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Journal of Child Psychology and... Oct 2021Empirical science is a fact-finding enterprise. This raises the question when we know enough about a particular topic to draw firm conclusions and can stop searching for...
Empirical science is a fact-finding enterprise. This raises the question when we know enough about a particular topic to draw firm conclusions and can stop searching for additional evidence in order to save efforts for issues that are less well-established. Clarity on when scientific evidence has passed the stage of to-be-tested hypotheses is important, and setting up criteria for such stopping rules is a necessary as well as thought-provoking challenge. Not only over-investigating phenomena is undesirable but the opposite, falsely assuming beliefs to be facts, as well. Two common reasons for such misperceptions are that negative news is more likely to spread around than positive news (negativity instinct), and that individuals tend to look at problems from always the same perspective (single-perspective instinct). Our field is not immune to those instincts: child psychologists and psychiatrists tend to focus on messages suggesting that the burden of children´s mental health problems calls for more intervention and research, rather than on reports that the majority of children are doing quite well. This focus on problems may obscure the reality that the vast majority of children and adolescents never experience severe mental health problems, despite the challenges of growing up in a complex world.
Topics: Adolescent; Humans; Psychiatry; Psychology, Child
PubMed: 34585383
DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13515 -
International Journal of Environmental... Feb 2023Scientific evidence highlights that sport psychology interventions adopted by professionals are crucial for making a difference in athlete performance [...].
Scientific evidence highlights that sport psychology interventions adopted by professionals are crucial for making a difference in athlete performance [...].
Topics: Humans; Psychology, Sports; Athletes; Athletic Performance
PubMed: 36834406
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20043712 -
Journal of Research on Adolescence :... Dec 2021One of the key developmental tasks in adolescence is to develop a coherent identity. The current review addresses progress in the field of identity research between the... (Review)
Review
One of the key developmental tasks in adolescence is to develop a coherent identity. The current review addresses progress in the field of identity research between the years 2010 and 2020. Synthesizing research on the development of identity, we show that identity development during adolescence and early adulthood is characterized by both systematic maturation and substantial stability. This review discusses the role of life events and transitions for identity and the role of micro-processes and narrative processes as a potential mechanisms of personal identity development change. It provides an overview of the linkages between identity development and developmental outcomes, specifically paying attention to within-person processes. It additionally discusses how identity development takes place in the context of close relationships.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Humans; Narration; Psychology, Adolescent
PubMed: 34820948
DOI: 10.1111/jora.12678 -
Journal of Clinical Child and... 2023Relative to White youth, racially and ethnically marginalized youth in the U.S. are less likely to initiate treatment, stay in treatment, and receive adequate care. This... (Review)
Review
Relative to White youth, racially and ethnically marginalized youth in the U.S. are less likely to initiate treatment, stay in treatment, and receive adequate care. This special issue attends to racial injustice in clinical child and adolescent psychology. While numerous factors drive these racial disparities, this special issue focuses specifically on opportunities and responsibilities we have as mental health providers, teachers, mentors, researchers, and gatekeepers to make our field more racially just. In this introduction to the special issue, we review barriers and solutions across multiple contexts including structural, institutional, and practice-based. We also discuss challenges and opportunities to diversify our field and increase the representation of racially and ethnically marginalized practitioners and scholars in clinical child and adolescent psychology. We then briefly review the special issue articles and make final recommendations for how to move the field forward.
Topics: Adolescent; Humans; Child; Psychology, Adolescent; Mentors; Mental Health; Social Behavior; Social Justice
PubMed: 37141558
DOI: 10.1080/15374416.2023.2202255 -
Trends in Cognitive Sciences Mar 2021As robots advance from the pages and screens of science fiction into our homes, hospitals, and schools, they are poised to take on increasingly social roles.... (Review)
Review
As robots advance from the pages and screens of science fiction into our homes, hospitals, and schools, they are poised to take on increasingly social roles. Consequently, the need to understand the mechanisms supporting human-machine interactions is becoming increasingly pressing. We introduce a framework for studying the cognitive and brain mechanisms that support human-machine interactions, leveraging advances made in cognitive neuroscience to link different levels of description with relevant theory and methods. We highlight unique features that make this endeavour particularly challenging (and rewarding) for brain and behavioural scientists. Overall, the framework offers a way to study the cognitive science of human-machine interactions that respects the diversity of social machines, individuals' expectations and experiences, and the structure and function of multiple cognitive and brain systems.
Topics: Brain; Cognitive Neuroscience; Cognitive Science; Humans; Robotics
PubMed: 33384213
DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2020.11.009 -
Trends in Cognitive Sciences Aug 2022Experimental studies in cognitive science typically focus on the population average effect. An alternative is to test each individual participant and then quantify the...
Experimental studies in cognitive science typically focus on the population average effect. An alternative is to test each individual participant and then quantify the proportion of the population that would show the effect: the prevalence, or participant replication probability. We argue that this approach has conceptual and practical advantages.
Topics: Cognitive Science; Humans; Probability
PubMed: 35710894
DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2022.05.008 -
PloS One 2020A novel two-dimensional matrix taxonomy, or atlas, of personality, emotion and behaviour is presented. The two dimensions of the atlas, affiliation and dominance, are...
A novel two-dimensional matrix taxonomy, or atlas, of personality, emotion and behaviour is presented. The two dimensions of the atlas, affiliation and dominance, are demonstrated to have theoretical foundations in neurobiology and social psychology. Both dimensions are divided into five ordinal categories, creating a square matrix of 25 cells. A new catalogue of 20,669 English words descriptive of personality, emotion, behaviour, and power is also presented. The catalogue is more comprehensive than previous catalogues, and is novel in its inclusion of intrapersonal, group, and societal behaviours. All words in the catalogue were scored according to the atlas, facilitating visualisation in two dimensions. This enabled a contiguous and novel comparison of existing psychological taxonomies, as well as broader societal concepts such as leadership, ethics, and crime. Using the atlas, a novel psychological test is developed with improved sensitivity and specificity.
Topics: Behavior; Catalogs as Topic; Emotions; Humans; Personality; Psychology
PubMed: 31961895
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0227877 -
British Journal of Health Psychology Sep 2020Purpose An oral history of the development of health psychology in the United Kingdom. Methods Standard oral history methods produced interviews with 53 UK health...
Purpose An oral history of the development of health psychology in the United Kingdom. Methods Standard oral history methods produced interviews with 53 UK health psychologists, averaging 92 min in length. All interviewees entered the field from the 1970s to the 2000s, representing all four countries in the United Kingdom. A reconstructive mode of analysis, along with the few existing sources, was used to create a narrative of the history of health psychology in the United Kingdom. Audio recordings and transcripts will be archived for use by future researchers. Findings In the 1970s, medical schools in London recruited psychologists to teach, while also conducting pragmatic research on issues in healthcare. At the same time, some clinical psychologists began to work with physical health conditions in general hospitals. Partly influenced by developments in the United States and Europe, an identity of 'health psychology' developed and spread to researchers and practitioners doing work in psychology and health. In the 1980s, the field continued to attract researchers, including social psychologists working with health behaviours and outcomes, and clinical psychologists working in health care settings. During this time, it became formalized as a scientific field with the creation of the BPS Health Psychology Section, courses, and journals. In the 1990s, the field moved towards professional practice, which was controversial with other BPS divisions. However, it continued to grow and develop through the 2000s and 2010s. Conclusion Reflections on the development of UK health psychology represent the first historical narrative produced from oral testimony of those who were present at the time. Statement of Contribution What is already known on this subject? Health psychology emerged in the 1970s, initially in the United States following an APA Task Force report. It developed from a range of precursor movements including psychosomatic medicine, while in the United Kingdom medical psychology was an additional precursor. The development of health psychology has been discussed for a range of countries including the United States and others, but historical scholarship relating to the United Kingdom has been limited. What does this study add? From an oral history project, a narrative of UK health psychology's development is built up. Influences included opportunities at medical schools from the 1970s onward. Growing interest in health behaviours as a test of social psychology theory was important. The experiences of clinical psychologists working in health care settings are demonstrated. Multidisciplinary influences on the emergence and shaping of health psychology are evident.
Topics: Behavioral Medicine; Europe; Female; Humans; London; Male; Psychology; United Kingdom; United States
PubMed: 32314477
DOI: 10.1111/bjhp.12418 -
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... Feb 2023Research concerning concepts in the cognitive sciences has been dominated by the information-processing approach, which has resulted in a certain narrowing of the range... (Review)
Review
Research concerning concepts in the cognitive sciences has been dominated by the information-processing approach, which has resulted in a certain narrowing of the range of questions and methods of investigation. Recent trends have sought to broaden the scope of such research, but they have not yet been integrated within a theoretical framework that would allow us to reconcile new perspectives with the insights already obtained. In this paper, we focus on the processes involved in early concept acquisition and demonstrate that certain aspects of these processes remain largely understudied. These aspects include the primacy of movement and coordination with others within a structured social environment as well as the importance of first-person experiences pertaining to perception and action. We argue that alternative approaches to cognition, such as ecological psychology, enactivism and interactivism, are helpful for foregrounding these understudied areas. These approaches can complement the extant research concerning concepts to help us obtain a more comprehensive view of knowledge structures, thus providing us with a new perspective on recurring problems, suggesting novel questions and enriching our methodological toolbox. This article is part of the theme issue 'Concepts in interaction: social engagement and inner experiences'.
Topics: Humans; Concept Formation; Love; Cognition; Cognitive Science; Knowledge
PubMed: 36571127
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0356 -
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... Mar 2021Valuing goods and selecting the one with the highest value forms the basis of adaptive behaviour across species. While it is obvious that the valuation of a given type... (Review)
Review
Valuing goods and selecting the one with the highest value forms the basis of adaptive behaviour across species. While it is obvious that the valuation of a given type of goods depends on ownership and availability of that type of goods, the effects of other goods on valuation of the original good are sometimes underappreciated. Yet, goods interact with each other, indicating that the valuation of a given good is conditional on the other goods it is combined with, both in the wild and the laboratory. Here, we introduce conditional valuation in the context of valuing multiple goods and briefly review how human and animal experimentalists can leverage economic tools for the study of interactions among goods. We then review evidence for conditional valuation for combined foods in both human and non-human primates. In the laboratory, non-human primates show increased valuation of certain combinations of foods but decreased valuation of other types of combinations. Thus, similarly to humans, monkeys appear to value combinations of goods in a conditional fashion. Additionally, both humans and monkeys appear to employ similar neural substrates for the valuation of single goods, such as the orbitofrontal cortex. Together, investigations of our evolutionary precursors may provide insights on how we value interacting goods. This article is part of the theme issue 'Existence and prevalence of economic behaviours among non-human primates'.
Topics: Animals; Choice Behavior; Decision Making; Economics, Behavioral; Food Preferences; Primates
PubMed: 33423622
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0669