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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.
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Party Like It’s 1988!
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 included recording artist Parthenon Huxley; bassist Anthony Wellington; former Black Eyed Peas guitarist and current Executive Editor for psychology at Worth Publishers, Keven Feyen. Band members also included APS Past President Robert W.
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Cognitive Reappraisal of Emotion: A Meta-analysis of Human Neuroimaging Studies
Jason T. Buhle and Jennifer A. Silvers from Columbia University present their research on "Cognitive reappraisal of emotion: A meta-analysis of human neuroimaging studies," at the 25th APS Annual Convention in Washington, DC. In recent years, an explosion of neuroimaging studies has examined cognitive reappraisal, an emotion regulation strategy that involves changing the way one thinks about a stimulus in order to change its affective impact. Existing models broadly agree that reappraisal recruits frontal and parietal control regions to modulate emotional responding in the amygdala, but they offer competing visions of how this is accomplished.
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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.
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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.
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Exploring Stanley Schachter’s Legacy
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 on eating behavior.
