Brain-computer interfaces, disability, and the stigma of refusal: A factorial vignette study.

As brain-computer interfaces are promoted as assistive devices, some researchers worry that this promise to "restore" individuals worsens stigma toward disabled people and fosters unrealistic expectations. In three web-based survey experiments with vignettes, we tested how refusing a brain-computer interface in the context of disability affects cognitive (blame), emotional (anger), and behavioral (coercion) stigmatizing attitudes (Experiment 1, N = 222) and whether the effect of a refusal is affected by the level of brain-computer interface functioning (Experiment 2, N = 620) or the risk of malfunctioning (Experiment 3, N = 620). We found that refusing a brain-computer interface increased blame and anger, while brain-computer interface functioning did change the effect of a refusal. Higher risks of device malfunctioning partially reduced stigmatizing attitudes and moderated the effect of refusal. This suggests that information about disabled people who refuse a technology can increase stigma toward them. This finding has serious implications for brain-computer interface regulation, media coverage, and the prevention of ableism.

Ethical aspects of the work conditions of public safety personnel: a need for attention and solidarity.

The work of public safety personnel (PSP; e.g. firefighters, police officers, and paramedics, among others) is essential to society but is practically and ethically complex, especially with the increased challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The strain on mental health in this population of workers and volunteers has been the focus of recent research. New programs and strategies are being developed and implemented in order to address the causes and implications of mental health problems at the individual and organizational levels in Canada and elsewhere. Yet, the properly ethical aspects of the work and work conditions of PSP have largely fallen outside the scope of public health research. There are few empirical studies on moral distress and moral injury of Canadian PSP, and the rich and complex moral life of these workers is often obfuscated by a pervasive, stoic, militaristic moral model that generally aligns with narrow biomedical treatment approaches. We argue that the lack of attention to the public, social, and ethical aspects of the moral distress and moral injuries experienced by PSP in Canada warrants greater public and academic awareness, more research on experiences of moral distress and moral injury in PSP, and evidence-informed training and support programs for individuals and organizations.

RéSUMé: Le travail du personnel de la sécurité publique (PSP; incluant, entre autres, les pompiers.ères, les officiers.ères de police, les ambulanciers.ères paramédicaux) est essentiel à la société, mais il est complexe sur le plan pratique et éthique, en particulier avec les défis accrus posés par la pandémie de COVID-19. La pression exercée sur la santé mentale de cette population de travailleurs et de bénévoles a fait l'objet de recherches récentes. De nouveaux programmes et des stratégies sont élaborés et mis en œuvre afin de s'attaquer aux causes et aux répercussions des problèmes de santé mentale aux niveaux individuel et organisationnel au Canada et ailleurs. Pourtant, les aspects proprement éthiques du travail et des conditions de travail du PSP sont peu abordés dans la recherche en santé publique. Il existe peu d'études empiriques sur la détresse morale et les blessures morales du PSP canadien, et la vie morale riche et complexe de ces travailleurs est souvent obscurcie par un modèle moral omniprésent, stoïque et militariste qui s'aligne généralement sur des approches de traitement biomédicales étroites. Nous soutenons que le manque d'attention aux aspects publics, sociaux et éthiques de la détresse morale et des blessures morales subies par le PSP au Canada justifie une plus grande sensibilisation du public et des universitaires, plus de recherche sur les expériences de détresse morale et de blessures morales chez le PSP, et des programmes de formation et de soutien individuels et organisationnels éclairés par des données probantes.

Cognitive Enhancement: Unanswered Questions About Human Psychology and Social Behavior.

Stimulant drugs, transcranial magnetic stimulation, brain-computer interfaces, and even genetic modifications are all discussed as forms of potential cognitive enhancement. Cognitive enhancement can be conceived as a benefit-seeking strategy used by healthy individuals to enhance cognitive abilities such as learning, memory, attention, or vigilance. This phenomenon is hotly debated in the public, professional, and scientific literature. Many of the statements favoring cognitive enhancement (e.g., related to greater productivity and autonomy) or opposing it (e.g., related to health-risks and social expectations) rely on claims about human welfare and human flourishing. But with real-world evidence from the social and psychological sciences often missing to support (or invalidate) these claims, the debate about cognitive enhancement is stalled. In this paper, we describe a set of crucial debated questions about psychological and social aspects of cognitive enhancement (e.g., intrinsic motivation, well-being) and explain why they are of fundamental importance to address in the cognitive enhancement debate and in future research. We propose studies targeting social and psychological outcomes associated with cognitive enhancers (e.g., stigmatization, burnout, mental well-being, work motivation). We also voice a call for scientific evidence, inclusive of but not limited to biological health outcomes, to thoroughly assess the impact of enhancement. This evidence is needed to engage in empirically informed policymaking, as well as to promote the mental and physical health of users and non-users of enhancement.

Rehabilitation culture and its impact on technology: unpacking practical conditions for ultrabilitation.

Purpose: It has been proposed that rehabilitation practice expand its aims beyond recovery to "ultrabilitation," but only if certain biological, technological, and psychosocial conditions are met. There is thus an opportunity to connect ultrabilitation, as a concept, to adjacent literature on assistive technology and sociotechnical systems.Method: We draw on insights from sociology of technology and responsible innovation, as well as concrete examples of neural devices and the culture of rehabilitation practice, to further refine our understanding of the conditions of possibility for ultrabilitation.Results: "Assistive" technologies can indeed be re-imagined as "ultrabilitative," but this shift is both psychosocial and technological in nature, such that rehabilitation professionals will likely play a key role in this shift. There is not, however, sufficient evidence to suggest whether they will support or hinder ultrabilitative uses of technology.Conclusion: Advancing the idea and project of ultrabilitation must be grounded in a nuanced understanding of actual rehabilitation practice and the norms of broader society, which can be gained from engaging with adjacent literatures and by conducting further research on technology use in rehabilitation contexts.Implications for rehabilitation"Assistive" technologies can be conceptually re-imagined as "ultrabilitative" technologies, expanding their utility from recovery to enhancement and flourishing.Actual development and use of ultrabilitative technology is both a technical and psychosocial challenge, and its success depends on the cultural context in which technology is situated.Further empirical research is needed on the ways in which rehabilitation culture and the norms of broader society might impact or even inhibit the use of ultrabilitative technology.

Healthcare uses of artificial intelligence: Challenges and opportunities for growth.

Forms of Artificial Intelligence (AI), like deep learning algorithms and neural networks, are being intensely explored for novel healthcare applications in areas such as imaging and diagnoses, risk analysis, lifestyle management and monitoring, health information management, and virtual health assistance. Expected benefits in these areas are wide-ranging and include increased speed in imaging, greater insight into predictive screening, and decreased healthcare costs and inefficiency. However, AI-based clinical tools also create a host of situations wherein commonly-held values and ethical principles may be challenged. In this short column, we highlight three potentially problematic aspects of AI use in healthcare: (1) dynamic information and consent, (2) transparency and ownership, and (3) privacy and discrimination. We discuss their impact on patient/client, clinician, and health institution values and suggest ways to tackle this impact. We propose that AI-related ethical challenges may represent an opportunity for growth in organizations.