research. "Managers and employees should be mindful of the fact that although societal attitudes toward cancer survivors are generally quite positive, with people often viewing them as champions who have successfully overcome a traumatic experience, we nonetheless might perceive them as being less desirable employees simply because of their history with cancer," said lead author Larry Martinez, assistant professor of hospitality management at Pennsylvania State University.
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Best Practices in the Applied Psychology Classroom
This project was supported by the APS Fund for Teaching and Public Understanding of Psychological Science, which invites applications for nonrenewable grants of up to $5,000 to launch new, educational projects in psychological science. Proposals are due March 1 and October 1. Psychological science teachers from the high school level to the university level met in April 2015 at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach to trade educational tips and best practices with one another.
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DO HEAD START’S MIXED-AGE CLASSES STUNT LEARNING?
Futurity: It’s common practice in Head Start classrooms to teach 3- and 4-year-old children together, but a new study finds older children make significantly smaller academic gains on average when taught with younger preschoolers. In the classrooms where the two age groups were evenly split, 4-year-olds in the study were an average of nearly five months of academic development behind their 4-year-old peers who were in classrooms without 3-year-olds. Read the whole story: Futurity
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Taking the (Often Imprecise) Measure of Stress
The New York Times: Research has long shown that stress is bad for you, but many people are not even aware when they are feeling stressed. Now, a number of new devices are sold as stress trackers, measuring signs of stress the way fitness tracking devices monitor steps and movement. The gadgets track the biological symptoms of stress — changes in skin perspiration, breathing patterns and heart rate — in hopes of helping people become aware of their stress levels. ... Most apps and devices that claim to track or reduce stress lack scientific rigor, said Dr.
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What’s the Best Way to Stay Motivated?
The Atlantic: At its best, work is like a semi-challenging level of Super Mario World. It’s hard enough to be engaging, easy enough that victory is within sight, and fun enough to make you want to try again if you lose—as long as you have lives left. What happens, though, when you reach the level where Bowser just keeps crushing you, or you can’t figure out the exact right way to make Yoshi jump to avoid the lava? Maybe time for a good ol’ game of pogs instead? Like with video games, behavioral economists have found that it’s a sense of progress that makes adults stay motivated at work.
