Under the Cortex

Community Engagement in Psychological Research

What are the important considerations that researchers should take when they work with underrepresented communities? 

In this episode, Under the Cortex hosts Patricia Rodriguez Espinosa and Luz Garcini in follow up to their thought-provoking appearance in APS’s Science for Society Webinar, “Helping Underrepresented Populations Through Community-Oriented Research.” Dr. Rodriguez Espinosa, PhD., MPH, is a native of Habana, Cuba, and a clinical psychologist by training. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Population Health and also serves as the Associate Director of Research for the Office of Community Engagement at Stanford Medicine. The goal of her research is to decrease health inequities among racial/ethnic minority populations, particularly Latinx and immigrant communities, through transdisciplinary and community-engaged scholarship. Dr. Luz Garcini is the Interim Director of the Center for Community and Public Health at the Kinder Institute for Urban Research, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences, and a faculty scholar at the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University. Her research focuses on identifying, understanding, and addressing the health needs of historically marginalized communities from a community-engaged approach. 

As experts in the field, Espinosa and Garcini share their ideas and best practices about how to center community voices in psychological research. The conversation with Özge G. Fischer-Baum highlights why such efforts are important for meaningful research with marginalized groups. Conducting research in a manner that involves the community and provides direct avenues for them to be empowered through new knowledge or addressing their needs allows research to have a more bi-directional benefit. 

If you want to know more about this research, visit https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/community-research 

Information Avoidance in the Modern Age

In this episode, Under the Cortex hosts Jeremy Foust from Kent State University about his new paper in Perspectives on Psychological Science titled “Information Avoidance: Past Perspectives and Future Directions.” The conversation with APS’s Özge G. Fischer-Baum starts with defining information avoidance and then explores some of the factors that impact whether someone will choose to avoid information. Foust and Fischer-Baum also dive into me-search and how social media has or has not impacted the ways we take in information. 

If you want to know more about this research, visit psychologicalscience.org.

Linking Developmental Delays and Parenting Strategies With Inclusivity in Mind

How do parents adjust their behavior in the context of neurodiversity? 

Under the Cortex features Alexandra Sullivan (University of California, San Francisco), a psychological scientist who studies the link between parenting and developmental delays. In this episode, Sullivan and APS’s Özge G. Fischer-Baum discuss parenting strategies with an inclusive approach. 

Sullivan also recently published an article on this topic in APS’s journal Psychological Science. 

If you want to know more about this research, visit psychologicalscience.org. 

Is Our Early Attachment Our Destiny? Finding the Link Between Attachment Patterns and Personality Disorders

Attachment is a recent popular topic that has entered the public eye, but psychological researchers have been investigating attachment patterns for decades. What is the relationship between early attachment personality disorders? Is there an overlap?  

APS’s journal Clinical Psychological Science features an article with a new perspective into how attachment style can be linked to personality disorders. In this episode of Under the Cortex, the two psychological scientists who wrote the article, Madison Smith from Northwestern University and Susan South from Purdue University talk with Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum about the role of early relationships in shaping one’s personality by addressing the undeniable need of forming attachment with loved ones. The conversation starts with Smith’s academic journey into linking the fields of attachment and personality science. The researchers also highlight the fact that attachment researchers and personality disorder experts do not typically talk to each other, but this research provides an opportunity to reduce this gap. 

Guilty as Charged: How We Contribute to Polarizing Content on Social Media

What goes viral social media and why? Do people value information-based content less favorably than misinformation? Why do we click more on polarizing content than neutral information? 

 

In this episode, Under the Cortex hosts Dr. Steven Rathje from New York University. Rathje’s research explores what people think about social media content and what motivates their online behavior. 

Rathje and APS’s Özge G. Fischer-Baum explore the implications for societal change, in-group and out-group behavior, and emotional choices on internet usage. 

If you want to know more about this research, visit psychologicalscience.org. 

Getting Your Research Published: Insights on Academic Publishing with Simine Vazire

Under the Cortex biweekly hosts authors of peer-reviewed articles. In this week’s episode, we do things a little differently, take a step back, and explore what happens on the editorial side of scientific publishing. 

Simine Vazire, the incoming Editor-in-Chief of APS’s journal Psychological Science, joined Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum to discuss her plans to further advance the practices of inclusivity in APS’s flagship journal, she highlighted the current disadvantages in academic publishing in general and said that APS is a leader in  supporting psychological scientists. The conversation evolved into topics of writing in English as a borrowed language, hidden curriculum in publishing and constructive practices such as pre-registration and reporting conflict of interest. 

Do Risky Drinkers Think Differently? Insights From Cognitive Experiments

What is risky drinking? What’s the cognitive profile of risky drinkers? If we know more about how risky drinkers think, is it easier to develop models for preventive measures? 

APS’s Özge G. Fischer Baum approaches these questions with a cognitive lens in an interview with Elizabeth Goldfarb from Yale University. Fischer Baum and Goldfarb discuss how risky drinkers generalize and overgeneralize categories differently from the general population. The conversation evolves into ideas about possible interventions for alcohol-use and other substance abuse. 

Goldfarb also published on this topic in APS’s flagship journal, Psychological Science.  

If you want to know more about this research, visit psychologicalscience.org. 

Do Lockdown Drills Create Anxiety? New Research Says No

How does gun violence affect the youth? What are the developmental outcomes of being exposed to gun violence? Do lockdown drills provide a solution, or do they further create anxiety for children? 

In this episode, Under the Cortex hosts Dr. Amanda Nickerson, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York. She highlights the developmental pathways and risk factors for being exposed to gun-related violence. Lockdown drills are on the table for discussion and Nickerson’s research does not find a direct link between the drills and anxiety. 

Nickerson also talked about this topic in APS’s new webinar series Science for Society organized by Özge G. Fischer-Baum. For more information, check out the webinar on Gun Violence and Anxiety at https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/2023-september-gun-violence-webinar.html. 

Cautionary Notes: The Science of Trigger Warnings

What is the logic behind using trigger warnings? Do they improve learning outcomes?

 

In this episode, Under the Cortex hosts Victoria Bridgland of Flinders University to explore her meta-analysis results on trigger warnings. Bridgland’s meta-analysis indicates that, contrary to popular belief, trigger warnings do not have a negative or positive effect on learning outcomes but do increase anticipatory anxiety.

 

The conversation with APS’s Özge G. Fischer-Baum evolves into implications for cultural differences and the usage of trigger warnings on social media.

Also check out a related news release on Bridgland’s article at psychologicalscience.org.

Feeling Young at Heart Comes With Well-Being Benefits

Is it true that you are only as old as you feel? Is age really just a number? Is 40 the new 30? 

 

In this episode, Under the Cortex hosts Markus Wettstein of Humboldt University of Berlin. Wettstein’s research explores the perception of subjective age in adulthood and gender, as well as generational differences in feeling young. 

The conversation with APS’s Özge G. Fischer-Baum evolves into implications for health benefits, general well-being, and possible cross-cultural differences. Wettstein also published on this topic in APS’s flagship journal, Psychological Science. The article is titled Younger Than Ever? Subjective Age is Becoming Younger and Remains More Stable in Middle-Age and Older Adults Today.