Monitor on Psychology - May 2012 - (Page 41)

“dynamic complexity” of the dolphins’ lives in the sea, forming alliances, raising young and foraging for food. “Dolphins are big-brained, intelligent animals, and like humans, dolphins are individuals each navigating a complex social and physical environment in a unique way. How and why these patterns emerge is the focus of my research,” she says. Video: Watch an excerpt of a BBC documentary on Janet Mann and the dolphins of Shark Bay. Click here for a transcript of the video. Guiding social justice research The relationship between research and human rights can seem theoretical, but for Donna Mertens, PhD, social justice is the fundamental principle that guides her research. Mertens, a professor in the department of educational foundations and research at Gallaudet University, has worked with underrepresented communities internationally to conduct mixed methods research on issues addressing human rights for indigenous people, people Mertens with disabilities, women’s rights and sex workers. Mertens says her role is to ask the provocative questions and to engage communities that haven’t had their voices heard or published. Mertens’s plenary address, “Transformative Mixed Methods Research,” will address the consequences of accepting certain assumptions that guide psychological research. Mertens points out, for example, that the United Nations Millennium Development Goals do not mention people with disabilities. Several international organizations recognize that the goals cannot be achieved without including people with disabilities, and the lack of explicit attention to this group is linked to nations’ limiting their collection of data about how these people are being served. If the goal is to improve human rights and social justice, then we need to start asking what that means in terms of methodology, she says. “We don’t recognize discrimination is around us all the time — and we do research without recognizing it,” she adds. “I want people to question how we can include members of marginalized communities in ways that allow them to express their concerns, strengths and interests, to facilitate social change.” Why do people hurt themselves? It’s a question that has puzzled scholars for thousands of years. Research by Matthew Nock, PhD, of Harvard University, is finding that some people injure themselves to ease their emotional pain. Using behavioral tests, questionnaires and heart rate measures, he’s found that some people are soothed by cutting and similar behaviors, and that people who hurt themselves have a higher tolerance for pain than others do. His work has also revealed that teenagers are quick to move from just thinking about hurting themselves to trying it. Nock received a five-year MacArthur Fellowship to further his research on self-injury and suicide last year. In his plenary talk, Nock will discuss his findings along with other advances in the understanding of self-harm and suicide and what work still needs to be done. “Unfortunately, self-harm continues to be a leading cause of death worldwide and many fundamental questions remain unanswered,” he says. Promoting wellness through social justice Using years of research on well-being, Isaac Prilleltensky, PhD, has designed an online game to help people live healthier, happier lives. He’ll demonstrate the game and discuss the theories behind it at his plenary talk, “Wellness as Fairness: Individual, Interpersonal, Internet and Institutional Interventions.” Key to understanding well-being and how to promote it among different populations is appreciating the connection Prilleltensky between wellness and social justice, says Prilleltensky, of the University of Miami. “If we live in a society where there’s a lot of equality and fairness, the chances are higher that the population is thriving,” he says. “If we live in a society where justice is suboptimal or not so good, the population won’t be thriving.” He’ll then discuss interventions for improving well-being, including a multiplayer online game called “Wellness in Your Hands.” In the game, players create avatars that first learn about issues of wellness and fairness and then play games with other avatars to increase wellness and justice in a virtual community. “I will show how my game is supposed to work to improve wellness and fairness in real life,” says Prilleltensky. Immunizing against poor decisions Record numbers of parents are not vaccinating their children, believing the false notion that vaccines contain mercury and cause autism. Cornell University psychologist Valerie Reyna, PhD, believes her “fuzzy trace” theory can help parents make more informed decisions about this significant health issue. The theory holds that people are driven by a quest for meaning. When we lack adequate information to support Reyna that meaning — particularly when we face threats of unknown origin — we use a “fuzzy trace” of background knowledge, past experience Nock M AY 2 0 1 2 • M O N I T O R O N P S Y C H O L O G Y 41

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Monitor on Psychology - May 2012

Monitor on Psychology - May 2012
Letters
President’s Column
Contents
From the CEO
Math + science + motherhood = a tough combination
The rights of indigenous people take center stage at AAAS meeting
Interdisciplinary programs that are leading the way
Good Governance Project moves into its next phase
APA publishes third edition of seminal ADHD book for kids
Government Relations Update
In Brief
Random Sample
Judicial Notebook
Psychology’s first forays into film
Time Capsule
Questionnaire
Presidential programming
Obesity researchers receive lifetime achievement awards
Top speakers for psychology’s top meeting
Science Watch
Homing in on sickle cell disease
Psychologist Profile
Alone in the ‘hole’
Public Interest
State Leadership Conference ‘12
Perspective on Practice
Education tops council’s agenda
Meet the candidates for APA’s 2014 president
Presidential election guidelines
Division Spotlight
American Psychological Foundation
Support for sexual miniorities
Personalities

Monitor on Psychology - May 2012