Behavioural Sciences
How can we understand photo-sharing decisions on social media, and how can we curb its dangers?
Photo sharing is a cornerstone of social media, but for those appearing in the photos spreading across the internet, the attention is not always invited, nor appreciated. Professor Bennett I Bertenthal has joined researchers in the fields of psychology and computer science – Apu Kapadia, Kurt Hugenberg, Mary Jean Amon, Rakib Hasan – to get a better understanding of why […]
Technology-facilitated sexual assault of children and adolescents: A retrospective audit
Dr Jo Tully and Dr Janine Rowse of the Victorian Forensic Paediatric Medical Service (VFPMS) have undertaken a vital retrospective audit of what they have termed technology-facilitated sexual assault (TFSA) of children, where a sexual assault occurs following initial online contact. They found that TFSA forensic caseload has increased over the last 14 years. Victims were most likely to be […]
The problem of targeted sympathy in justice for sex workers
Professor Chrysanthi Leon, Associate Professor of Sociology & Criminal Justice and founding member of the Center for the Study and Prevention of Gender-based Violence at the University of Delaware, and Professor Corey Shdaimah, Daniel Thursz Distinguished Professor of Social Justice at the University of Maryland School of Social Work, research prostitution diversion programs (PDPs). These programs ostensibly offer a more […]
The uses of social power in early childhood
Dr Sandra Della Porta from Brock University in Ontario, Canada, investigates the use of social power in early childhood. Her most recent research demonstrates how children’s use and effectiveness of power strategies develops over time, but can also be influenced by birth order. The study involved analysis of naturally occurring family conflict, to ensure complex family dynamics such as parent–child […]
Geopolitics of the illicit global economy
‘Black spots’ are the safe havens that offer a base of operations for transnational criminal, insurgent, and terrorist organisations. At the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs of Syracuse University, USA, Professors Stuart Brown and Margaret Hermann are attempting to shed greater light on these geopolitical places by looking at the intra-regional, cross-national, and international linkages among them. Their […]
Randomised control trials: Are they really the gold standard?
Randomised control trials (RCTs) have become a dominant methodology in research. However, issues with RCTs, including their failure to take account of history, context, or relevant findings, bring into question the superiority of the method. Professor Naila Kabeer, at the London School of Economics, highlights these issues in her research and discusses how the overfocus on RCT methods has led […]
Asynchronous horizons durable-strategies dynamic games
Professor David Yeung from Shue Yan University, China, and Professor Leon Petrosyan from St Petersburg State University, Russia, are using game theory to understand responses to climate change. They have identified two critical features of real-life problems that involve strategic interactions – durable strategies and participants’ asynchronous horizons – and have developed a new class of dynamic games to solve […]
Eyewitness testimony: How much alcohol is too much?
It is widely believed that alcohol-intoxicated witnesses, victims, and suspects are not credible, and therefore should not be trusted in legal investigations. However, the research by Dr Angelica Hagsand and colleagues has shown that this may not be the whole story. Their research findings could have important implications for the police and other legal organisations to understand when witnesses can […]
Regulating emotions in young adulthood
Young adults with complex mental health needs often find it difficult to regulate their emotions and manage impulsive behaviour. Dr Kate Hall and her collaborators from Deakin University, Australia, have developed and evaluated an intervention that has applicability across diagnostic categories of mental health and substance use needs, and can be delivered alongside existing treatments. This intervention teaches young people […]
Adaptive thinking as a heuristic in evolutionary psychology
Recently, in evolutionary psychology, many theorists have employed adaptive thinking as a heuristic as it generates hypotheses that can later be tested using the standard scientific procedure. A heuristic is a pragmatic method that, while not being complete or optimal, provides sufficient approximate results for later use. Professor Shunkichi Matsumoto of Tokai University, Tokyo focuses his research on the use […]