Optimally generate policy-based evidence before scaling.

Social scientists have increasingly turned to the experimental method to understand human behaviour. One critical issue that makes solving social problems difficult is scaling up the idea from a small group to a larger group in more diverse situations. The urgency of scaling policies impacts us every day, whether it is protecting the health and safety of a community or enhancing the opportunities of future generations. Yet, a common result is that, when we scale up ideas, most experience a 'voltage drop'-that is, on scaling, the cost-benefit profile depreciates considerably. Here I argue that, to reduce voltage drops, we must optimally generate policy-based evidence. Optimality requires answering two crucial questions: what information should be generated and in what sequence. The economics underlying the science of scaling provides insights into these questions, which are in some cases at odds with conventional approaches. For example, there are important situations in which I advocate flipping the traditional social science research model to an approach that, from the beginning, produces the type of policy-based evidence that the science of scaling demands. To do so, I propose augmenting efficacy trials by including relevant tests of scale in the original discovery process, which forces the scientist to naturally start with a recognition of the big picture: what information do I need to have scaling confidence?

Expanding the role of justice in secondary research using digital psychological data.

Secondary analysis of digital psychological data (DPD) is an increasingly popular method for behavioral health research. Under current practices, secondary research does not require human subjects research review so long as data are de-identified. We argue that this standard approach to the ethics of secondary research (i.e., de-identification) does not address a range of ethical risks and that greater emphasis should be placed on the ethical principle of justice. We outline the inadequacy of an individually focused research ethic for DPD and describe unaddressed "social risks" generated by secondary research of DPD. These risks exist in the "circumstances of justice": that is, a circumstance where individuals must cooperate to create a public good (e.g., research knowledge), and where it is impractical to individually exempt individuals. This requires researchers to emphasize the just allocation of benefits and burdens against a background of social cooperation. We explore six considerations for researchers who wish to conduct research with DPD without explicit consent: (a) create socially valuable knowledge, (b) fairly share the benefits and burdens of research, (c) be transparent about data use, (d) create mechanisms for withdrawal of data, (e) ensure that stakeholders can provide input into the design and implementation of the research, and (f) responsibly report results. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Sustainable behaviours for environment and health challenges: Behavioural and Cultural Insights policy brief

Behaviours are central to many environmental and health challenges, including actions by individuals, communities, commerce, industry and health service providers. Infrastructure, service and information provision, legislation, and regulation all play critical roles in enabling, supporting and promoting positive behaviours for a sustainable future. Behavioural and cultural insights (BCI) provide an approach to systematically understand behaviour and facilitate the changes needed to disrupt the negative impacts and promote positive environmental impacts on our health. This policy brief explores how a BCI approach can improve outcomes by increasing understanding of behavioural and cultural determinants, and by creating more evidence-based and cost-effective policies and interventions to address environment and health challenges.

Health equity is not possible without addressing disparities.

Health equity is the aspirational assurance of optimal health for all. Synonymous with fair and just opportunities for physical and mental health, equity work reflects intentional efforts to remove access barriers and allocate high-quality, need-based resources. Health equity is not possible without meaningful reductions in disparities-and evaluating progress goes further to describe, assess, and continuously evaluate fairness and social justice within structures, community contexts, and healthcare. The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) has a longstanding and deep commitment to advancing health equity. This article describes efforts in two specific areas: workforce diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and scientific initiatives. We also summarize five actionable strategies for health equity promotion in health psychology-relevant research and practice, including increasing workforce DEI, inclusive research participation, cultural competence and humility, applying community-engaged research principles, and going beyond "do no harm." Meaningful equity work often requires major shifts in approaches, dedicated resources, and targeted efforts toward social justice. The current emphasis on addressing health disparities and understanding the structural factors underlying them presents unequivocal opportunities for changes in clinical practice and research. NIMHD seeks to support innovative health psychology and behavioral medicine research with the potential to transform health via effective and equitable interventions/treatments, systems changes, and policies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Olhares e produções de saberes: narrativas da psicologia acerca das relações raciais / Gaze and knowledge production: psychology narratives about racial relations / Mirada y producción de saber: narrativas de la psicología sobre las relaciones raciales

Este artigo realiza um percurso histórico das narrativas teóricas construídas pelas elites intelectuais brancas brasileiras sobre as relações raciais no campo psicológico, bem como os efeitos desse processo no desenvolvimento da psicologia enquanto ciência e profissão. Como a maioria de profissionais da área é branca em um país cuja maioria da população é negra, torna-se cada vez mais urgente e necessário revisitar tanto as bases da psicologia acerca das relações raciais quanto o modo como essas relações se dão no cotidiano, com vistas a construir caminhos para pensar teoria e prática comprometidas com a igualdade racial. Nesse sentido, tecem-se considerações sobre as narrativas teóricas acerca das relações raciais no campo científico brasileiro, destacando o lugar da psicologia nesse percurso. Em seguida, discutem-se as relações entre as perspectivas da realidade social e das produções de saberes nesse campo. Ainda mais especificamente no campo da psicologia, evidenciam-se os paradigmas que orientaram os estudos sobre as relações raciais na área e, por fim, aponta-se um caminho possível para a construção de uma ciência psicológica compromissada com a igualdade racial.(AU)

This paper presents a historical overview of the theoretical narratives constructed by white Brazilian intellectual elites about race relations within psychology and its the effects on the development of Psychology as a science and a profession. As psychology professionals are white, whereas the majority of the population is black, it is increasingly urgent and necessary to revisit the foundations of psychology on everyday life racial relations, towards a theory and practice committed to racial equality. The text presents considerations on the theoretical narratives about race relations in the Brazilian scientific field, highlighting the role played by psychology. It then discusses the relations between social reality and knowledge production in this field. Regarding psychology specifically, it highlights the paradigms that guided studies on race relations in the field and proposes a possible way to develop a psychological science committed to racial equality.(AU)

Este trabajo realiza un recorrido histórico sobre las narrativas teóricas construidas por las élites intelectuales brasileñas blancas sobre las relaciones raciales en el campo de la Psicología, y los efectos de este proceso en el desarrollo de la psicología como ciencia y profesión. Como la mayoría de los profesionales en el área son blancos en un país donde la mayoría de la población es negra, es cada vez más urgente y necesario revisar los fundamentos de la psicología sobre las relaciones raciales, y cómo son estas relaciones en la vida cotidiana, para que podamos construir teoría y práctica comprometidas con la igualdad racial. Primero, se reflexionará sobre las narrativas teóricas de las relaciones raciales en este campo científico brasileño, destacando el lugar de la psicología en este camino. Luego, se discutirán las relaciones entre las perspectivas sobre la realidad social y la producción de conocimiento en este campo. Aún más específicamente en el campo de la psicología, se resaltarán los paradigmas que guiaron los estudios sobre las relaciones raciales en el área y, finalmente, se señalará un posible camino en la construcción de una ciencia psicológica comprometida con la igualdad racial.(AU)

Interrater reliability for multilevel data: A generalizability theory approach.

Current interrater reliability (IRR) coefficients ignore the nested structure of multilevel observational data, resulting in biased estimates of both subject- and cluster-level IRR. We used generalizability theory to provide a conceptualization and estimation method for IRR of continuous multilevel observational data. We explain how generalizability theory decomposes the variance of multilevel observational data into subject-, cluster-, and rater-related components, which can be estimated using Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) estimation. We explain how IRR coefficients for each level can be derived from these variance components, and how they can be estimated as intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). We assessed the quality of MCMC point and interval estimates with a simulation study, and showed that small numbers of raters were the main source of bias and inefficiency of the ICCs. In a follow-up simulation, we showed that a planned missing data design can diminish most estimation difficulties in these conditions, yielding a useful approach to estimating multilevel interrater reliability for most social and behavioral research. We illustrated the method using data on student-teacher relationships. All software code and data used for this article is available on the Open Science Framework: https://osf.io/bwk5t/. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Behavioural oncology research in Africa: Lessons from the last two decades and key considerations moving forward.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the state of behavioural oncology research in Africa and outline key considerations for future research. METHODS: Five bibliographic databases were searched to identify original English-language articles published between January 2000 and August 2020. The Behavioural Epidemiology Framework was applied to studies with data/findings from Africa to delineate their current state. Research gaps/opportunities available for behavioural oncology research in Africa were further highlighted. RESULTS: Two hundred eighty-seven original research with findings from Africa has been published over the last two decades, with the highest contribution arising from Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia and South Africa. Cervical and breast cancers were the most widely investigated. Prominently studied behaviours relate to cancer screening, health literacy, lifestyle, and vaccination. Behavioural oncology literature in Africa is generally in Phases I and III and lacks in measurement studies (<2%) and studies that seek to evaluate behaviour change/health promotion interventions (<6%) or translate them into practice (13.2%). CONCLUSION: Embracing new and progressive approaches, including methodological/analytical paradigms and implementation science is imperative to advance the frontiers of behavioural oncology research in Africa. This calls for a responsive research approach that can mobilise multidisciplinary/multilevel coalitions, ensuring a research structure that effectively integrates behavioural research and cancer prevention/control in the region.

Setting up behavioural insights units for improved health outcomes: considerations for national health authorities

Understanding human behaviour and its cultural contexts can offer powerful insights to support healthy behaviours in people’s daily lives and the way they use health services. Many countries are increasingly investing in understanding the behavioural, cultural and social factors that influence behaviour to achieve more evidence-informed, effective and people-centred policies and services. A dedicated behavioural insights (BI) unit in a ministry of health, public health institute or other institution can drive the implementation and impact of BI. These units are likely to draw on different disciplines and have different names and focus areas (for simplicity, all such units are referred to in this document as BI units). Based on the experience of others who have set up such units, this document offers eight considerations for countries that wish to set up BI units: ensure buy-in and involve stakeholders; determine location; identify funding; develop a strategy; plan staffing and upskilling of team members; identify focus areas of health; plan projects: a mix of complex projects, early wins and policy advice; manage ethical questions. Every country in the WHO European Region is different. The eight considerations offer a starting point for assessing how to set up a BI unit to help drive better health for all.

Healthy Aging-Relevant Goals: The Role of Person-Context Co-construction.

OBJECTIVES: This article considers how individuals' motivation for healthy aging manifests within the myriad of different contexts that older adults are embedded in as they move through later life. METHODS: Drawing on the concept of co-construction, we argue that persons and contexts both contribute to the emergence, maintenance, and disengagement from healthy aging relevant goals in adulthood and old age. RESULTS: To promote the understanding of such co-constructive dynamics, we propose four conceptual refinements of previous healthy aging models. First, we outline various different, often multidirectional, ways in which persons and contexts conjointly contribute to how people set, pursue, and disengage from health goals. Second, we promote consideration of context as involving unique, shared, and interactive effects of socio-economic, social, physical, care/service, and technology dimensions. Third, we highlight how the relevance, utility, and nature of these context dimensions and their role in co-constructing health goals change as individuals move through the Third Age, the Fourth Age, and a terminal stages of life. Finally, we suggest that these conceptual refinements be linked to established (motivational) theories of lifespan development and aging. DISCUSSIONS: In closing, we outline a set of research questions that promise to advance our understanding of the mechanisms by which contexts and aging persons co-construct healthy aging relevant goals and elaborate on the applied significance of this approach for common public health practices.

Social and behavioral science at the forefront of genomics: Discovery, translation, and health equity.

This special issue highlights the unique role that social and behavioral science has to play at the forefront of genomics. Through the introduction of papers comprising this special issue, we outline priority research areas at the nexus of genomics and the social and behavioral sciences. These include: Discovery science; clinical and community translation, and equity, including engagement and inclusion of diverse populations in genomic science. We advocate for genomic discovery that considers social context, neural, cognitive, and behavioral endophenotypes, and that is grounded in social and behavioral science research and theory. Further, the social and behavioral sciences should play a leadership role in identifying best practices for effective clinical and community translation of genomic discoveries. Finally, inclusive research that engages diverse populations is necessary for genomic discovery and translation to benefit all. We also highlight ways that genomics can be a fruitful testbed for the development and refinement of social and behavioral science theory. Indeed, an expanded ecological lens that runs from genomes to society will be required to fully understand human behavior.

Implications of culture of honor theory and research for practitioners and prevention researchers.

Since the seminal publication of Nisbett and Cohen in 1996 linking the higher rates of violence in the Southern United States compared with the Northern United States to a "culture of honor," researchers have paid increasing attention to conceptualizing honor and identifying its underlying psychological mechanisms and its behavioral outcomes. The concern for reputation and other values embedded in culture of honor act as potential sociocultural risk factors for several major social problems in the United States. The aim of this article is to review the recent research on culture of honor and to discuss its societal implications by focusing on 3 pressing social problems: intimate partner aggression, school violence, and reluctance to seek mental health care. Relative to Whites in northern states, White populations in the southern and western states (considered to have cultures of honor) have higher levels of intimate partner violence, more school shootings, and are less likely to seek mental health care. We also briefly review the incidence of these issues among American Latinx groups, another culture of honor. We suggest ways that the scientific findings on culture of honor can enhance prevention and intervention efforts in education, health, and mental health care settings. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Molecular (moment-to-moment) and molar (aggregate) analyses of behavior.

Ten meanings or usages of the terms molecular and molar analyses are based on (1) numbers of responses, (2) durations of activities, (3) levels, (4) scales, (5) contiguity versus correlation, (6) behavioral standards, (7) function with or without structure, (8) local versus global phenomena, and (9) control by shaping of sequential moment-to-moment behavior. These usages reveal divisive viewpoints along with ambiguities in the Law of Effect, the definition of an operant, response strength, response probability, random behavior, time allocation, shaping, controlled versus uncontrolled operants, and roles for ordinary language. Usage 10 is less divisive and combines, and in that sense unifies, molecular behavior, defined as shaped moment-to-moment sequential behaving, and molar, defined as averages of aggregates of those shaped responses. It combines shaping, that establishes and changes operant behaviors, and strengthening that changes the amounts of those shaped behaviors. I conclude that general behavioral theory will combine strengthening with such methods as parametric, hybrid, or nonparametric shaping, and will use computational methods to simulate moment-to-moment behavior streams from which any aggregates of theoretical interest may be computed. Such a synthesis may not require different levels, scales, or new scientific paradigms.

Mainstreaming Gender: An Examination of Feminist Methodology in Social Work Research.

Despite gender being central to any given social issue and the profession of social work's commitment to social justice, gender and gender inequality remain tangential to mainstream social work goals as partially indicated by the Grand Challenges for Social Work initiative led by the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare. Feminist methodologists prioritize the investigation of gender inequality by elevating the voices of oppressed groups, particularly women, using qualitative and mixed-methods studies, focusing on structural social change, and emphasizing the need for intersectional inquiry. Feminist and other critical methodologies frame structural inequality as central to the examination of all social issues and research questions. This study investigates the extent to which gender and gender inequality are investigated in mainstream social work research. Specifically, drawing on 404 research articles from three mainstream social work journals, this research relies on content analysis to demonstrate the dearth of studies examining gender and gender inequality in mainstream social work research. This work also presents opportunities for social workers to position gender as central to understanding persisting structural inequalities of the 21st century and work toward a more equitable social order.

The Role of Gender in Adolescent Dating Abuse: An Interpretive Meta-Synthesis of the Qualitative Literature.

The role of gender has received considerable attention in the academic literature on intimate partner violence (IPV). The Grand Challenges for Social Work take a gender-neutral approach, without regard to the influence of gender on adolescent development and dating relationships. This positioning is inconsistent with gender mainstreaming approaches that have been integrated into international framings of IPV. The purpose of this article is to conduct a qualitative interpretive meta-synthesis to investigate how gender is represented in research on adolescent dating abuse across qualitative literature (N = 17 articles). Results underscore that gender influences the impact of abuse, with female adolescents more likely to be fearful in relationships, at higher risk for damage to their social standing, and more likely to be blamed for the abuse. Gender-specific attitudes affect perceptions of the seriousness of abuse, antecedents of abuse, and rationales for perpetrating violence. Findings across the studies indicate that adolescents have internalized gender scripts. Therefore, strategies to prevent dating abuse need to be cognizant of the socializing role of gender and the myriad ways it influences adolescents' lived experiences. Therefore, the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare should consider revising the language of the existing challenges to mainstream gender.