A Bit More Complicated (Dylan Selterman and Manuel Galvan )

In this episode, we interview Dr. Adam Mastroianni. We discuss misperceptions about social progress and political hatred. We also have an extended discussion about the problems with the scientific system of peer review and what we can do to fix those problems.

Adam's Blog: https://experimentalhistory.substack.com/

Adam's article on misperceptions about society: https://experimentalhistory.substack.com/p/youre-probably-wrong-about-how-things

Adamn's article on political hatred: https://experimentalhistory.substack.com/p/the-great-myths-of-political-hatred

Adam's article on peer review: https://experimentalhistory.substack.com/p/the-rise-and-fall-of-peer-review
People are not as divided as we think: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/27/no-america-is-not-on-the-cusp-of-a-civil-war

Adam's peer reviewed work on misperceptions: https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.2107260119

Nosek peer review paper: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1047840X.2012.692215?casa_token=VW9tufGR3c4AAAAA%3AYNjm4dcV7FB1Xe8jyz_IFo9AttZeLTjdqpD-kygJCqPDMSFrG7H-pxdMSlmeFBBxwdJJmWa3jqGT

“Elsevier makes 40% profit”: https://tidsskriftet.no/en/2020/08/kronikk/money-behind-academic-publishing

In this episode, Manny and Dylan interview Dr. Nicolè Ford, who holds a Ph.D. in political science and whose specific area of expertise is on Ukraine and Russia. In the episode, we dive into a deep understanding of this horrible war. Dr. Ford schools us on the historical context, NATO, Putin’s ambitions, and more. We really appreciate Dr. Ford’s knowledge and insight into this topic.

Dr. Nicolè Ford’s webpage & Twitter

Dr. Ford’s recent article

Dr. Sam Greene’s twitter thread on EU & article

Peer reviewed pub by Kari Roberts on NATO & Crimea invasion

Interview w John Mearsheimer about Putin’s aggression

Article by Stephen Walt for the role of NATO

Article by Seva Gunitsky against the focus on NATO

Peer reviewed pub by Kimberly Marten: NATO’s role is overblown

Reporting on Zelensky forgoing NATO membership to avoid war

Reporting about Azov battalion

Twitter thread: racist language from reporters on Ukrainian war

Article describing why sanctions fail.

Article arguing sanctions may push Russian elites closer to Putin.

Photo of Zelensky and Trump

Dr. Ford’s partially annotated bibliography/reading list for Russia’s War on Ukraine

Peer reviewed pub by Keating et al. (2019) that Russia wield “Conservative soft power”

News coverage of the Christian Right’s support for Russia here and here

Cover art image by ChiaJo from Pixabay

In this episode, we discuss the high profile case of Steven Robert's mistreatment at Perspective on Psychological Science (PoPS). We recorded an interesting and productive discussion with Steven, but he decided against publication of our conversation with him. We thought this topic was too important to not do an episode on, so we recorded our thoughts on the subject without Steven. 

The episode includes: Steven's post-PoPS experiences (that he said we could share with the audience), our thoughts on the 2020 paper, our thoughts on his treatment at PoPS, and finally what we think about the academic critiques he received.  

1. Steven Roberts 2020 paper: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1745691620927709
2. Steven Roberts pre-print commentary outlining his experience at PoPS: https://psyarxiv.com/xk4yu
3. Hommels critique: https://psyarxiv.com/hvgrm/
4. Stanovich’s commentary: http://keithstanovich.com/Site/Essays_files/Stanovich_Commentary_on_Hommel.pdf
5. Stroebe’s commentary: https://psyarxiv.com/prj36/
6. Jussim’s commentary: https://sites.rutgers.edu/lee-jussim/wp-content/uploads/sites/135/2022/12/Diversity-of-Diversity-Jussim-accepted-revised-double-spaced-2.0.pdf
7. Jussim’s blog: https://unsafescience.substack.com/p/notes-from-a-witch-hunt
8. One of the field experiments showing discrimination in academia: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2015-15680-001
9. Meta-analysis of hiring discrimination studies: https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.1706255114
10. Meta-analysis of housing discrimination studies: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1369183X.2018.1489223
11. Study showing that URM scholars often have prosocial goals in their research:
12. Manny’s article about the psychological roots of racism: https://www.thepipettepen.com/rejecting-the-roots-of-racist-research/
13. Letter in support of Steven Roberts: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1O212esQJDYVuiuvN3OQLg7YOD58PbhlmFjfYV3nREU4/mobilebasic
14. Counter-letter: https://unsafescience.substack.com/p/invitation-to-sign-letter-protesting

In this episode, we are joined by Andrew Devendorf to discuss mental health stigma and how--even among mental health professionals--people often have to hide their mental health conditions or receive social backlash for them. We discuss how this effects research, clinical work, youtube videos, and the broader culture.

1. Suicidal ideation in non-depressed individuals: The effects of a chronic, misunderstood illness: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1359105318785450?journalCode=hpqa

2. Stigmatizing Our Own: Self-Relevant Research (Me-Search) Is Common but Frowned Upon in Clinical Psychological Science: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/21677026221141655

3. Depression presentations, stigma, and mental health literacy: A critical review and YouTube content analysis: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272735820300313

4. Only Human: Mental-Health Difficulties Among Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychology Faculty and Trainees: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/17456916211071079?journalCode=ppsa

Additional articles: 

1. Physician burnout: contributors, consequences and solutions: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/joim.12752
2. https://www.reddit.com/r/raisedbynarcissists/
3. Trump has narcissistic personality disorder, says leading psychoanalyst: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-narcissistic-personality-disorder-mary-trump-john-zinner-bandy-x-lee-a9665856.html

We're back! We're kicking off a new season of episodes with an interview with Dr. Paul Bloom to discuss his new book Psych. We discuss science communication, the limits and value of psychology, whether researchers should be siloed in academia, the problem with empathy, if kids are little bigots, and if social psychology isn't paying enough attention to policy.

Psych: The Story of The Human Mind

Paul’s webpage (with links to other books), Substack “Small Potatoes” and Twitter

Research cited by Kiley Hamlin and Karen Wynn: 

Hamlin, J. K., & Wynn, K. (2011). Young infants prefer prosocial to antisocial others. Cognitive development, 26(1), 30-39.

Hamlin, J. K., Mahajan, N., Liberman, Z., & Wynn, K. (2013). Not like me = bad: Infants prefer those who harm dissimilar others. Psychological science, 24(4), 589-594.

In this episode, Manny and Dylan speak with Dr. Haider Warraich about one of his recent publications on voting behavior and mortality rates in counties across the USA. His research found that overall, American mortality rate is going down (which is a good thing–we’re living longer!) but that the rate of mortality rate decline is higher in Democratic counties than in Republican counties. Manny suggests that there are policy implications from this research. Dr. Warraich suggests that at least part of this can be explained by norms for health and medicine diverging in different parts of the country. We can clearly see this happening now in terms of the Democratic and Republican voters’ response to COVID-19.

• Manny's article on this topic: https://scienceofsocialproblems.com/2022/06/19/who-should-we-vote-for-to-promote-health-and-well-being/
• Dr. Warraich’s webpage
• Dr. Warraich’s paper in BMJ about politics and death
• The Song of Our Scars: The Untold Story of Pain
• Leading causes of death in the USA
• IPCC report on climate emissions

Image by Milos Duskic from Pixabay

In this episode we have a discussion with Dr. Erica Anderson about the consensus (and lack thereof) within the trans healthcare community. Topics include: conservative anti-trans legislation, ROGD, desistence, affirmative care vs explorative therapy, trans healthcare in Europe, and the ethics of debating trans healthcare in the popular press.

Sources:

• WPATH statement opposing discussion in the lay press: https://www.wpath.org/media/cms/Documents/Public%20Policies/2021/Joint%20WPATH%20USPATH%20Letter%20Dated%20Oct%2012%202021.pdf
• ROGD leaked out of academia and was used to oppose trans healthcare: https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/08/18/1057135/transgender-contagion-gender-dysphoria/
• Steensma research: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21216800/
• An academic critique of the Steensma research: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15532739.2018.1456390?src=recsys
• Texas anti-trans law: https://www.hrc.org/press-releases/texas-senate-passes-sweeping-ban-to-prohibit-trans-youth-and-adults-from-receiving-necessary-medical-care
• 500+ anti-trans bills: https://translegislation.com/

In this episode continued the conversation about abortion that we began in episode 8. To help us understand the link between abortion and mental health, we were joined by Dr. Julia Steinberg, a professor and researcher at the University of Maryland’s school of Public health. Dr. Steinberg studies whether abortion (and lack of abortion access) is linked to mental health problems and how mental health is associated with unintended pregnancy.

• The majority of the research about abortion in this episode has been taken from this review of the Turnaway study published by the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center, Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health. 
• Aidaccess.org helps women get abortion medication.

In this episode, Manny and Dylan talk with Dr. Jennifer Harman, Associate Professor of Psychology at Colorado State University. The discussion focuses on the topic of parental alienation, or when one parent turns their children against the other parent. When and why does this happen? What can it do to kids and what can we do about it? 

Show notes:

• https://theconversation.com/parental-alienation-what-it-means-and-why-it-matters-60763
• Parents behaving badly: Gender biases in the perception of parental alienating behaviors:  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27504753/
• Gender Differences in the Use of Parental Alienating Behaviors: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10896-019-00097-5
• Parental alienating behaviors: An unacknowledged form of family violence: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30475019/
• Parental alienation: The blossoming of a field of study: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2019-19773-016
• The relative extent of physical punishment and abuse by mothers and fathers: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2000-14077-003
• 
  

Dr. Enders joined us to talk about his recent paper published in the journal Political Behavior which is called, Are Republicans and Conservatives More Likely to Believe Conspiracy Theories? It seems like your answer to that question is no. We discuss this paper and explore how political beliefs and conspiracy beliefs relate to each other. 

• Dr. Enders’s paper: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35909894/
• The impact of economic inequality on conspiracy beliefs: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022103121001487
• How many republicans believe that Covid is overblown? https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/11/08/sobering-poll-gops-embrace-coronavirus-misinformation/
• How many liberals think Trump faked his instance of covid? https://assets.ctfassets.net/ms6ec8hcu35u/33moZ9yGGfgeS05fashev5/06a6a735a43fe54dcd606e17c42fcdaf/Equis_Misinformation_Poll_June_2022.pdf
• Misinfo belief about covid predicts health outcomes: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2021.670485/full
• Anti-democratic behaviors of republicans: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/22274429/republicans-anti-democracy-13-charts
• More on Adam Enders: https://www.adamenders.com/

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Laura Edwards-Leeper, a pioneer in our understanding of youth gender transition. Dr. Edwards-Leeper is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in gender and Professor Emerita of the School of Graduate Psychology at Pacific University in Oregon. She works with gender diverse and transgender children, adolescents and adults. Dr. Edwards-Leeper was a member of the American Psychological Association Task Force that developed practice guidelines for working with trans individuals. She was the past Chair of the Child and Adolescent Committee for the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) and was involved in the WPATH Standards of Care (SOC) 8 revision. Dr. Edwards-Leeper is credited as a pioneer in the field of youth gender medicine in the United States, having served as the founding psychologist at the first pediatric gender clinic in the country, at Boston Children’s Hospital, which helped bring medical transition options for minors starting in the mid 2000s. We are especially grateful to Laura for her patience with us during a recording mishap.

• Dr. Laura Edwards-Leeper’s webpage 
• Her piece in the Washington Post and interview for News Nation
• Our prior conversation with Dr. Erica Anderson is mentioned in this episode. 
• Should psych eval be necessary for trans healthcare? 
• https://www.medicalaccidentgroup.co.uk/news/do-you-regret-having-cosmetic-surgery/ 
• https://www.icij.org/investigations/implant-files/breast-implant-injuries-kept-hidden-as-new-health-threats-surface/
• https://www.oregon.gov/obo/Documents/minor-rights.pdf

• https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/support-national-centre-for-social-research-ehrc-bsa-great-britain-b2415501.html 
• Detransition needs further understanding, not controversy
• Gallup Polling on LGBTQ identity

Manny and Dylan launch a podcast! Here is a brief introduction to the podcast.

This is an episode we've been looking forward to since the inception of the podcast. We sat down and talked with Scott Barry Kaufman, one of the more famous living psychologists, about his work on self-actualization, coaching, education and intelligence, scientific controversies, and more. Check out Scott's new book!

Choose Growth: A Workbook for Transcending Trauma, Fear, and Self-Doubt

Center for the Science of Human Potential

Scott's webpage

@sbkaufman on Twitter and scottbarrykaufman on Instagram

In this episode, Dylan and Manny chat about sex education with Dr. Kristen Mark. Kristen is the Joycelyn Elders Endowed Chair in Sexual Health Education and a tenured Professor at University of Minnesota Medical School. She is the Director of Education in the Institute for Sexual and Gender Health in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, and also an Affiliate Research Faculty at the Kinsey Institute for Sex Research at Indiana University.

In light of some recent political controversies involving how we teach about sex and gender in K-12 schools, Kristen schools us about what sex education actually is, who supports it and why, other ways to teach kids and teenagers about sex outside of the classroom, and cultural differences in attitudes toward sex.

Kristen Mark’s webpage & publications

Sex Education in Amsterdam

Sex Science Happy Hour

SIECUS (Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States)

Guttmacher Institute

In this episode, Manny interviews Dylan (no, not a typo) about his research on the psychology of dreams. We talk about how dreams are a social phenomenon, how they connect with daily experiences and ongoing concerns, as well as personality traits such as attachment style. Dylan talks about some formative personal experiences he had which inspired his research. We also talk about how dreams are connected with psychological health and well-being, and sleep. We close the conversation with a discussion about how the science of sleep and dreams can be utilized to improve our lives. Happy dreaming!

Citations

1. Dream polling data
2. Dylan’s 2014 paper
3. Dylan’s 2012 paper
4. Social simulation theory paper
5. Dylan’s 2016 paper
6. Demographics of sleep paper
7. Broaden-and-build paper
8. Cartwright, R. D. (2010). The twenty-four hour mind: The role of sleep and dreaming in our emotional lives. Oxford University Press.
9. Hajek, P., & Belcher, M. (1991). Dream of absent-minded transgression: an empirical study of a cognitive withdrawal symptom. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 100(4), 487.
10. Iceland's Huge Four-Day Working Week Trial An "Overwhelming Success" (full report here).

Image by Biljana Jovanovic from Pixabay

This is a first episode about the Israel-Palestine conflict. Our guest, Dr. Steven David is a scholar of international relations and security studies, and he discussed the conflict with us. This conversation largely explores the conflict from an Israeli (specifically a progressive Zionist) perspective. There are many issues we did not discuss, but we will likely explore in future episodes.

Note: The episode was recorded on 1/16/2024, and reflects the information that was available at the time.

Sources:

• New York Times coverage of Hamas’s tunnels in Gaza
• David, S. R. (2012). Existential threats to Israel: learning from the ancient past. Israel Affairs, 18(4), 503-525.
• David, S. R. (2018). Existential threats to Israel. In Contemporary Israel (pp. 299-316). Routledge.
• David, S. R. (2019). Coping with an existential threat: Israel and Iran under Netanyahu. In Israel Under Netanyahu (pp. 197-215). Routledge.
• Israel’s Construction of Iran as an Existential Threat: https://www.jstor.org/stable/26378543
• 
  https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03932729.2013.787829
• 
  https://www.jstor.org/stable/23039625
  

In this episode, we interview Stanford psychology professor, Dr. Greg Walton. We discuss:

• The successful ways that Greg has used "wise interventions" to address social problems like educational inequalities.
• The importance of social belonging and how feelings of belonging uncertainty can create a downward spiral.
• Most importantly: Greg's new paper in Science! We focus on what the social belonging intervention is, why it worked, how the effects are influenced by the social context, how universities can learn from the intervention, and how many more students would graduate if the intervention was used at more institutions!

Citations:

• Where and with whom does a brief social-belonging intervention promote progress in college?: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ade4420
• A brief intervention to improve college success and equity (companion perspectives piece to the Science article): https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adh7681?intcmp=trendmd-sci
• A question of belonging: Race, social fit, and achievement. https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2F0022-3514.92.1.82
• A Brief Social-Belonging Intervention Improves Academic and Health Outcomes of Minority Students: https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/science.1198364
• Social-Psychological Interventions in Education : They're Not Magic https://umaine.edu/provost/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2018/11/Social-Psychological-Interventions-in-Education-Theyre-Not-Magic-Yeager-Walton.pdf
• Wise interventions: Psychological remedies for social and personal problems. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2018-49648-001
• Seed and Soil: Psychological Affordances in Contexts Help to Explain Where Wise Interventions Succeed or Fail: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0963721420904453

Find the intervention materials here: https://collegetransitioncollaborative.org/resources/

[UPDATED AUDIO] In this episode, Manny and Dylan chat with Will Blakey, a post-bac researcher at UNC. Will, along with social psychologist Kurt Gray, recently published a Substack article about our changing perceptions of evil in the world, and a psychological phenomenon known as “concept creep.” Why do we see more villains in the world now compared to 30 years ago?

Notes:

• Will and Kurt’s Substack article.
• Haslam (2016) Concept Creep: Psychology's Expanding Concepts of Harm and Pathology, Psychological Inquiry, 27:1, 1-17
• Haslam et al. (2021) Concept Creep and Psychiatrization. Frontiers in Sociology.
• Concept Creep example #1 and example #2.
• Gray & Wegner (2012). Morality takes two: Dyadic morality and mind perception.
• Pinker (2011): The Better Angels of Our Nature.
• Ferguson (2009): Pinker's List: Exaggerating Prehistoric War Mortality
• The Progress Paradox

The conclusion of our interview with Dr. Nicolè Ford on the war between Ukraine and Russia. If you haven't yet, listen to Part 1 of this interview first (Ep. 3). 

Dr. Nicolè Ford’s webpage& Twitter

Dr. Ford’s recent article

Dr. Sam Greene’s twitter thread on EU & article

Peer reviewed pub by Kari Roberts on NATO & Crimea invasion

Interview w John Mearsheimer about Putin’s aggression

Article by Stephen Walt for the role of NATO

Article by Seva Gunitsky against the focus on NATO

Peer reviewed pub by Kimberly Marten: NATO’s role is overblown

Reporting on Zelensky forgoing NATO membership to avoid war

Reporting about Azov battalion

Twitter thread: racist language from reporters on Ukrainian war

Article describing why sanctions fail.

Article arguing sanctions may push Russian elites closer to Putin.

Photo of Zelensky and Trump

Dr. Ford’s partially annotated bibliography/reading listfor Russia’s War on Ukraine

Peer reviewed pub by Keating et al. (2019) that Russia wield “Conservative soft power”

News coverage of the Christian Right’s support for Russia here and here

Cover art image by ChiaJo from Pixabay

Dylan and Manny chat with Dr. Chris Ferguson about the “social media hypothesis” of mental health. Dr. Ferguson is a clinical psychologist and professor at Stetson University. His research speciality is in media technology, and has co-written Moral Combat: Why the War on Violent Video Games Is Wrong. We talk about social comparison, suicide, moral panics, the “nocebo effect,” and more. The three of us push back against the popular view that social media use is causing poor mental health, but we remain very open to other viewpoints so feel free to disagree with us!

Dr. Ferguson’s column for Psychology Today, and his piece on the social media hypothesis.

Dylan’s articles on this topic:

• Why I'm Skeptical About the Link Between Social Media and Mental Health

• Facebook Deactivation and the Nocebo Effect 

• Social Media and the Magical Mirror

• Social Media and the Black Cat Fallacy 

Academic Papers & Summaries:

• ⁠Social media use, economic recession and income inequality in relation to trends in youth suicide in high-income countries: a time trends analysis⁠
• ⁠The Welfare Effects of Social Media⁠ 
• ⁠How Adolescents Use Social Media to Cope with Feelings of Loneliness and Anxiety During COVID-19 Lockdown⁠ 
• ⁠Teenagers aren’t as lonely in lockdown if interacting positively online⁠ 

Image by ⁠Pixelkult⁠ from ⁠Pixabay⁠ 

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Beth Livingston to take a critical look at a recent paper that criticized "woke" DEI efforts.

Waldman & Sparr - Rethinking Diversity Strategies: An Application of Paradox and Positive Organization Behavior Theories

Thomason, Opie, Livingston & Sitzmann: “Woke” Diversity Strategies: Science or Sensationalism?

Woke (Dictionary.com)

Stop WOKE act was deemed unconstitutional

Amy Wax says white culture is superior

Chris Rufo's work is misleading and dishonest

Manhattan institute

Discovery institute

Some substantive critiques of diversity trainings: 

‘Diversity Training’ Doesn’t Work. This Might. 

Rethinking Diversity Training 

African American Museum site removes ‘whiteness’ chart after criticism from Trump Jr. and conservative media 

Randomized placebo-controlled RCT on outcomes for diversity training

As Manny mentioned at the top of our previous episode (#30) featuring Dr. Laura Edwards-Leeper, we continued the conversation a bit to discuss some topics related to gender dysphoric youth, as well as societal attitudes/prejudice towards transgender individuals. Manny and Dylan discuss how we can interpret polling data and what schools should do to support gender diverse students (and their parents).

Support for sex change goes down: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/support-national-centre-for-social-research-ehrc-bsa-great-britain-b2415501.html

Prejudice against Trans people goes up: https://www.stonewall.org.uk/about-us/news/new-report-tells-us-how-public-actually-feel-about-trans-people

https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/publication-download/attitudes-transgender-people

https://news.stv.tv/world/support-for-self-id-on-birth-certificates-for-transgender-people-falls-survey#:~:text=Looking%20at%20how%20attitudes%20have,in%202019%20to%206.4%25%20last

Olympics: https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/nbc-out-proud/olympic-champion-quinn-ushering-new-era-visibility-trans-athletes-rcna28794

UK laws: https://www.scottishtrans.org/our-work/gender-recognition-act-reform-2022/what-is-the-gender-recognition-act/

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-40709420

Trans people in sports: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jun/29/sports-trans-participation-transgender-women-swimming#:~:text=one%20of%20them.-,Misinformation%20is%20being%20used%20as%20a%20core%20element%20of%20this,drastically%20underrepresented%20in%20women's%20sports.

Trans people in prisons: 

https://aninjusticemag.com/are-50-of-trans-women-in-prison-sex-offenders-512f949c365a

They/Them video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46ehrFk-gLk&ab_channel=TomScott

LGBT hate crimes: https://www.stonewall.org.uk/about-us/news/new-data-rise-hate-crime-against-lgbtq-people-continues-stonewall-slams-uk-gov-

Hate crimes in general: https://www.apa.org/topics/gun-violence-crime/hate-crimes

https://fairforall.substack.com/p/fair-news-standing-for-parents-constitutional

Gallup Polling on LGBTQ identity

In this episode, we interview Jake Womick and Tom Costello about psychological similarities and differences between liberals and conservatives. Jake is a postdoctoral scholar working with Dr. Kurt Gray at UNC. Tom is working with David Rand at MIT & Gordon Pennycook at University of Regina. We hope you enjoy this conversation.

Manny and Jake's article on this topic.

Evidence that conservatives think differently than liberals:

• Reducing uncertainty & ambiguity
• Wanting order/closure. 
• Emphasizing purity, sanctity & loyalty 
• Rigid thinking
• Viewing threat & danger
• Upholding status quo

Evidence that extremists on both sides:

• See their beliefs as superior
• Avoid exposure to counter-beliefs
• Have motivated disbelief
• Struggle to find flaws in their sides’ arguments
• View information more favorably when it supports their preferences
• Hate each other
• Align with their tribes more than their own beliefs

Other mentions:

• Feldman, 2013
  • Malka, 2017
  • Norris, 2020
  • Pan & Xu, 2018
  • Saucier, 2000
• Conservatives in the US compared to other countries.
• GOP voters change in the Trump era
• Pew data on Black democrats

In this episode we spoke with 2 experts on the topics of mental health, mindful self-compassion, and leadership. These are topics that are not only important for people’s general well-being, but also for how people function in their workplaces, and in other areas of life. On the research side, we have Dr. Remy Jennings and on the practitioner side, we have Janine Johnston. Dr. Jennings is an Assistant Professor in the College of Business at Florida State University. Janine Johnston is an executive & mindfulness consultant as well as a facilitator, a teacher, and a coach, who specializes in mindful self-compassion. 

Papers:

• Self-compassion at work: A self-regulation perspective on its beneficial effects for work performance and wellbeing
• Reflecting on one's best possible self as a leader: Implications for professional employees at work
• When leader self-care begets other care: Leader role self-compassion and helping at work.
• Leadership Styles

Remy on Twitter
Janine’s webpage and LinkedIn

In this episode we were joined by Dr. Amy Muise to discuss sex: how couples navigate different sexual desires in relationships, how cuddling improves sexual satisfaction, how much sex is enough sex, and sex in consensual nonmonogamy relationships. We also discuss Amy's recent debunk of "love languages."

Resources:

• Webpage: https://www.amymuise.com/ 

• Lab instagram: https://www.instagram.com/share.research/
• Good, Giving, and Game: The Relationship Benefits of Communal Sexual Motivation: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/615a20501ce896399f8d5a13/t/617dda90aed0153084cbb6b3/1635637905317/Good%2C+Giving%2C+and+Game-+The+Relationship+Benefits+of+Communal+Sexual+Motivation.pdf
• Measurement of communal strength: https://clarkrelationshiplab.yale.edu/sites/default/files/files/Measurement%20in%20communal%20strength.pdf
• positivity resonance: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315564296-12/broaden-build-theory-meets-interpersonal-neurobiology-lens-compassion-positivity-resonance-barbara-fredrickson-daniel-siegel
• The costs and benefits of sexual communal motivation for couples coping with vulvodynia: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2017-05298-001
• Post Sex Affectionate Exchanges Promote Sexual and Relationship Satisfaction: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10508-014-0305-3
• Sexual Frequency Predicts Greater Well-Being, But More is Not Always Better: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1948550615616462
• Sexual need fulfillment and satisfaction in consensually nonmonogamous relationships: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0265407518774638
• Popular Psychology Through a Scientific Lens: Evaluating Love Languages From a Relationship Science Perspective: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/09637214231217663
  

We welcome Dr. Michael Kraus to the podcast to talk about his research on the psychology of racial inequality. We discuss the fact that people can't solve a problem if they don't know it exists, and strategies to help people see the ways in which inequality manifests. We also talk a bit about sports and research on physical touch in basketball (Dr. Kraus is a Warriors fan). 

• Episode 2 featuring Dr. Kraus's research
• Manny’s blog article outlining the many forms of racial inequality in the US
• People misperceive racial inequality
• Black-White wealth inequality
• Misperception of the Black-White income gap
• Neighborhoods and perception of inequality
• Perceptions of economic equality
• Interventions to reduce misperceptions
• Misperception of racial progress
• Narratives and DEI
• Teammate touching in the NBA
• Image by Michael Reichelt from Pixabay

We discuss Dr. Higginbotham's interesting approach to psychological research: using history as a guide. Specifically we discuss his paper which found that racially resentful White Americans were less supportive of gun rights when Black (vs. White) Americans showed greater use of their gun rights. The studies results harken back to how gun control legislation (Mulford Act of 1967) was used to undermine the gun rights of The Black Panther Party in California.

1. Social Psychological Research on Racism and the Importance of Historical Context: Implications for Policy: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/09637214221114092
2. When an irresistible prejudice meets immovable politics: Black legal gun ownership undermines racially resentful White Americans’ gun rights advocacy: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2022-88684-001?doi=1
3. Dr. Trawalter’s article on “psychologizing racism”: https://virginiaequitycenter.org/sites/virginiaequitycenter.org/files/Trawalter%2C%20Bart-Plange%2C%20%26%20Hoffman.pdf
4. Twitter people being stupid about the NFL: https://twitter.com/GadSaad/status/1593422136101814272
5. Interest in purchasing firearms in the United States at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2022-22091-001
6. From Backlash to Inclusion for All: Instituting Diversity Efforts to Maximize Benefits Across Group Lines: https://spssi.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/sipr.12040
7. Dr. Higginbotham’s paper on reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/xavkog/new_research_shows_racially_resentful_white/

In this episode Dylan interviews Manny about his first first-author paper! The paper investigates how people’s socioeconomic status relates to health (it’s a bit more complicated!).

1. Manny’s paper (not pay walled!): ⁠https://academic.oup.com/abm/article/57/11/929/7281567⁠
2. Kraus episode: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/29DVydMRzGb
3. Muscatell episode: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/p6g2VKPRzGb
4. Why does everyone think they are middle class (not pay-walled!)? https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1948550620934597
5. Robert Sapolsky writes about health and social hierarchy in primates: https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/science.1106477?casa_token=IpGOTg0oFBwAAAAA%3AX3ig2zog-8VbsVcjnw6Cx_xzupulg4Xf4p-Te35XBdwvnY9Mk6EQZhVj8rCV1Bycb6t2535Bpfc9Fw
6. Marmot writes about health inequality and decision latitude: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1674771/
7. Peter Ennes write about how the rich generally determine the political decisions in the US: https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=bM8fEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT5&dq=info:nOJ4vybD5BoJ:scholar.google.com&ots=_snYeRC9S4&sig=XZCZYUofAmyMZArXoYdtNXlHAU4#v=onepage&q&f=false
8. GINI coefficient (a measure of inequality) among countries that are similar to the US: https://data.oecd.org/inequality/income-inequality.htm
9. Wage inequality is lower in worker cooperatives compared to traditional firms: https://ejce.liuc.it/18242979201702/182429792017140207.pdf
10. Direct democracy initiatives support well being: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11205-015-1085-4
11. Age and voting behavior: https://medium.com/@PollsAndVotes/age-and-voter-turnout-52962b0884ef

A quick note at the top of the episode here. What follows is a quick addendum to our episode with Dr. Kristen Mark where we discussed sex education. Dylan wrote an article on his blog where he elaborated on false polarization on the topic of sex education. So we got on a call and chatted about that topic for a few minutes. This addendum was recorded after the episode on attitudes about abortion, but before the Supreme Court decision was made official. So STAY TUNED for our second episode about how mental health is linked to abortion and lack of abortion access, which should be dropping in the next few days. 

Dylan's article about Sex Education. 

1. False polarization happens when we exaggerate or overestimate the differences between political groups. This can lead to further polarization and animosity. We don’t want this!
2. Dems vs Republicans, libs vs cons, voters vs party, party vs politicians
3. There is bipartisan support for not just sex education, but across the board, there is bipartisan support for a wide variety of policies and political beliefs. As one article from the American Prospect puts it, “Most Americans are Liberal, even if they don’t know it”

In the wake of the leaded Supreme Court decision to essentially overturn Roe v. Wade, we decided to do an episode on the science of abortion attitudes. Manny and Dylan discuss Americans’ attitudes towards abortion with Dr. Kristen Jozkowski, who is the William L. Yarber Endowed Professor in Sexual Health at Indiana University Bloomington. She has written extensively on the topic of public opinions on abortion. As with all of the topics we cover, abortion attitudes are complicated!

• PBS article: Majority of Americans don’t want Roe overturned
• 538 article using polling: Where Americans Stand On Abortion, In 5 Charts
• Dr. Jozkowski article: Abortion Complexity Scores from 1972 to 2018: A Cross-Sectional Time-Series Analysis Using Data from the General Social Survey
• Dr. Jozkowski research: “Roe v. Wade” versus “Legalized Abortion”: Wording effect influences on survey responses
• 92% of abortions occur in the first trimester
• Information deficit model of science communication review
• Dr. Jozkowski research: Examining the Relationship Between Roe v. Wade Knowledge and Sentiment Across Political Party and Abortion Identity
• Out-of-Pocket Costs and Insurance Coverage for Abortion in the United States
• Dr .Jozkowski research: If it’s legal, it’s easy: (Mis)perceptions of abortion access across the US
• Dr. Jozkowski research: DO RACE AND PREGNANCY SITUATION AFFECT EMPATHY FOR WOMEN WHO SEEK ABORTIONS IN ARKANSAS? A RANDOMIZED- CONTROLLED VIDEO INTERVENTION
• Benevolent sexism predicts attitudes towards abortion

Find out more about Dr. Jozkowski’s research at @IU_DAMSS_team & @KMJozkowski

1. In the beginning of the episode we discuss the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policy from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP): https://spsp.org/events/demonstrating-our-commitment-anti-racism-through-programming-and-events
2. We reference a statement written by Jonathan Haidt and Lee Jussim complaining about this policy: https://unsafescience.substack.com/p/mandatory-diversity-equity-and-inclusion
3. Finally, we quickly discuss a recent paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS): https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2210412119
4. Dr. Muscatell's TED talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpCvLXtMqiw&ab_channel=TEDxTalks
5. Social status and stress: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/57d17e77b8a79bfa4e31641d/t/5e8e35ba40223918dabc35e5/1586378180841/Cundiff%2C+Boylan%2C+Muscatell_2020_Current+Directions.pdf
6. Social status and inflammation: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6814496/

In this episode, we dive into a discussion of anti-racism with Dr. Erec Smith. Dr. Smith is a Professor of English Language, Literacy and Rhetoric at York College of Pennsylvania. He is the author of several books, is a Writing Fellow for Heterodox Academy, and is a co-founder of Free Black Thought. Dr. Smith is an ardent critic of certain ideas relevant to DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) and anti-racism that have gained popularity and attention in liberal institutions. We have some spirited exchanges about infantilization and mental health, internalized prejudice, and what effective DEI could look like. Dr. Smith also shared some compelling personal stories about his experiences speaking up against some of the more wacky ideas in his field. Following this conversation, Manny and Dylan debrief and reflect on some of the things we agreed and disagreed about.

• Erec Smith @ York College
• A Critique of Anti-racism in Rhetoric and Composition
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwzpHTdUVuM
• https://www.uraction.org/
• https://twitter.com/Rhetors_of_York
• Works that Dr. Smith mentioned (with push back): Violence in the Work of Composition
• Self-presentation in interracial settings: The competence downshift by White liberals.
• Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

In this episode, Manny and Dylan talk about a recent high-profile tenure decision involving Michael Kraus, a psychologist and Associate Professor at the Yale School of Management. Do Ivy League schools promote from within? Are tenure decisions based on merit, or based on ideological preferences of senior faculty? Then, we highlight some of Kraus’s influential research, and specifically do a deep dive into some papers he’s published on the psychology of inequality.

Also mentioned in the episode: Dylan’s NPR interview about the science of dreams, Dylan’s Heterodox Academy interview about education and learning, and Manny’s Master’s Thesis.

• http://www.michaelwkraus.com/
• Michal Kraus’s publication record
• 2016 review of Yale’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences Tenure Appointment Policy
• 25 Ways to Reduce the Cost of College - Center for College Affordability and Productivity
• Norton, M. I., & Ariely, D. (2011). Building a Better America—One Wealth Quintile at a Time. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6(1), 9–12. 
• Kraus, M. W., & Tan, J. J. (2015). Americans overestimate social class mobility. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 58, 101-111. 
• Kraus, M. W., Rucker, J. M., & Richeson, J. A. (2017). Americans misperceive racial economic equality. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(39), 10324-10331. 
• Tan, J. J., Kraus, M. W., Carpenter, N. C., & Adler, N. E. (2020). The association between objective and subjective socioeconomic status and subjective well-being: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 146(11), 970. 
• Recent op-ed by Kraus in LA Times about perceptions of inequality
• Photo by DS stories from Pexels

In this episode, Manny and Dylan chat with Dr. Daniel Yudkin, a social psychologist and researcher at the organization More In Common. We talk about how and why people fundamentally misunderstand Americans’ political viewpoints, and what we can do about this problem. 

(So sorry about Manny's audio quality! There was a mic issue and we had to use his webcam mic for the episode.)

Daniel’s Substack - The Partial Spectator

The “Hidden Tribes” of America

The Perception Gap quiz

More In Common Group 2018 US midterms report

Pew Research Typologies

Polling that shows high support for progressive policies.

“Democratic candidates, on average,are helped by higher turnout.” Hansford and Gomez, 2010

Also, racial minorities (who are more likely to vote democrat) are much less likely to vote, relative to white voters. See Pew 

Income and Education predict different things when it comes to voting in 2016 and 2020

In this episode, we revisit the research on abortion and mental health in light of some listener feedback. We also critique some of the commentaries on the Turnaway study. (Note: Manny's audio was a bit wonky and couldn't be fixed, the audio issues should be fixed by next episode!)

1. Pipette Pen statement: http://www.thepipettepen.com/swac-board-statement-on-abortion-and-the-overturning-of-roe-v-wade/
2. Dr. Coleman’s critique of the turnaway study: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.905221/full
3. Meta-analysis critique: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3646711/
4. Fergusson’s study: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0004867413484597
5. Steinberg’s study that includes Fergusson’s work: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3929105/
6. Abortion, regret and decision-rightness: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31941577/
7. Dr. Chelsea Polis tweet: https://twitter.com/cbpolis/status/1539299448064450560

Image by Chen from Pixabay

Manny and Dylan chat with Dr. David Karp, Professor in the School of Leadership and Education Sciences at the University of San Diego. We talk about the concept of "restorative justice" and how it can be applied specifically to the ongoing problem of sexual misconduct in colleges and universities. We also talk about some of the challenges to scaling up restorative justice, and address some of the reservations people may have about it compared with the mainstream justice system.

Notes:

• Restorative Justice Approaches to the Informal Resolution of Student Sexual Misconduct

• The Little Book of Restorative Justice for Colleges and Universitie

• Addressing individual and community needs in the aftermath of campus sexual misconduct: restorative justice as a way forward in the re-entry process

• RESTORATIVE JUSTICE AND RESPONSIVE REGULATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION

• Book, Applying restorative justice to campus sexual misconduct

• Reckonings podcast episode

In this episode, Manny and Dylan chat with Dr. Kalynda Smith about her work on body image and health. Dr. Smith presents a nuanced view on this topic. We acknowledge that while obesity is a significant factor in physical health, at the same time we cannot judge people’s health just by looking at their bodies. Dr. Smith also advocates for focusing on behaviors such as eating healthy foods and exercise, rather than an oversimplified focus on body weight.

• Dr. Smith’s faculty webpage
• Dr. Smith’s article on Scienceofsocialproblems
• Facts on obesity
• CDC page on obesity

In this episode of the podcast we take a crash course on transgender identity and terminology, statistics on transition and stigma (and associated mental health issues) within the trans community, transition in adults and kids, gender-affirming care, and the difficulties faced by trans individuals who engage with the medical system to get care. Dr. McLamore is bursting at the seams with knowledge on the topic, so there are more citations than usual. We had a much longer conversation than we could publish, but please read their writing in Aeon for more info.

• 2023 anti-trans bills tracker: https://translegislation.com/

• Dr. McLamore’s google scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=-K4hkmsAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao

• Disarming transphobia: ‘Rapid-onset gender dysphoria’ is a popular weapon in the anti-trans arsenal. It is nothing but unscientific bunk’: https://aeon.co/essays/the-real-reason-why-theres-a-global-rise-in-trans-youth

• Two-Spirit Community: https://lgbtqhealth.ca/community/two-spirit.php#:~:text=The%20creation%20of%20the%20term,term%20niizh%20manidoowag%2C%20two%20spirits.

• Caster Semenya: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caster_Semenya

• What is Gender Dysphoria in the DSM-5-TR?: https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/gender-dysphoria/what-is-gender-dysphoria

• Bostock vs clayton county: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bostock_v._Clayton_County#:~:text=Clayton%20County%2C%20590%20U.S.%20___,they%20are%20gay%20or%20transgender.

• Most states allow a “LGBT panic defense”: https://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps/panic_defense_bans

• Michael Knowles tweeting about overturning Bostock vs clayton county: https://twitter.com/michaeljknowles/status/1634987094698520576?lang=en

• Michael Knowles speaking at CPAC about trans people: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/pU9y9dcM5NQ

• Trans people are marginalized: https://www.hrc.org/resources/understanding-the-transgender-community

• Gender affirming care reduces mental health issues: https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications/suicidality-transgender-adults/

• APA supports gender affirmation: https://www.apa.org/topics/lgbtq/division-54-statement-gender-affirmative-care.pdf

• Many organizations support gender affirming care: https://transhealthproject.org/resources/medical-organization-statements/

• Case Report: Induced Lactation in a Transgender Woman: https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/trgh.2017.0044 & https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/106/5/e2047/6123860

• Puberty blockers have been used since the 80s for precocious puberty: https://www.ohsu.edu/sites/default/files/2020-12/Gender-Clinic-Puberty-Blockers-Handout.pdf

• Possible outcomes associated with puberty blocker use: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33320999/

• Rate of trans health care usage among kids: https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-transyouth-data/

• WPath guidelines for trans healthcare: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/26895269.2022.2100644

• Doctor training on trans issues are inadequate: 

• doi:10.1016/j.annemergmed.2017.09.042

• doi:10.1186/1472-6963-12-110

• doi:10.36834/cmej.36785

• doi:10.1111/medu.13796

• doi:10.1071/PY19102

• doi:10.2147/AMEP.S147183

In this episode we talk about Dylan’s newly published study about romantic infidelity in Ashley Madison users. We talk about the ethics of cheating and dishonesty, and whether someone can truly “love” their spouse while having sex with another person. We also talk about what it was like to survey Ashley Madison users about their affairs, and whether we can truly trust them. 

This will be our last episode for a bit, while we take a Summer travel break. See you in August!

• Dylan’s Psychology Today piece about the study.

• Link to the study in Archives of Sexual Behavior.

• More of Dylan’s research on infidelity here and here.