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OPRE Funding Announcement: Secondary Analyses of Strengthening Families Datasets
The Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) in the Administration for Children and Families, US Department of Health and Human Services has recently published a discretionary research funding announcement titled "Secondary Analyses of Strengthening Families Datasets," which are summarized below. If you have questions regarding this grant announcement, please email the OPRE grant review team at [email protected] or call 1-877-350-5913. Secondary Analyses of Strengthening Families Datasets The full announcement for “Secondary Analyses of Strengthening Families Datasets” is available online at www.acf.hss.gov/grants/open/foa/view/HHS-2014-ACF-OPRE-PD-0802.
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No Extra Credit for Delivering on Promises
If you promise to complete a project on time and you deliver it ahead of the deadline, don’t expect any special kudos from your boss. If you pledge a certain level of service and deliver even more than you promise, you aren’t likely to receive any especially-rosy customer reviews. That’s the conclusion drawn from a recent management study about the social consequences of surpassing promises. There is plenty of research showing that keeping promises builds trust and loyalty from customers, employees, and friends.
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‘Self Talk’: When Talking to Yourself, the Way You Do It Makes a Difference
The Wall Street Journal: Do you ever talk to yourself? Be honest. Researchers say talking to yourself, out loud, is more common than many of us might care to admit. Psychologists call it "self talk" and say how we do it makes a big difference in both our mood and our behavior. Most people engage in self-talk, experts say, though some do it louder and more often than others. When I asked, I heard from people who talk to themselves in the basement, in their cubicle at work and at the urinal in the men's room. One woman turns the car radio down so she can hear herself better. Read the whole story: The Wall Street Journal
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Study: Opportunities in Young Adulthood Linked to Later Narcissism
The Atlantic: There has been much debate over which generation, exactly, is the “Me” generation. Is it Millennials? Is it Baby Boomers? People have been taking selfies for pretty much as long as there have been cameras, after all. And painting them before that. There have always been and will always be narcissists, and, seemingly, we will always be horrified by their entitlement. But if there are generational differences in narcissism, a new study published in Psychological Science suggests that they might be attributable to the economy.
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Sense of purpose ‘adds years to life’
BBC: Having a sense of purpose may add years to your life, regardless of what the purpose is, research suggests. Not only does it contribute to healthy aging, but it may also stave off early death, according to a study of 7,000 Americans. The research, published in Psychological Science, applies across adult life, says a US-Canadian team. It may be because purposeful people look after their health better and are physically fitter, they believe. The study tracked the physical and mental health of more than 7,000 US adults aged 20 to 75 years. Read the whole story: BBC
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Predicting Uncertain Events on a Global Scale
When it comes to predicting world events, some of the most influential decisions are fraught with a significant amount of uncertainty: Will this national economy stabilize or crash? Will that country follow through with their promises to halt production of WMDs? Will these public demonstrations lead to democratic change or violent revolt? “Governments rely routinely and heavily on intuitive beliefs about high-stakes outcomes,” write psychology researchers Barbara Mellers, Philip Tetlock, Don Moore, and colleagues. Despite this, training the people who make these intuitive judgments is difficult, because there is little scientific research available that can shed light on the issue.
