These edited reports were originally posted to the Current Topics, Therapy Online, and Cyberpsychology list-servs, August 2011.  

2011 Convention Highlights:
2011: eHealth Odyssey | Googling, Twittering, Poking | Zimbardo: Reflections + Enduring Lessons from 40 Years Ago: Stanford Prison Experiment Opening Ceremony/Keynote
Avatar-based Treatments | Canine Cognition: Chaser | Aaron T. Beck @90 | CCBT | Seligman: Flourish | Psychology, Technology, Virtual & Augmented Reality | Relationships 3.0
POKE ME: How Social Networks Can Both Help and Harm Our Kids | 'Monastic' Psychology Studies | Telehealth and Telepsychology Licensure - Barriers and Possible Solutions



 

"Asynchronously Live" from Washington, D.C.

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*DISCLAIMER*
I was very careful to take accurate notes during these presentations (including several pithy verbatim quotes), using handouts and/or photos of graphics to verify my notes. I apologize for any remaining errors or typos, and will be happy to immediately correct any mis-quotes, mis-attributions or mis-spellings brought to my attention. I welcome presenters' submission of additional online references which are relevant to (or mentioned in) these reports. Thanks, and... Enjoy! I hope you find this slice of psychology interesting and informative.

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APA CONVENTION REPORT #1

August 3, 2011





Asynchronously Live from Washington!

Following is my first report, "asynchronously live" as the events are still happening and what I'm about to describe took place only minutes ago.

These are immediate, quickly-typed reports in an effort to present things the day they are happening, to share the information and excitement and try to impart a "flavor" of the events. I will include photographs as I polish these "live drafts" into edited/proofread form and turn some of it into articles online. I can't post the photos from here, but will let everyone know when I've updated/honed the articles, with photos, editing, etc. In fact, you'll be the first to know.

And now, without further adieu, here comes APA Convention 2011!
 
--

Greetings from Washington DC. I’d love to be able to begin with a nice blue-sky day by the monuments, but I arrived to persistent rain. No matter, more time to finalize and strategize.

This year promises to see many more mainstream presentations (the major divisions and invited speakers) which involve technology, particularly Internet and computer-assisted applications (from therapy to healthcare record keeping to a much more widespread interest in the fast and furious societal and generational changes and their interaction with the “new media”, “social networks”, and the new marketing.

The "Net Lounge", with Wifi, charging stations, family areas, and applications


There will be several events I will attend in an effort to hear some of the most prolific researchers and practitioners and educators, addressing the “big themes” of our day, some like past days (evil, violence, positive psychology, ethics in the changing world) and some drilling down and reporting out on applied application of things like virtual reality therapies. I reported on one a few years back (use of VR with PTSD in the military), and one of the presenters is back with a new panel, which I expect to be quite interesting; one of the panelists at one symposium I’m attending is using VR as an adjunct in drug addiction treatment – not sure of the details now because it hasn’t happened yet, but you’ll be the first to hear about it.

I always love to hear from the living legends who are presenting. There are of course many, but only a few are truly revered like some of them who present here over the 119 years. (I have to confess; I missed the first 100 of them). Big names of extraordinary psychologists: Seligman, Zimbardo, Beck (who was unable to attend last year but is here now celebrating his 90th Birthday), and others ...

Plus I want to get to at least one panel by the presenters I know to have been focusing on “online mental health” for a long time, and are passionate about it. I won’t name names… you’ll see. (And here’s your chance to unsubscribe if you don’t want the few days of posts, or go from journal to daily if you want reports 'hot off the press' - yes, I know I'm so old fashioned to type in narrative and use email! -g- )

Thursday, I'm going to a presentation being introduced by the undisputed master of “Internet-Based Mental Health Applications”, who suggested this (and it sounds interesting!) – on “2011: an eHealth Odyssey”. Hey! I gave a presentation in 2001 entitled: 2001: A Cyberspace Odyssey. (Still on my website.)

“Googling, Twittering, and Poking – Helping Psychologists Take Advantage of Web 2.0 - and an APAGS (student) presentation on their New Media Resource Guide. There’s an interview with Zimbardo (there are 3, honoring 40 years since the Prison Experiment and taking a long perspective on it. I’m not sure which is the one I’m attending, but one of them for sure. Also Thursday: The Opening Session, Keynote speaker being Claude Steele of Columbia U (“Whistling Vivaldi”) and a reception with the editors of new APA journal I’m happy to see launching: Psychology of Popular Media Culture.

Friday I will likely see (and report on ) Zimbardo doing “Stanford Prison – Enduring Lessons…” (Congress?)

Friday afternoon tentatively: “Avatar-Based Recovery Using Immersive Virtual Environments to Supplement Substance Abuse Treatment” – I think many will be interested in this, including me.

Possibly some media psychology related events (like “Future of Media Psychology”) … possibly some fun things, like...

“What a Dog Teaches us About Cognition”… I’m really looking forward to this, after a different presentation a few years back ( http://www.fenichel.com/dogthink.shtml ) sparked my renewed interest in “canine cognition”. Different presenter, so should be a nice complement. “Chaser and Her Toys”

Aaron T. Beck at 90 – with Frank Farley – coming soon (also Friday) – unfortunately directly opposite Keely Kolmes, who is going to give a presentation I am sure will be great, on the "21st Century Media".

Social Hours – yay – and a night at the Newseum (a museum of journalism and media, a la Washington DC, Smithsonian, etc – a serious exhibit)

Now just hoping to be awake enough to see the computer screen – lots of presentations.. There’s more Sunday, but that can wait. Time to catch some sleep to be conscious for the first day.

And so, the 2011 Convention begins! It seems very much a part of the 21st Century, both in content and feel.

Must be getting old, but I remember audiences baffled by browsers… and there wasn’t even Facebook. Can you imagine?!

Regards from our nation’s Capital, where it is empty and rainy, with only psychologists (so it seems near the Convention Center) – and no politicians in sight! (*I’ll let others make the jokes & connection.)

“Dr. Mike”

++++++++++


"Asynchronously Live" from Washington, D.C.



APA CONVENTION REPORT #1

August 4, 2011

Greetings from Washington, and the APA’s 119th Annual Convention. On this once-again sunny day in D.C. there were a full day of events leading up to the official “Opening Ceremony”, from which I’ve just returned. Surprising myself, I managed to attend even more than I was expecting this first day, and really enjoyed both the presentations and the informal conversations and chance meetings with friends and colleagues. I’ll try to stay focused on the events themselves, but will say that I was amazed by the warmth and cordiality of Philip Zimbardo and some other luminaries of psychology. (I finally got to thank Zimbardo for sponsoring me as a plenary speaker on “Cyberspace Psychology” way back when, during his APA Presidency. Felt good…)

As I envisioned, there is a definite and persistent theme of technology in the service of people, with the APA Convention itself (in the huge Convention Center) set up with family-friendly and special-needs friendly facilities, and several “laptop charging” areas (which I observed heavily in use, with as many people seemingly walking around with laptops as with phones/”smart devices”). The big buzz among members was how “cool” a new APA app is, allowing hundreds of pages of convention activities to be organized on the small screen (or computer screen). There is also a very futuristic “Net” area with comfy seating and WiFi. Not to mention the constant references by presenters to “the new media” and “social media” and “apps” and Facebook (especially), as well as the power (and permanence) of Google search information and the power of social-like networks really meant to serve as both c.v. and discussion group tool – i.e., Linked-in. The list goes on. Topics reflected new advances in practice, education, and research. (Coincidentally, in 2001 the presentation I chaired at the invitation of Zimbardo was titled “Cyberspace Travels for Psychological Researchers, Educators & Practitioners [ http://www.fenichel.com/cybertravels.shtml ] As the opening ceremony would later remind us, psychology encompasses these various aspects: education, research and practice. It seems to me we have arrived in the 21st Century now, with much more acceptance and integration of technological tools in our daily lives, including our work as well as our indulgences. With that as context:

 


SYMPOSIUM 1184: Googling, Twittering, and Poking – Helping Psychologists Take Advantage of Web 2.0 and the APAGS New Media Resource Guide.

One co-presenter could not be present, but Ali Mattu was quite prepared and gave a very engaging and crisply paced presentation, fielding some interesting audience questions (mostly non-student psychologists) .

As the title suggests, there were 2 parts to this, a general overview of this Web 2.0/3.0 global culture, and secondly an introduction to the APA/APAG’s forthcoming guide to new media.

Actually, this presentation was organized into 3 parts: 1) The Times Are Changing 2) Be Like Gaga and 3) Sword of Gryffindor [Would you belief spellcheck just corrected my spelling of Gryffindor – but still won’t accept “spellcheck”? Love it!]

OK, keeping it brief since this is pithy (and again the handouts weren’t available and I’m awaiting receipt by email)…. And there are some other great events today still.

My interpretation/experience:

1. The Times are a changing - of course noted as a bow to Dylan, who Mattu quoted as a good parallel to this generation, a time of revolutions, hope & change. Not only is the new technology constant, and lifestyles adapting and adopting, but it can be scary to see just how easily anything we ever posted (or anyone else posted about us or using our photo) can be found – “forever”. Even though he’s old enough to remember life without Internet (“the last generation”), he gets “shocked and scared” when he sees historic posts from 1990’s blogs. And then there’s Facebook as both a social network and public bulletin board. He showed some humorous (but true) slides about someone giving excuses to his boss about where he was the day before and someone else emailed a photo of him in a rather unflattering outfit which he had himself posted the day before.

"So how *did* people here find out about Marsha Linehan's story?" (One person said "front page of the NY Times" everyone else mentioned an online source.) The times they are a changin’. That point made.

Some discussion on “New Media”, one of the foci here – and must it be an “opposite” to “old media”? There are complete revolutions: Google... Wikipedia.

Here he cited evidence of these being reliable resources, along with the NY Times – online. (Research apparently shows the quality of Wikipedia at par with print encyclopedias! I will post the link if it’s part of his handouts.

Oh, and there is Linked-in, "social networking for professionals". In part “an online c.v.” And Twitter: “Broadcasting to the world”. Of course egos can be bruised if you follow someone and they don’t follow you back (he said in mock hurt)... But more broadly, “Twitter is like a pulse.”

Some Q&A – on microblogging, lifestyles versus “tools”.

Some web metrics:

• Facebook is the world’s “3rd largest country”
• 61% of FB users are over the age of 35
• MySpace is now largely defunct

I wasn’t expecting to get to go to this today, but was glad I did!
 


Interview with Phillip Zimbardo, by Wade Pickren (Toronto)

Before the event I had a chance to chat briefly with Dr. Zimbardo (f2f) and I was impressed how he seemed so calm and healthy. He looked well. I was thrilled to see this, and to hear him reflect on his life experiences and influences. Tomorrow, on the 40 year anniversary of the Stanford Prison Experiment, he will present for 2 hours on that now-classic psychology experiment, with co-presenters who were crucial players in that event.

Zimbardo was introduced and encouraged to reflect on various key events in his academic or personal life. And Zimbardo, who has often reflected on growing up in the South Bronx and breaking all kinds of molds and odds, spoke in detail about early family life, his journey from thinking about people as single systems rather than parts of social systems, etc.

Zimbardo had been teaching at NYU – in 1960. Earning $6000 a year. Why NYU. Students could get great educations for free at City College, or head towards Judaic studies at Yeshiva, or got to NYU – “for people in therapy and mothers who didn’t’ want their children to go away”. (I went there! And find it funny, not offensive. Fwiw) - Everyone seems to be speaking about Woody Allen today….

Back to the 60’s. Zimbardo was poor despite teaching, as he couldn’t live in NY on that salary even then. So he moonlighted at Barnard, and began thinking he didn’t want to spend his entire life in the Bronx (where NYU had a campus at the time). At the same time, “It is life in the trenches which has done me well….”

Question – How did he end up at Stanford – is it true Leon Festinger picked him up in a gold-wing Mercedes?

A: Not exactly, but he was actively wooed by Festinger and NYU was being unresponsive to his pleas for promotion – “publish more, teach more, research more. And I did.” [skipping some detail] He didn’t actually even apply to Stanford but ended up being courted – in New York. He was in awe when they told them they really wanted him although he didn’t apply: “This is the way we do it…. What do you want?” His reply: “Give me a ticket and sunglasses. I’m there.”

And “that’s what transformed me from a little kid in the Bronx to the big leagues.

Zimbardo grew up dirt poor, with a father who wanted to be a hedonist but found it hard with 4 kids. Especially as he wasn’t working, best friend’s kid’s a prostitute, etc.

It shaped him in several ways. “In general I think poor people and immigrants are typically situationist [*Keynote on this topic] We believe that social factors have a powerful impact.” As opposed to dispositionalism – free will: everything comes from within”.

Moving back in time again – it’s 1938/39. “I’m a very popular kid. I worked very hard to be popular.” But he was sickly. He spent lots of time in hospital, with serious illness himself (whooping cough?) and (being poor) in places where there were all types of diseases around him. He was in hospital for 5 months and was feeling lonely, this popular youth, because “poor people don’t have telephones” and few friends visited. He learned he was unable to depend on the doctors, or family, or friends. Really he didn’t know what would become of him as he was a victim of “genetic roulette”. Over 5 months “all my muscles atrophied”. He was tall and blue-eyed and skinny and (although being of Italian descent) people were calling him “dirty Jew”. He determined he was going to show the world and be successful. He kept changing schools though, going from popular to shunned, and ended up in college captain of the track team, class president, and then later APA president. “It’s all part of the big plan”.

He was shunned? Yes, “I endured it by developing asthma, so severe we moved back to the dirty Bronx (from N. Hollywood High school where the family briefly moved). He attended several schools in the Bronx too, one where the little boy next to him turned out to be Stanley Milgram.

"There we are, 2 situationists doing research at Yale, on attitude change and [Festinger’s] dissonance theory." He did his doctoral study on this topic.

Meanwhile, before becoming a luminary among Ivy league psych departments, back in the Bronx “my audience was essentially always my mother. Nobody else in my family finished high school much less college. She didn't want to know about dissonance theory [...but listened]" .

In 1953 his first paper as a junior was on the integration of blacks versus Puerto Ricans in the South Bronx (think 1950’s, Sharks & Jets!)

Flash forward to Stanley Schachter arranging a meeting in NY for a quick interview (Yale), a formality…. “He had 3 questions: 1. Can you run rats? [He had some wise-guy answers ready but did not say them.] 2. Can you build equipment? [Yes] 3. Can you start this summer?” He was shocked (no pun intended). A year later he published a paper with Neil Miller, as lead author.

Years later Zimbardo learned that the faculty was in fact split on hiring him. (at Yale). They declared him "likely to fail" and "embarrass his race". He grew incensed: Suma cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa – why would he fail? They assumed he was black because he was captain of the track team. True story.

Meanwhile he goes home to his mother and tells her the story of his being hired to run a rat lab and she is horrified. Actually she had a rat phobia. “We had them in the apartment. She told me, ‘you’re supposed to exterminate them, not make them smart!'”

Final question (for now) – Can he speak to his thinking now, 40 years later, about the prison experiment?

A: Actually tomorrow there is a

, author of Prejudice and Racism, proponent of a multi-layered “TRIOS"perspective, and widely known for his work on 'The Social Psychology of Time'.

KEYNOTE ADDRESS



This year’s keynote was eminent social psychologist and author Claude Steele (“Whistling Vivaldi – And other clues to how stereotypes effect us and what we can do”.)

The premise and focus of the address was that there are both stereotypes and self-expectations which account for certain groups habitually doing “worse” on specific tests (e.g., women and some higher-order math tests; African-Americans on some cognitive tests). His experience demonstrated that (basically) when one hears that “you’re not expected to do as well as group X on this test” it becomes self-fulfilling prophesy whereas if told they’ll do as well, they may (performance jumps). I found myself thinking about Zimbardo’s experience, perceived at one time as a Jew and another as black, without ever meeting him or knowing his capability”

In college, seeing the discrepancies in test results, he found himself asking when the first time was that he actually was self-aware of being black. Last day of school, 3rd grade, comparing summer plans and realizing he’d have only one afternoon a week access to the local pool. “Why?” “Who are us?"

He was beginning to think about "identity contingencies".

They’re everywhere. Who are we, what are our expectations and motivations? Psychology? “We use MRI’s now; we’re a neuroscience really... He recalled finding himself on the defensive when interviewing with a new dean, and there really was no need to defend social psychology, but he felt the need.

So then, later on he learned about Brent Staples, editorialist for the New York Times, recalling: At the U of Chicago, he found that if he was dressed casually and walking normally (albeit large statured) people would be afraid of him and cross the street or change path. His reaction: He learned that if he whistled Beatles Tunes or Vivaldi, the attitude towards him changed.

With some Gladwellian “Blink”-like implications, Steele said there is a dynamic he calls “stereotype threat” which people develop, almost an inoculation against expecting to be treated according to some stereotype despite one’s own unique qualities. Now if women were primed to do well on some math test, or blacks on some matrix task or whatever, they perform better, sometimes equal to the “better” group. Tell white or black people, “here’s a math test; Asians typically do better on it, but do your best. There’s an impact. But there was a surprise finding too – “The strongest impact was among those with the highest desire to do well.” [Think: Zimbardo's experience. Expectation, motivation, past experience, context.]

For Sandra Day O’Connor, when Ruth Ginsburg joined the Supreme Court, “it was night and day… she felt ‘normal’, not ‘the embodiment of women’”. It changed the contingencies.

Meanwhile, having to face an “identity threat is like having a snake loose in the house”. You need signs to downgrade the probability that you’re about to be bitten. One is vigilant,

Remedies? Engage in positive things: “Do the best you can to correct cues so they don’t reflect negative stereotypes” (Think: Whistling Vivaldi)

A final note/announcement by Dr. Vasquez: Longtime APA leader and Past President, Dr. Pat DeLeon is retiring this year as assistant to Senator Inouye of Hawaii, after many years of service and advocating for mental health policies. Some applause, wishes for a great convention, and an invitation to stick around a while for some post-show Funkadesi...

Good night from Washington. A long day today and a longer one tomorrow

------------

APA’s 119th Annual Convention
Asynchronously Live, Day 2

Yes it was a long day. I can’t believe I was out at great (indoor-type) events all day!

So now, for anyone who enjoys the immediate, “asynchronously live” postings as the dust settles and psychologists are still buzzing about the deep thinking and words of wisdom from luminaries like Ellis and Zimbardo, and Farley too… masters.

Friday, 5 August 2011
Washington, D.C.
 

Dr. Phillip Zimbardo spent an hour yesterday sharing his perspective on life as a survivor of poverty in the Bronx. Today he reflected his take-away from the Stanford Prison Experiment - and how he has transformed from that kid in the Bronx and that hard-core situationist who ended up running a legendary experiment at Stanford University. On this 40th Anniversary of the 4 Stanford Prison Experiment, Zimbardo he has much to share, including memories, lessons, videotapes, and some of the key participants in running the study - and ending it.

This was multimedia presentation to be sure, from computers, word-wide web (which just celebrated its own 20th anniversary this week) and videotapes made from within the "prison" - presented by a true original master. For sure, a show.

{ Just in from Alexander in Moscow - he would like Zimbardo to know how well received he was in Moscow, by psychologists there.}

Real-time multi-tasking. See? It sure works for me!

, who is here today to tell us firsthand what she saw and how she reacted:

"What really got to me was seeing a group being led down the hall to the bathroom, with bags over the head. It was... dehumanizing. I couldn't watch it!" Shattering the adrenaline and excitement of how powerful this laboratory had become and what an amazing experiment this had turned out to be, etc., she was seeing it with fresh eyes (something Zimbardo sees in retrospect was needed). A respected colleague and friend (who Zimbardo had expected to be duly impressed by the experiment), she told him soberly "I'm not sure I want to have anything to do with you, if this is the real you. You've changed." Zimbardo had become totally immersed in the system, if not actively, then through his detachment and lack of action.

Zimbardo: "So what was I to do with this woman who challenged my newfound authority?
I married her the next year, August 10, 1972, in the Stanford Church - and we made two lovely daughters and lived happily ever after."

In introducing Craig Haney, Zimbardo asked what some may be thinking, "So who complies? The majority of us."

--

1. Context matters. You can lead good people to do bad things.
2. Prisoners are people. It seems simple but we can dehumanize prisoners.
3. Mis-treatment has consequences. We saw profound consequences even in 6 days. Think about long-term...

• Democratize: Anyone can be a hero
• Demystify: Most heroes are ordinary, everyday people. Ordinary People, Extraordinary acts
• Diffuse: Away from Solo Heroes to Ensembles, working in Hero Networks
• Declare: Make a public commitment to journey towards heroism (online) - to become a "Hero-in-Waiting," and then a "Hero-in-training," doing daily deeds of service to others while building heroic strengths and virtues

Avatar-Based Recovery Using Immersive Virtual Environments

• Incarnation (from Hindu)
• Representation of a human operator in the virtual world (e.g., Second Life, game avatars, etc.)
• Human consciousness transferred to a virtual character (evident in several of the self-guided programs)
• A focal point for communication within virtual worlds (fully animated 3D avatars can interact, speak, gesture, travel, etc.)

There are a number of advanced applications as well.

Why does VR work? The physiological answer is "Homuncular Flexibility" and mirror neurons. The brain readily accepts the avatar as an extension of oneself. And what can it offer?

VR promotes:

-- A feeling of Sense

-- A sense of shared presence, sharing a space

-- Depth and breadth of information

-- Engagement

-- Connectiveness

-- Interaction

-- New abilities

Additionally, studies (e.g., New York Academy of Sciences) are demonstrating the value of using VR in conjunction with functional MRIs (fMRI) to further elucidate some of the neural activity within the brain or spinal cord.

Meanwhile, use has exploded (virtually) in terms of gaming:

-- 1/2 Billion people spend at least 1 hour a day playing online games

-- The average young person in a country with a strong gaming culture will spend 10,000 hours playing games by age 21 (Carnegie Melon U)

-- Collectively, "gamers have spent 5.9 million years solving virtual problems in 'World of Warcraft'" (Jane McGonigal)

In summing up this overview, Dr. Wexler noted the range of VR Applications we already see:

-- Medicine & Therapy

-- Clinical Psychology

-- Education

-- Entertainment

-- Government

-- Organizations & Workplace

-- Arbitration & conflict resolution

-- Solving Real World Problems

The benefits of Virtual Environments for Behavioral Healthcare are numerous. With more than 25 years of research & development, costs are down and access is up. "VE's are currently used for prevention, coaching, training, evaluation, treatment and rehabilitation."
Enhanced, integrated systems are "on the horizon".

For the clinician and referring physicians, there is the prospect of improved clinical outcomes and more rigorous documentation of progress. Patients see faster progress and are easily engaged, plus there are benefits in terms of convenience as well as reduced stigma. The practice owner has the potential for increased revenues and scalability, while governmental agencies can reduce both short- and long-term costs. Finally, schools too can benefit in terms of improved educational outcomes and potentially lowered costs within Special Education.

--

And with that, the next speaker was introduced: Dr. Ivana Steigman, who had been the director of clinical design and research at inWorldSolutions and recently assumed a similar role as VP of BehavioralContent and Design for Thrive Research.



Dr. Steigman began by focusing on how virtual modalities are responsive to clinical needs. On the clinician side, for example, we are looking at increased effectiveness and increased patient compliance. Tracking progress and maintaining records becomes easier too. On the patient side, they too can see increased success along with easy access to care. ("Access is a big word!") Also, VR/VE treatments are "ecologically valid" as they feel real and are highly engaging. In contrast, with the "traditional approach", patients may be seen once a week and be engaged by a variety of tasks such as recall, discussion and role-playing. But then they are on their own, untracked, until the next session.

In telemedicine applications, virtual environments may seem very much "real-world" (such as a practitioner's office, conference room, or battlefield simulation) or may be more fantasy-involved, like a Dragons and Dungeons. Applications tend to be immersive and avatar-based. At inWorld Solutions and OLIVE, they ran a pilot program in 2009 which utilized VR/VE components as part of a methadone treatment program, and entailed pre-test sessions and daily check-ins. In 2011 Thrive and OLIVE/InWorld introduced a full implementation: an Avatar Based Recovery Program. The program employs an interactive learning module as well as an online forum and VR support groups. As it is "all online", there is far less paperwork, and more accurate record-keeping.

The audience was shown a demonstration of one such application, an 8-week, VR-based AA group treatment platform. Avatars are seated in a circle. "My name is Kelly and I'm an alcoholic." "I'm Steve. I do have a bit of a problem..." I asked if all these avatars were actual, real participants. Answer: yes, and all from different cities.

Dr. Steigman spoke about the "behavioral wellness" orientation of Thrive (which is parent company to several projects and products). They look at 5 wellness domains. For each they establish a baseline, for example in the areas of sleep and stress. Step 2 is formulating a contract and goals. Session results are "tracked digitally - no more 'progress notes'."

The programs offer integrated support for cell phones, for example providing reminder calls when needed: "You haven't checked in today." Users are tracked and assessment summaries are generated. In addition to the direct treatment activities, a "psycho-educational treatment model" provides patients with interactive information modules (as is the case with many of the VR/VE programs seen throughout this and other sessions). Again, in terms of validity and engagement, the contexts may be a bar/tavern setting (for alcoholism issues), social settings, and other relevant contexts.

Next, a presentation on "Clinical Virtual Reality" applications, by Dr. Skip Rizzo, of University of Southern California and the Institute for Creative Technology.



This presentation was dense-packed with both research findings and multi-media demonstrations of some fascinating VR applications for health/mental health treatments. Beginning with a sample of one of the most promising new tools, "Virtual Iraq" from the Neuro Sim Lab, several other applications were demonstrated, including one with obvious value to Physical and Occupational Therapists. [A clip shows a girl in front of a screen with an avatar image imitating her movements and helping her to improve her range of motion. You can see a screen shot of this in the lower left of the title image, above.]

Aside from being engaging and effective, it is "cheap and easy!" to implement. Moreover, there is a real value in being able to get systems into home settings and allowing access and connection to professional clinicians, remotely.

The current project areas of the Clinical VR Research Group include:

-- Psychological Disorders, PTSD, and Pain

-- Cognitive Assessment & Rehabilitation

-- Motor Assessment & Rehabilitation

-- Virtual Patient Clinical Training

Dr. Rizzo next presented a "TechnoCentric" definition of Virtual Reality:

"Virtual Reality integrates realtime computer processing, interface technology, body tracking & sensory displays to support a user to interact with and/or become immersed in a computer generated simulated environment. Within such controllable, dynamic and interactive 3D stimulus environments, behavioral action can be motivated, recorded and measured."

• Ecological validity
• Stimulus control and consistency ["the ultimate Skinner box"]
• Repetitive and hierarchical stimulus delivery possible
• Cueing stimuli for "errorless learning"
• Real time performance feedback
• Self-guided exploration and independent practice
• Stimulus and response modification contingent on user's impairments
• Complete naturalistic performance record
• Safe testing and training environment which minimizes risks due to errors
• Graduated, systematic exposure
• Distraction
• Gaming factors to enhance motivation
• Low cost functional environments that can be duplicated and distributed

Next a history of VR Application Research & Development was outlined, from 1994 - when the focus was on simple phobias - to 2011, where applications address many areas, including addiction, ADHD, Alzheimers, Autism, Balance Disorders, Cerebral Palsy, Neglect, Pain Distraction, Phantom Limb, PTSD, Stroke, TBI, Parkinsons, Spinal Cord injury, and more. In particular, aside from simple phobias, many treatments have evolved for various forms of anxiety disorders. Recent VR applications feature such "cue exposure treatment" tools as simulated airline terminals (for fear of flying) and contextual environments which relate to social phobias, PTSD, and substance abuse. A treatment module deployed in Spain was also presented, where patients with claustrophobia were presented with a computer-generated image of a room becoming smaller and smaller.

Numerous journal articles and NIDA/NIH studies were cited, suggesting the value of stimulus control in treatment protocols using VR. In addition, the responses of the Subjects and treatment participants were instructive. In a study on smoking cessation, for example, most found the study "interesting and useful" and some noted how they "didn't realize there were so many triggers that caused them to want to smoke" and emerged determined to cut down on smoking, and/or to master the cravings to smoke. Similarly, there are contexts such as a "virtual casino" to address compulsive gambling.

Various meta-analyses have found that "VR outperforms imaginal" treatments, and is "as good as in vivo" desensitization approaches. Research also suggests that virtual treatments have lasting impact post-treatment, in the real world.

In the time remaining, the audience was treated to demonstrations of some of the applications. In addition to Virtual Iraq and Virtual Afghanistan, increasingly deployed by the military, there is also the Sim Coach for vets, which is designed to be natural and supportive. In the segment which was shown, a calm and relaxed military man is sitting on a porch with a cup of coffee. He speaks in a Southern accent and explains to the viewer that "I'm still just a piece of software, but I'm getting better all the time." He then shares that in terms of his adjustment, "things just aren't as satisfying as they used to be." He goes on to describe some of the symptoms and problems which are common to soldiers, besides himself. Not only does he educate, but he provides links (such as to AA) and can provide automated referrals to local treatment resources. Development of applications such as this, and Digital Homestead, "is where the action is. "

This was quite an amazing display of both the potential, and the established track record, of VR/VE applications. It has come quite a long way since the early days of simulated spiders and other phobia-oriented "exposure therapy" applications.


 

Invited Address #2305: Chaser and Her Toys: What a Dog Teaches Us About Cognition
John W. Pilley, Ph.D., and Chaser - Part 2 of a series on Canine Cognition, here a focus on memory.

                       


At the APA Convention 2 years ago I attended a popular presentation by Dr. Stanley Coren, where he shared a great deal of historic research, referencing cognitive processing models and developmental (human) notions such as "object constancy" and other concepts from Piaget and learning theory, along with some slides from experiments and some engaging video clips of some talented dogs (including a border collie on a skate board). Coren also traced the role of genetics (breeding) and compared different breeds. Today's presentation was focused on one particular set of memory and reasoning skills and centered on one very talented border collie in particular: Chaser. And .... Chaser was there too (above), although she did not "perform" live. Instead, her incredible skills were presented through numerous video clips (home-made, mostly).

As Dr. Pilley noted at the very beginning, "Obviously people love dogs".

This was a fun event; one could watch in awe and be appreciative of Chaser's cleverness and memory skills (seemingly well beyond some humans!) as well as coming away more informed about border collies. Dog lovers in general were definitely enjoying the behavior, demeanor, and "intelligence" of Chaser. And clearly both dog and owner are devoted to each other.

(For more on cross-breed comparisons as well as several additional controlled laboratory studies I'd suggest the 2009 presentation by Coren on

CONVERSATION HOUR #2362 - A Very Special Event

A Hero of Psychology - Aaron T. Beck at 90



What an event! After being unable to attend last year's convention, this year he was back - in fine form, in a room packed to the rafters, replete with birthday balloons and several jumbo-sized birthday cards circulating around with audience of fans, friends, colleagues, and family too, joining in to honor this legend. Dr. Beck not only answered questions posed by Dr. Frank Farley, interviewer extraordinaire, but he took audience questions and also shared some of his latest projects and theoretical thinking. Yes, at 90, he has many new projects which he is pursuing. God Bless! So here now, aside from the celebrations, are some reminiscences of personal and professional experiences, from his beliefs about beliefs to his meeting with the Lama, memorable events, and personal stories he has accumulated over many years in the course of his prolific life and career.

More to come... No time between super events at opposite sides of this stadium-sized Convention Center, and back-to-back conferences. So much to choose, so little time between presentations! But where there's mindfulness and luck... Lots of great events!

---------

[Quick note mid-Saturday, Day 3]

This morning (way too early!) I attended back to back presentations beginning with a very impressive presentation by Kate Cavanagh, author of "Hands On Help", who elaborated on her experience with the health care system in the UK, which in fact prescribes computer based cognitive therapy as a preferred treatment modality.

I've just come from a second panel chaired by Elizabeth (Betsy) Carll on virtual and augmented reality applications, in clinical, educational and military contexts. I was thrilled to hear all the discussion of "context" and also "security".

I sprinted across the vast convention center to make it to a presentation by Martin Seligman on his *new* theory of positive psychology, which he describes as "generic" and presented in a new book, "Flourish". I can't believe this but swear it's true - in some chit chat he doubted I'd ever get a really good photo of him (modestly saying how difficult it is) - I told Seligman, "Think positively! I can't believe I just said that to Martin Seligman!" :-)

I ran into several valued friends and colleagues, too. Not much sleep recently, and just wolfed down my first bite to eat today; now heading back out to the festivities to see a panel on Internet experience. Won't come up for air again for a while, but have a lot of links to share - both sites and YouTube clips.

Must run..
Michael


APA CONVENTION REPORT #3
August 6, 2011 – Saturday
Washington, D.C.  

First up today was a presentation that was strongly recommended by a respected colleague, an invited address by Kate Cavanagh, author of “Hands-on Help”, an acclaimed book Amazon called a “must read”, about online mental health programmes. (OK, U.S. spellcheck; “programs”.) She is from the UK, and began with a very warm note about her introduction to the scale of APA conferences and expressing the hope we’d understand her funny accent.. She was fine, and the only difficulties in fact were with the wireless connectivity in the room, ironically. Time flew and she apologized for not presenting more (including some online demos) but one hopes she will return (and perhaps we can scrape up a hard-wire connection). She encouraged interaction with this vocal American audience of psychologists, so many questions were asked. Yes it ate a bit of time but also was evidence of what a hot topic she was presenting and how many buttons were pushed by the many points she covered. “Well done you”.
 



Clinical Health Psychology Grand Rounds:
Computerized Cognitive Behavior Therapies – Turning on, Tuning in, and (not) Dropping Out.


The first of 2 parts was to be “setting the context” and an introduction to Computerized Cognitive Behavior Therapy. (To me, who has recently published “Context is everything”, I was thrilled to hear the attention to context.) The second part, time permitting, was to be on the dissemination of implementation of these programs.

After apologizing if her first dose of American (Starbucks) coffee sets her a-twitter, Dr. Cavanagh said she would like this to be interactive and wanted first, confronted with a large room full of a diverse collection of American psychologists, to “take the temperature”. How many in the room are predisposed positively towards the concept of computerized CBT programs? Many hands went up. Negative? Not one hand.

Noting that her usual context is UK health system utilization, she knew the statistics are quite similar in several dimensions to the American numbers. In the UK approximately 1 in 5 suffers from some sort of depression or anxiety. One third seek help. One in 10 Americans report depression with a total of 18% reporting depression, panic or GAD [global anxiety disorder] Thus the overview of US prevalence is very close to the UK’s. There are slightly more US residents who seek treatment. The perception in the UK is that “there just are not enough resources for those who might benefit” from some sort of treatment program. There is currently underway a huge government initiative in the UK - IAPT (Increasing Access to Psychological Therapies) which has a goal adding 3500 specialists in CBT and other evidence-based treatments for mild-to-moderate disorders, within the next four years.

Part of the solution is seen as derived from deployment of "Computerized Psychological Therapies", which offer a number of advantages and characteristics:

1. They offer structured programs with the opportunity to use patient input to make at least some treatment decisions
2. They are accessed via computing devices, usually through the Internet (PC, smartphone, IVR, Tablet/iPad)
3. They can be accessed within a healthcare practice or at home, supported and monitored by trained healthcare staff

• New ways of working are required to meet the unmet needs of many people suffering from anxiety and depression who could benefit from evidence based interventions
• There is a growing evidence base that CCBT can help many people with common mental health problems
• In the UK the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence recommends supported CCBT as a treatment option for depression, panic, phobias, and GAD

-------------  

Next up: Seligman on “Flourish” and PERMA. If it sounds cryptic, me too... at least at first.

I’ll do my best to make it clear – but essentially his new book “Flourish” reflects his latest revision to his own model of "positive psychology". There are some primary aspects. Within each aspect there are “elements”, with components within the elements. It takes some concentration and graphics to "get" the new lexicon and model, but certainly followers of Seligman's illustrious career can appreciate the depth to which he develops and presents his ideas.


Invited Address #3158: Martin Seligman: Flourish



Dr. Martin Seligman was introduced by APA past (and possibly future) President, James Bray. Dr. Bray noted that while many know of the legendary contributions to psychology, not many know of the breadth of Seligman's interests and skills - for example being a "world class bridge player...online". Seligman took the podium, thanked Bray for the introduction and said that indeed, he plays bridge online several hours every day.

From bridge to ancient philosophy, Seligman focused on the point in time where philosophy merged with Freud and the resultant emphasis was solely "to reduce suffering.... a profound moral and political error." How many of us lie in bed worrying about either how to go from -8 to -5,or from +2 to +5?

So what is worthwhile to promote? Wellbeing. What is wellbeing? That is the substance of his new book, Flourish, and his new 5-factor model, PERMA.

Even thinking positively, it would be impossible to describe fully in the course of one lecture, much less 'here', all of the research and nuance involved in this newly-broadened model of well-being and its teaching. I therefore defer to Seligman, his book, and his website for a more detailed and annotated explanation of the many concepts and acronyms within PERMA and Flourish. Hopefully this will at least convey some of the "main idea".

Suffice to say, Seligman presented many charts, graphs, and diagrams pertinent to his latest theoretical overview. He described it as "the most important change in my thinking".

Seligman said that he would like to see well-being as a national goal. Already one country has been utilizing a well-being index, and 23 countries are now looking specifically into "the Flourish Factor".

Noting that supposedly "proven" fad diets end up being useless (as the weight typically returns, and then some) and how even lottery winners who suddenly experience great 'happiness' typically return to their baseline after 3 years, Seligman believes the potential durability of PERMA to be unlike that of any diet. In fact, he is so 'positive' about this model of wellbeing and the potential for widespread adoption - "it is measurable, teachable and even 'gameable'" - that he has set a goal of global implementation by 2051. "That seems reasonable", he said, no matter if he and others present in the room today might not get to see it first-hand.

The road to well-being is premised on the PERMA model, which consists of 5 elements, or " the 5 PERMA Pillars":

• Positive Emotion (Positive Health)
• Engagement (Signature Strengths)
• Relationships (ACR)
• Meaning (Altruism vs Pleasure)
• Accomplishment (GRIT)

Still worth a read! How far have we actually traveled, as a culture and as a discipline? Let's see... something called Facebook, this thing called social networking, Twittermania, wireless "smart" devices everywhere, Kindle, iPads, advances in computer programs, virtual environments, and a few other not insignificant developments.

So, off I go to get the sense of where we are and things to come, from a 2011 perspective.

 

Invited Symposium #3234 – Innovative Technologies for Psychological Intervention, Consultation and Training

               

       Drs. "Skip" Rizzo, Hunter Hoffman, Elizabeth Carll, Timothy Lacy, & Jon Cabiria

• Ecological validity
• Stimulus control and consistency ["the ultimate Skinner box"]
• Repetitive and hierarchical stimulus delivery possible
• Cueing stimuli for "errorless learning"
• Real time performance feedback
• Self-guided exploration and independent practice
• Stimulus and response modification contingent on user's impairments
• Complete naturalistic performance record
• Safe testing and training environment which minimizes risks due to errors
• Graduated, systematic exposure
• Distraction
• Gaming factors to enhance motivation
• Low cost functional environments that can be duplicated and distributed

From the early days, like 1994 - when the focus was on simple phobias - to 2011, where applications address many areas, including addiction, ADHD, Alzheimers, Anxiety disorders, Autism (e.g., social skills training; Cobb et al, 2002), Balance Disorders, Cerebral Palsy, Neglect, Pain Distraction, Phantom Limb, PTSD, Stroke, TBI, Parkinsons, Spinal Cord injury, and more... Clearly there is great power and more potential still, with constant innovation and applied research. Far more realistic and customizable than the early treatments for simple phobias, recent VR applications feature such "cue exposure treatment" tools as simulated airline terminals (for fear of flying) and contextual environments which relate to social phobias, PTSD, and substance abuse. A treatment module deployed in Spain was also presented, where patients with claustrophobia were presented with a computer-generated image of a room becoming smaller and smaller.

Now, an intriguing on-screen image asks: What about Virtual Humans?

In terms of realism, there is variability across the programs, and many times humans still appear as static characters who 'pop in' - for example as 'distracters' in the simulated classroom environment where children learn to better master their focusing skills. Still, both background and participant representations have gotten extremely realistic in a variety of applications, and as was pointed out by Richard Wexler in an earlier presentation on avatars and VR/VE, the brain can readily accept these presentations as real, or at least real enough.




We can see several examples of virtual environments in numerous contexts, including the workplace, public speaking venues (e.g, Grillon, Riquier, Herbelin & Thalmann, 2009), airports, combat situations, medical settings and more.

In general, historically, Clinical VR has used 'virtual people' mainly as:

-- Background Props

-- Exposure Stimuli for Treating Anxiety Disorders

-- Cognitive Attention/Distraction

-- a means to foster "Faux" Interaction
-- a vehicle to promote Avatar Interaction with other real people (i.e. 2nd Life)


Recognition of the value and utility of VR/VE applications is clearly on the rise, as demonstrated by a bar graph showing the yearly number of publications on 'avatar/autonomous agents' and 'VR/VE', according to the COPUS (2009) database.

Positive outcomes of clinical applications have also been on the rise. Botella et al (2007) for example, followed 36 patients being treated for Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia using a VR/VE treatment protocol. The results were not only significant, but for some perhaps an 'eye-opener': "Virtual Human Exposure as good as the real thing!" A preliminary study by

THE SOLUTION:

• Find a convenient and non-intrusive way to
  
  
• Capture video data of the REAL behaviors that occur
  
  
  1. In the Home
     
  2. In Therapy Sessions
     
     
• Securely store the data
  
  
• Have a Secure Way to Share it with
  
  1. Clinicians
  2. Therapy Supervisors

(ABA), where assessment of the 'real' and accurate behaviors under treatment are so essential. (It is a treatment of choice for severe autism in particular.) With ABA, treatment is dependent on a clear analysis of actual behavior, in terms of understanding the 'ABC' dynamic: Antecedents of Behavior, Behavior itself, and Consequences.



The videocam and software Lacy described have proven to be effective tools for "behavior imaging", providing 'on-demand capture via remote control with the push of a button', time buffering capability, ability to tag and mark video, automatic uploading, and security/HIPAA compliance. The web-based component entails an interactive, browser-based interface allowing 'anywhere, anytime access' and facilitating a secure online consultation and records environment. One can upload, organize, tag, utilize secure messaging, and maintain custom folders. Once data has been collected there are easy interface modules for data review and annotation.

Dr. Lacy mentioned a 2009/2010 study by the US Air Force with results suggesting the value of online ABA supervision. An ongoing focus has been on supporting home-based ABA, and supporting also ABA Therapy Supervisors and families/tutors. He described a study which utilized Flip cams as a means of gathering behaviorial data, and displayed a diagram of how families, tutors and ABA supervisors can asynchronously interact via the Behavior Connect platform. He displayed a map demonstrating how 5 Certified (ABA) Therapy supervisors are serving 31 families nationwide at present. A survey was done among these 5 supervisors, and their ratings of the system were as follows:

Clinically Sound: 100%
Effective Delivery: 80% (~ 4 out of 5 in this small sample)
High Value: 100%
Easy to Use: 100%

In terms of supervision (as opposed to treatment), trainees and supervisors utilize the HIPAA compliant server for sharing web-based supervision records, using encrypted video, tagged events, and various permission and feedback forms.

Current users include: behavior health clinics, medical schools, universities, hospitals, school districts, state Depts. of Education, the US Dept. of Defense It is utilized presently in 5 countries, and 31 states. Dr. Lacy concluded by asking us to think about all the potential applications, from psychiatric residency programs to daily clinical practice. For example, perhaps a patient with OCD is too ashamed to talk at length about their hoarding behavior. Non-obtrusive recording of behavior around the home might be instructive and offer a more-informed basis for understanding behavior.

--

Dr. Carll recalled the power of a videotape being brought into a session, and the impact of seeing aggressive, negative behavior 'disappearing'. She thanked Dr. Lacy, and introduced the final panelist to present today, Dr. John Cabiria.



Jon Cabiria, Ph.D.
Augmented Reality: New Technologies for Immersive Approaches to Therapy

Dr. Jon Cabiria would round out the presentations today with a look at Augmented Reality: What it is (as opposed so some of the immersive virtual reality applications which have been discussed), how it can benefit psychologists and clients, and future directions for research.

Within the context of 'the interface of human experience and technology'- almost verbatim the prevailing functional definition of 'cyberpsychology'! -Augmented Reality has distinctive characteristics.

       

Invited Address #3340 – Relationships in the Age of Web 3.0



Gian C. Gonzaga, Ph.D

Dr. Gonzaga was introduced by Heather Patrick, Ph.D. (NIH). Dr. Gonzaga is the director of Research & Development for the online dating service, eHarmony, but will be addressing the nature of compatibility and sustained relationships in general. Considered an expert in the area of "relationship science", Dr. Gongaza will share with us some observations about "the changing face of relationships" and some of the findings which have emerged from his research into the dynamics and predictors of healthy, enduring relationships.

Dr. Gonzaga began with a disclaimer, namely his being "unconditionally biased" when it comes to eHarmony. He heads the laboratory research projects and believes in the findings of his and other studies. However, other than to describe his line of research into relationships, and provide some context, he assured us that this was not going to be a commercial pitch, and his talk today would be on "theoretical and scientific evidence" in support of his relationship research, as well as eHarmony's real-world (and laboratory) efficacy studies.

In the world of dating, especially...

"Technology is changing the way relationships are formed,"

Relationships don't just happen, nor do they last without some necessary ingredients. (As he avoids being a commercial, I'll now avoid referring to 'chemistry'.)

Dr. Gonzaga's research has led him to look not only at the matching process in terms of leading to an initial date, but at the elements of enduring and rewarding relationships: "the way they're maintained and the way they're improved."

To begin with, Gonzaga noted that 'Technology changes relationships' - it impacts on how relationships are (1) formed (2) maintained; and (3) researched.

In terms of where married couples first meet, a graph onscreen reveals an increasing trend upward, since 2008, towards meeting online (in general, along with another line showing the eHarmony numbers). Work and friends are big sources too, but like school, have trended down as online meetings trend up. Today there are all varieties of destinations and "platforms in technology" which allow applications to run. There is constant evolution.

A little web history

Web 1.0 - it was "driven around content that came from the top down"

Imagine: a guy goes into a music store and asks what they have. "Anything ever released." Once but a fantasy, along came iTunes. It happened.

Web 2.0 - Around 2003. "A big change. It was no longer top down. It's the era of Facebook. The era of YouTube." It leveled the field. It's 'open'. It's 'bottom up'. It's focused on relationships between individuals rather than delivering information.

Web 3.0 - Actually it is still forming, but has been evolving since 2000. "It's about open source and pliable interface. " It is both top down and bottom up. And it is a "web that learns". One of the best examples is Amazon.com. "It gives you recommendations based on your input." That, he said, is where eHarmony began, along with other user-tailored services, such as NetFlix.

From a relationship point of view, as a slide summarizes, Web 1.0 was all about information (e.g., Psych Info) while Web 2.0 allowed such things such as dating services offering "personalized introductions". And then there was Facebook, making it easy to make contacts and find friends. Web 3.0 allowed eHarmony to way to collaborate and to contribute to what he referred to as The Changing Landscape - in terms of the way one can form relationships, maintain a relationship, and also research relationships.

A little eHarmony History

Onscreen is the declaration: An Insight Started eHarmony: Many marriages face a significant handicap from the start.

Dr. Gonzaga explains: "A lot of marriages are to the wrong person!"

As it happens, his company founder was a clinical psychologist with 35 years experience of responding to patients' marital struggles. He saw the situation as one where he only came into the picture "after the relationship was ruined".

[There must be something real here! One of the world's most renowned social psychologists,

• Traits influence emotional experience
  
  
  • Extroversion predicts positive affect
  • Neuroticism predicts negative affect
  
  
• Emotions facilitate smooth social interactions
  
  
  • Communicate important messages about internal states
  • Evoke coordinated emotional responses from a partner
  • Elicit behaviors from partner to adjust to environmental conditions
  
  
• Social Interactions act as building blocks for relationships (Gonzaga et al., 2006; Keltner et. al, 1998)

• Emotions facilitate smooth social interactions
  
  
  • Communicate important messages about internal states
  • Evoke coordinated emotional responses from a partner
    
  • Elicit behaviors from partner to adjust to environmental conditions
  
  
• Social Interactions act as building blocks for relationships (Gonzaga et al., 2006; Keltner et. al, 1998)
  

Invited Address # 3378
Larry D. Rosen, Ph.D.
POKE ME: How Social Networks Can Both Help and Harm our Kids




I posted about this earlier. This is the presentation all about how the web is utilized by different generations: preferences, time allocation, etc. Lots of research citations as well as some fun facts. This is really fascinating to me: See the

APA CONVENTION REPORT #4

August 7, 2011 – Sunday
Washington, D.C.

Still to come on Sunday: Dr. Frank Farley, with graduate psych students Heather Jennings and Tamara Smith-Dyer, discussing the future of psychological science. Following this a distinguished interdisciplinary panel will be here to address a topic about which many mental health professionals have a lack of clarity: Telepsychology licensing issues – barriers, possible solutions, and the state of the healthcare legal/regulatory system at this point in time. An important topic by a savvy panel. If anyone knows the current state of the licensing/reciprocity quagmire, they do. First up today:
 

CONVERSATION HOUR #4035 – Examining Psychological Science – Some Inconvenient Truths in the New Monastic Order

       
V.K. Kumar, Ph.D.[Chair], Frank Farley, Ph.D., Tamara Smith-Dyer, M.S., & Heather Jennings, M.A.


Dr. V.K. Kumar introduced the panel, and the first to present was Dr. Frank Farley.

Dr. Frank Farley is a past-President of APA and quite a number of its Divisions. He is well-known for his interest and activity in the Media Division, has been part of countless historic conversations with greats in the fields of clinical and social psychology (several appearing “here”), and recently an outspoken advocate for heroism. Today he has assembled a panel to address the pithy question of how to keep psychology aligned with science and rigorous research standards for the benefit of both media and the general public.

JPSP - Journal of Personality and Social Psychology - is the #1, most cited Psychology journal. APS' Psychological Science is “the most widely dispersed” among the media, internationally, frequently used as source material by Newsweek for example (with Newsweek now being owned by the Daily Beast). Looking at the trends in demographics and the journal articles being produced, Farley ends up with “some very serious concerns”. He does quite a lot of media appearance (CNN, etc.) and interviews of all stripes, often representing established psychology.

What has caught Farley's attention, as he observes how his input is sought and channeled, is that a lot of the demand for psychology perspective is in relationship to stories being aired "for shock value". He sees that it is mostly the 2 journals which are most cited by the public and the media.

Two years ago Farley studied big media distributors of news-based stories – a wide swath including CNN, New York Times, and John Stewart. He analyzed what they said in their stories and tracked down the sources. It was “shocking”. He found that the source of headline-grabbing psychology stories were often obscure single studies, or surveys.. It seemed “almost monastic” and we who are presented in one chunk to the general public, via big media - we are living in the monastery.

Farley himself has quite a bit of history with surveys, and is known for his research on risk-taking (and 'Type T' - thrill seeking - personality). He recalled giving a survey to a group and asking them, 'would you like to drive in the Indy 500?' Nearly all the male students replied yes. Can this be generalized to a news story highlight how 'everyone' would like to race? What about women? This finding is a good example of how a story may be lured by the 'OG Effect' - over generalizing. It is endemic.

Up onscreen goes a long list The Sample 'Convenience samples are everywhere.' A good example is using a college class as subjects. This is akin to what Farley calls the 7-11 Sample, reflecting the convenience store approach - and producing "knowledge of convenience.

We need to leave the monastery! Speaking of which, Farley recalled the old parable of monks arguing over how many teeth a horse has. For hundreds of years this was a debate! Suddenly the idea emerged: Why don't we go and count them?

A long list of threats to meaningful research went up on the screen. Here are some of them, in case my notes or the presentation doesn't get to a specific or favorite research topic:

-- The sample: 711 and knowledge of convenience
-- The balance of validity - internal, external
-- Generalizability
-- Replication and Replicability
-- The 'decline effect'
-- Fishing for Fisher's magic numbers
-- The 'file-drawer effect'
-- Confirmation bias

-- Less than peeress peer review
-- The measures, the assessments
-- The settings, the simulations
-- The brain, the hothouse, the correlation, and the Manic Rush to Inference (MRI)
-- Reductionism Redux and the Great Causal Confusion
-- Science Citation Index vs Citizen Citation Index
-- Psychological science - famous but ineffectual?
-- The scale of influence - societal or individual?

Having addressed sampling and validity, the next key issue is that of generalizability.

Aside from the OG effect (over-generalization) there is also the question of whether a study is replicable. Farley's study involved the 2 most-read psychology journals. First, in terms of replications, he notes that in Psychological Science there are no replication studies, as "everything is new. We want new." In general, "we don't replicate much" and this can have grave consequences. For example, Stanford University researcher

• The majority of studies:
  • Use college students samples (70% estimated: *16% of studies unclear about whether college students were included)
  • Use Convenience samples (73%)
    
• A small percentage of studies:
  
  • Describe participants in the abstract (21%)
  • Include international samples (31%)

• A majority used control groups when appropriate (69%)
  

Drs.Marlene Maheu, Stephen DeMers, Dena Puskin, Joseph McMenamin, & Patrick DeLeon

What is License Portabilty?

A system that extends the privilege to practice a health profession in multiple states through agreements that recognize individual state and territorial jurisdiction while facilitating a process for obtaining and maintaining licenses in multiple jurisdictions.

INDEX OF 2001 APA Convention Articles:
Behavioral Telehealth | E-biz of Mental Health | 2001: A Cyberspace Odyssey

INDEX OF 2002 APA Convention Articles:
CyberSex & Cyber-Infidelity | Beck & Ellis 2002 | Behavior Therapy | CyberPsychology | E-Ethics

2003 Convention Highlights: Full Text | Beck 2003 | Quality of Online Health Info | Sternberg's Vision

2005 Convention Highlights:   Opening Session | Pioneers of Behavior Therapy
Distinguished Elders of Psychotherapy | Legends Discuss Psychology | Online Clinical Work | Town Hall Meeting

2006 Convention Highlights:
Opening | Online Psychotherapy & Research | Psychological Vital Signs | Advances in Cognitive Therapy
Brok on Chaplin | Conversation with Aaron T. Beck - 2006 | Dr.Phil | 21st Century Ethics | Media: Town Hall '06

2007 Convention Highlights:
Humanizing an Inhumane World | Opening Session | Albert Bandura | Linehan, on Suicide
Psychology's Future | Conversation with Aaron T. Beck - 2007 | Evil, Hate, & Horror

2008 Convention Highlights:
Grand Theft Childhood | Opening | Malcolm Gladwell | College Success, Love, Hate, More | My Life With Asperger's
My Space, You Tube, Psychotherapy, Relationships... | Aaron T. Beck - 2008 | The Mind and Brain of Voters

2009 Convention Highlights:
Internet: Pathway for Networking, Connecting, and Addiction | Opening | Virtual Psychology & Therapy | Q&A with Zimbardo
Seligman: Positive Education | Future of Internet Media | Sex, Love, & Psychology | How Dogs Think

2010 Convention Highlights:
Online Support Groups & Applications | Evidence & Ethical Practice | Opening Ceremony | Sir Michael Rutter: Resilience
Group Memory | Psychology in the Digital Age | Steven Hayes: What Psychotherapists Have that the World Needs Now


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