Category Archives: Human Behavior

Human Behavior

‘A Sledgehammer To The War On Drugs’: Oregon Decriminalizes Illegal Drugs – WBFO

Legislation that decriminalizes the possession of all illegal drugs goes into effect in Oregon on Monday.

Approved by voters in November, the measure says the state will fine offenders and offer addiction treatment instead of prison time. By addressing drug use as a public health issue rather than a crime, this historic change takes "a sledgehammer to the war on drugs," says Kassandra Frederique, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance.

Drug users need help, not punishment, she says, yet drug possession is the most common reason for arrest in the U.S. This legislation disrupts the relationship between getting help and getting in trouble.

"As someone who was a social worker, I recognize that people make different choices when they want to make those choices," she says. "Punishing people has never been an effective deterrent when its come to complex human behavior."

People dealing with addiction have limited treatment options in jail or prison, she says, whereas remaining part of their community helps folks maintain dignity and sovereignty to make better choices.

Under Oregon's new legislation, decriminalizing all drugs includes substances such as heroin, cocaine and meth. Opponents argue that by removing a major disincentive to do drugs, the law could fuel more drug use.

With more Americans dying from drug overdoses than ever before, Frederique says treatment and community resources need to be funded. Decriminalizing drugs sends a message to Oregonians that help is available, she says.

"Theres been so much cognitive dissonance about what the message is. Is it tough love or is it love?" she says. "And what I say is love is not supposed to hurt."

And Oregon isn't alone: Vermont, Colorado, Washington, California and Virginia are also looking into decriminalizing drugs.

"I think more people are looking at this than people realize because everyone recognizes that we cannot arrest our way out of this problem," she says. "So lets stop investing in that and lets actually start investing in community well-being."

Julia Corcoran produced and edited this interview for broadcast with Todd Mundt. Allison Hagan adapted it for the web.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

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'A Sledgehammer To The War On Drugs': Oregon Decriminalizes Illegal Drugs - WBFO

Human Behavior

What’s creativity got to do with it? – Campaign US

Use of the word Creativity is at an all-time high.

Its part of countless briefs, news articles, TED Talks and agency mission statements (including my own). But while we use it, we rarely describe its value to companies chasing it for growth.

If marketers ever needed a lesson on growth, its after last year. A pandemic, two impeachments, wildfires, elections, economic disruptions and a reckoning over racial injustice have led to massive changes in human behavior and business.

Some brands flourished amid these shifts, while others withered. Many factors determined their fates: resilient business models, essential industries, killer products, leadership, dumb luck ... the list goes on. But perhaps something else also played a big role: creativity.

In times of crisis, creativity thrives. Last year alone, The Flaming Lips held concerts in personal bubbles. Bud Light filled empty stadiums with cardboard fans. Patagonia sewed calls to Vote the assholes out into their shorts. KFC even made a movie on Lifetime.

But what impact did it all have? Did this creativity drive growth? And if so, how?

We decided to find out. First, we narrowed down the definition of creativity (no easy task) by boiling it down to two factors: originality and value, with six specific interpretations for brands. Then we used this rubric to evaluate how 100 brands in 10 industries used creativity in 2020.

We determined the brands that grew the most last year based on Les Binets share of searches and evaluated how many drivers were creative versus endemic using a simple binary measure.

This method has some caveats. More highly considered categories tend to be more searchable and therefore measurable than others. Moreover, share of searches depends on the defined market. So we chose five brands from each vertical, combining upstarts with incumbents.

We found that out of 100 brands, Nike, Airbnb, Peloton, Lowes and Delta Airlines used creativity most effectively to drive growth last year.

Each of these brands moved quickly to adapt their communications to the current moment. Nike, for instance, reinterpreted Just Do It to implore people to Play Inside, Play for the World.

They also used creativity to rethink their operations and experience. Airbnb, which rolled out enhanced clean protocols when the pandemic hit, continued to move decisively in real time by halting all reservations to Washington, D.C. amid threats surrounding the inauguration.

Brands that leveraged creativity to grow were also inclusive. Peloton, for example, launched a brand campaign with the hashtag #FindYourOwnTribe, and Airbnb opened its IPO to hosts.

These brands found everyday ways to help individuals. Lowes Transformation Tuesday series suggested new ways for people to reimagine their spaces while sheltering at home. And Deltas quarantine-free flights allow travelers flying for essential reasons to avoid quarantines.

For the most creative brands, surprise alone is no longer enough. Nikes meticulously edited film, You Cant Stop Us, inspired awe and made the brands mission more meaningful, rather than shocking for the sake of it. Awe has a higher propensity for growth, according to Orlando Woods Lemon.

Finally, clarity and conviction helped these brands weather the storm. Our top brands all committed to clear missions, built consistently over years of energy and focus. They reinforce these missions beyond their communications in everything they do, from new products to business commitments.

Volatility isnt going anywhere, and creativity helps brands grow amid uncertainty. Brands can use creativity as a ballast to keep long-term growth straight and true.

Scott MacLeod is director of planning at VIA.

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What's creativity got to do with it? - Campaign US

Human Behavior

Dog Study: OSU researchers find the animals are paying attention – St. Helens Chronicle

Dogs synchronize their behavior with the children in their family, but not as much as they do with adults, Oregon State University (OSU) researchers have found.

While research has found dogs can have a lot of positive impacts on a childs life, there are also risks associated with the dog-child relationship.

The new findings are important because there is a growing body of evidence that dogs can help children in many ways, including with social development, increasing physical activity, managing anxiety or as a source of attachment in the face of changing family structures, the researchers said. Yet, very little research has focused on how dogs perceive and socially engage with children.

The great news is that this study suggests dogs are paying a lot of attention to the kids that they live with, said Oregon State animal behaviorist Monique Udell, the lead author of the study.

Udell said dogs are responsive to children and, in many cases, behaving in synchrony with them, indicators of positive affiliation and a foundation for building strong bonds.

One interesting thing we have observed is that dogs are matching their childs behavior less frequently than what we have seen between dogs and adult caretakers, which suggests that while they may view children as social companions, there are also some differences that we need to understand better," Udell said.

Co-authors were Shelby Wanser, a faculty research assistant in Udells lab, and Megan MacDonald, an associate professor in Oregon States College of Public Health and Human Sciences, who studies how motor skills and physically active lifestyles improve the lives of children with and without disabilities

The researchers recruited 30 youth between the ages of 8 and 17 years old 83% of which had a developmental disability to take part in the study with their family dog. The experiments took place in a large empty room. Color-coded taped lines were placed on the floor, and the children were given instructions on how to walk the lines in a standardized way with their off-leash dog.

The researchers videotaped the experiments and analyzed behavior based on three elements:

(1) Activity synchrony, which means how much time the dog and child were moving or stationary at the same time.

(2) Proximity, or how much time the dog and child were within 1 meter of each other.

(3) Orientation, how much time the dog was oriented in the same direction as the child.

They found that dogs exhibited behavioral synchronization with the children at a higher rate than would be expected by chance for all three variables. During their assessments, they found:

Active synchrony for an average of 60.2% of the time. Broken down further, the dogs were moving an average of 73.1% of the time that the children were moving and were stationary an average of 41.2% of the time the children were stationary.

Proximity within 1 meter of each other for an average of 27.1% of the time.

Orientation in the same direction for an average of 33.5% of the time.

While child-dog synchrony occurred more often that what would be expected by chance, those percentages are all lower than what other researchers have found when studying interactions between dogs and adults in their household. Those studies found active synchrony 81.8% of the time, but at 49.1% with shelter dogs. They found proximity 72.9% of the time and 39.7% with shelter dogs. No studies on dog-human behavioral synchronization have previously assessed body orientation.

The Oregon State researchers are conducting more research to better understand factors that contribute to differences in levels of synchrony and other aspects of bond quality between dogs and children compared to dogs and adults, including participation in animal assisted interventions and increasing the childs responsibility for the dogs care.

While research has found dogs can have a lot of positive impacts on a childs life, there are also risks associated with the dog-child relationship, the researchers said. For example, other studies have found dogs are more apt to bite children versus adults.

We still have a lot to learn about the dog-child relationship Udell said. Were hoping this research can inform the best ways to shape positive outcomes and mitigate risks by helping children interact with dogs in a manner that improves the relationship and ultimately the welfare of both individuals.

Based on this study, Udell also offered some takeaways for families with children and dogs.

What we are finding is that kids are very capable of training dogs, and that dogs are paying attention to the kids and can learn from them, she said. Sometimes we dont give children and dogs enough credit. Our research suggests that with some guidance we can provide important and positive learning experiences for our kids and our dogs starting at a much earlier age, something that can make a world of difference to the lives of both.

The OSU research paper was recently published in the journal Animal Cognition.

Sean Nealon is a news editor at Oregon State University's University Relations and Marketing Department. He may be reached at sean.nealon@oregonstate.edu

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Dog Study: OSU researchers find the animals are paying attention - St. Helens Chronicle

Human Behavior

James S. McDonnell Foundation Announces New 2020 Grants for The 21st Century Science Initiative Awards – Business Wire

ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Officers and Directors of the James S. McDonnell Foundation today announced more than $6 million in grants in their ongoing program, the 21st Century Science Initiative. Together with previously announced grants, the Foundations total 2020 commitment is more than $18.5M.

In 2020, JSMF inaugurated the Opportunity Awards funding new research studying human behavior across the lifespan using more naturalistic designs and dynamic measures better to reflect our day-to-day behavior.

Other 21st Century Science Initiative grants are listed below. Of note are Collaborative Awards investigating the neurological impacts of COVID-19 and studying how societal collective memories are formed and maintained. The Foundation continues to fulfill James S. McDonnells vision of serving society by supporting the quest for new knowledge and its responsible application, President Susan M. Fitzpatrick noted. These new grants are pushing forward the Foundations agenda of supporting scientific research contributing solutions to important complex problems.

JSMF supports research in two program areas: Understanding Human Cognition and Understanding Dynamic & Multi-scale Systems. The foundation also awards Special Initiative grants to projects closely aligned with its programmatic interests but are structured to allow JSMF to pursue unusual opportunities.

The McDonnell Foundations 2020 21st Century Science Initiative Awards are:

Opportunity Awards: Understanding Human Cognition

Temple University, Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaExpanding the Horizons for Research at the Developmental Interface of Brain, Body, and Behavior,Project Lead: Peter Marshall, $250,000 over four years

Tulane University, New Orleans, LouisianaOrigins of body knowledgeProject Lead: Jeffrey Lockman, $250,000 over four years

Universidad de los Andes, Bogot, ColombiaOff the Rails: Moral Psychology Beyond Traditional BordersProject Lead: Santiago Amaya, $250,000 over four years

University of California, Davis, Davis, CaliforniaLeveraging Virtual Reality to Unlock Interactions Between Visual Attention and Memory in Children and AdultsProject Lead: Joy Geng, $250,000 over four years

University of California, Davis, Davis, CaliforniaExamination of infant learning in naturalistic interactionsProject Lead: Lisa Oakes, $250,000 over four years

University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United KingdomEmbracing Complexity in NeurodevelopmentProject Lead: Duncan Astle, $250,000 over four years

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan,Personalized Cognition in Context: An Ambulatory Assessment Study of Executive Function Dynamics Across Adulthood and AgingProject Lead: Adriene Beltz, $250,000 over four years

University of Oxford, Oxford, United KingdomDoes social support buffer fatigue? A Social-Developmental ApproachProject Lead: Emma Cohen, $250,000 over four years

Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MissouriEvent Cognition in the WildProject Lead: Jeffrey Zacks, $250,000 over four years

Yale University, New Haven, ConnecticutEstablishing Ground Truth About the Development of Episodic Memory in InfancyProject Lead: Nicholas Turk-Browne, $250,000 over four years

Collaborative Activity Awards: Understanding Human Cognition

Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York City, New YorkCOVID-19 Consortium for Recovery of ConsciousnessProject Lead: Nicholas Schiff, $1,500,000 over three years.

Collaborative Activity Award: Special Initiatives

Ceibal Center for Educational Support of Children and Adolescents, Montevideo, UruguaySupport for the 2020 Latin American School for Education, Cognitive and Neural SciencesProject Lead: Alejandro Maiche, $50,460 over one year

Health Research Alliance, Research Triangle Park, North CarolinaIn Support of Program Planning for the Re-imagining Biomedical Research Ecosystem InitiativeProject Lead: Maryrose Franko, $50,000 over one year

Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis, MissouriCollective Memory CollaborativeProject Lead: Henry L. Roediger III, $750,000 over three years

Postdoctoral Fellowship Awards: Understanding Dynamic and Multi-scale Systems

Caitlin Cornell, University of California BerkeleyMichelle Feng, California Institute of TechnologyArtem Kaznatcheev, University of PennsylvaniaChristopher Lynn, The City University of New YorkSandeep Manjanna, University of PennsylvaniaBrandon Schlomann, University of California Berkeley

Founded in 1950 by the late aerospace pioneer and founder of what would become the McDonnell Douglas Corporation, James S. McDonnell believed that science and technology gives mankind the power to shape knowledge for the future while improving our lives. "Mr. Mac's" vision continues to be realized through the research these grants are supporting. Since the inception of the 21st Century Science Initiative in 2000, more than $350 million in funding has been awarded.

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James S. McDonnell Foundation Announces New 2020 Grants for The 21st Century Science Initiative Awards - Business Wire

Human Behavior

The Beauty of Southwestern – Southern Newsroom

Everywhere I go, I enjoy making myself at home. If Im staying in a hotel, I unpack all my belongings and arrange them just so, and Im usually asked if Im planning on moving in because I dont travel light. If Im in a coffee shop writing on my laptop, I have a specific setup for optimal efficiency: laptop to the left, notebook to the right, and my coffee right in the middle for accessibility.

Im no different when it comes to my school.

The following are three of my favorite places on the Southwestern campus, each being significant to me for their own unique reason, but all contributing to my overalland crucialfeeling of home.

Imagine: Youre a student in your first year at Southwestern. Its a regular weekday, and youve just finished your first class. You enter MoodBridwell Hall, approach the elevator, ride it up to the third floor, walk down the hall toward the offices, and turn back around when you realize youve gone the wrong way (the MoodBridwell layout is confusing if youre directionally challenged like me). Then, you finally reach your intended destination: a narrow hallway leading to two adjacent doors. They are to the offices of two academic advisors. You may not realize it now, but your existence, as you know it, has ended.

This is your first academic advising appointment at SU. You know the drill. Youve had academic advising appointments either in high school or at a different university, and you know what to expect. Your advisor will tell you your options for classes in the upcoming semester, review your previous transcripts to make sure youre on the right track to graduate, then send you on your merry way.

Wrong.

The reality: you enter as a first-year student at Southwestern University, but you leave as something entirely different.

Youre no longer an introverted homebody who cant stand being away from your house for longer than 12 hours. Youre now someone with serious wanderlust, taking the first step toward becoming a world traveler by applying for study abroad programs to live in a different country across the globe for an entire month or semester. Or perhaps youre now the aspiring CEO of a start-up company preparing for the world of business through a program that encourages entrepreneurship and innovation, guiding you toward your ultimate goal of having complete autonomy over your time and your life. Or maybe you just talked to Associate Professor of Economics and Business Debika Sihi about her adorable dog, Biscuit, and now you have the urge to adopt a furry friend of your own.

Regardless of the outcome of your appointment, the academic advisors at SU are sure to turn your world topsy-turvybut in an auspicious way. Youre now realizing that being a serious academic isnt attainable only by individuals of the mental acumen of Einstein or Hawking; its a possibility for those who are simply earnest in their pursuit of learning. And youre now understanding that the pursuit of learning isnt confined to the elementary topics introduced to you in high school; its broadened to an abundance of specialized disciplines and opportunities that actually pique your interest, such as learning about human behavior through the study of animals or pursuing a passion project with the help of your professors.

So as youre playing with the miniature Japanese zen garden sitting on Director of Business Internships and Assistant Professor of Business Andy Rosss desk while pondering whether to go for that business and biology double major, or what type of internship opportunities you want to pursue for the summer, just know that your life is about to become significantly more complicated, but in the best possible way.

Now we shift to a different setting: the grassy lawn known as the Academic Mall. Its no surprise that Southwestern University possesses such an area, as most universities do. But this one offers something particularly valuable: perspective.

At this point in the day, youve spent hours in the library studying for your upcoming exam, and you need a change of scenery. Its a beautiful day, with just the right temperature for basking in the sun like a lizard (if you tend to run cold like I do).

However, once you reach the area, youre faced with a dilemma: where do you sit?

There are so many spots to choose from in this expansive field. Will you be bold today and choose to stand out by sitting in the lone bright yellow Adirondack chair in the middle of the campus? Or will you lounge under the shade of the very climbable-looking trees, people-watching as your classmates go about their daily business? Or maybe you want to erect a barrier around you using multiple lounge chairs and defend your new territory like the SU Pirate you are. The possibilities are vast. And so are the perspectives.

When faced with the monotony of daily life, it can be easy to fall into the rhythm of going to class, going to work, eating, sleeping, studying, repeat. You find yourself in the same places at the same time of day, and soon your days blur into one another as youre faced with the never-ending torrent of assignments and obligations that come with being a university student. So stop, just for a moment. Notice where you are, and notice that its different from where youve been before. Breathe in the fresh air, and appreciate everything thats around you. You now have a different perspective.

But if you do this, make sure to bring a snack. The dining hall is close by, and when the wind wafts in your direction, youre likely to get a bit peckish.

Not many people know that Southwestern has its own secret garden.

Over the years, the A. Frank Smith, Jr. Library has been added onto multiple times, giving the buildings a duality of old versus new. You can see this from the garden, as the modern portion of the library in which students spend most of their time is in direct contrast with the building that houses Special Collections and possesses the gothic charm characteristic of classic SU.

During the additions, the builders decided to incorporate a small courtyard in the center of the buildings where the old meets the new. The area remained empty for a short while until it became a passion project of Director of Library Resources Amy Anderson, and based on the roughly two-decade-long history of this quaint area, it is obvious that some unseen force wanted it to thrive.

When you enter the courtyard, the first thing youll notice is the massive fruit trees, and if youre there during the right season, youll definitely notice the dozens, possibly hundreds, of ripe tangerines. According to Anderson, tangerine trees arent known for being the most long living, so its a surprise that this one is still kicking. There is also a volunteer tallow tree (volunteer trees are saplings that come up from seed all by themselves), just adding to the assumption that the area was, and is, meant to be.

You have many seats to choose from, but you decide to sit on the wooden bench shaded by the branches of a fruit tree. You now have a complete view of the garden.

Behind you is a floor-to-ceiling glass window, giving you a glimpse back into the modern world of the brightly lit library. But dont turn around. Keep your eyes forward, forget about whats behind you, and focus on whats in front of you. Underneath your feet is uneven red cobblestone, and lining the sides of the courtyard is lush, fern-like foliage. The towering but undaunting buildings around you command deference. In another situation, you might feel claustrophobic, but the charm and serenity of the space ward away any negative feelings of this nature, and instead, you feel safely ensconced in the heart of these stalwart structures. Youre isolated but not lonely.

If youre here on a particularly still day, when the wind isnt blowing through the trees and everything is calm and quiet, the only thing youll hear is the occasional bird chirp. You can almost imagine that the world has stopped, and maybe even forget about it altogether, existing in a place disassociated from its chaotic nature. You breathe in the crisp air and exhale the burdens that come along with being, well, human. And if you try hard enough, you can stay here in this secret, sheltered place long enough to just exist, and nothing else. Long enough to just be.

It seems common sense, but Ive known many people, including myself, who just suck it up and stick it out when theyre not satisfied in the school, town, or community where they attend school. In the process of bettering ourselves and our lives, it becomes easy to justify being miserable here and now to be successful in the future. After all, suffering is a necessary part of college in regards to the courses that challenge you and the maturation you go through as you transition from adolescence to adulthood. But forcing yourself to conform to a place or situation in which you find yourself feeling lost, disappointed, or frustrated isnt worth it. You wouldnt ask it of a friend or loved one, so why would you ask it of yourself? Life becomes easier when you actually enjoy the place you call home.

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The Beauty of Southwestern - Southern Newsroom

Human Behavior

How the COVID-19 pandemic can be the push forward that the planet needs – MarketWatch

In less than a year, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a catastrophic effect on humankind. The question is, can it have a positive impact on human behavior and society for years to come?

History is replete with examples of positive developments emerging from some of the darkest chapters of life. The cholera outbreaks of the 1800s, for example, spurred the reimagining of great cities, from the tree-lined boulevards of Paris to Central Park in New York City. The 1918 influenza epidemic gave rise to the concept of public health and modernized the delivery of health services throughout the world.

Will there be similar positive outcomes from COVID-19?There already are. If you think about the changes in human and societal behavior that have taken place over the past year, these developments could have major implications on healing the global economy and addressing inequality if we work to sustain them.

Inclusion through digitalization

Digitalization in a wide array of industries from healthcare to education to agriculture and financial services would probably have taken place without the pandemics social distancing requirements. Now, leaps made in teleconferencing, telemedicine, education-tech, and fintech in 2020 are likely to have huge implications for productivity, the global economy, and the ability of lower-income consumers and households to access essential services. This can have a profound impact on reducing economic and healthcare inequality.

The impact of working from home

As social distancing requirements forced offices to temporarily close or reconfigure, many companies have been pleasantly surprised by how productive their employees have been while working from home. This has led to speculation of what office life could be in a post-pandemic world. Will we return to our cubicles or will companies continue to be flexible in allowing employees to work from home?

The answer to this question could have far-reaching ramifications:

Putting the urgency in ESG

The global pandemic reminds us that we are all affected by our society and environment. As such, it has given a greater sense of urgency to deal with environmental and social issues the E and the S in ESG.

Our responsibility in 2021 is to make sure it does. The private and public sectors will be working together throughout the coming year to implement the largest vaccination program in human history. Its important that governments, businesses, communities and investors find a way to build on the successes of this unprecedented effort to save lives and livelihoods as we move beyond COVID-19 and turn to an even bigger challenge: Saving the planet.

Vikram Gandhi is a Senior Lecturer at Harvard Business School, where he developed and teaches HBS first course on impact investing Investing: Risk, Return, and Impact.

More: 7 things you need to know about Generation Z

Also read: Investing in China isnt easy. Focusing on ESG can help

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How the COVID-19 pandemic can be the push forward that the planet needs - MarketWatch

Human Behavior

Psychopathology resulting from childhood abuse is more strongly linked to subjective rather than objective … – PsyPost

New research published in the journal Nature Human Behavior suggests that a persons subjective experience of childhood maltreatment is linked to an elevated risk of psychopathology, while the objective experience of abuse is not.

While childhood maltreatment is a known risk factor for future mental health issues, there is an emerging debate over whether it is the objective experience of abuse or a persons construal of the abuse that leads to psychopathology. It has recently been discovered that assessments identifying adults with subjective reports of past childhood maltreatment and assessments identifying children with objective experiences of maltreatment yield disparate groups of individuals.

Study authors Andrea Danese (@andrea_danese) and Cathy Spatz Widom say that a better understanding of how subjective and objective experiences of childhood maltreatment contribute to psychopathology would greatly inform future research practices.

Doubts on whether psychopathology is more strongly associated with documented experience or personal appraisal of childhood trauma dates back to writing by Freud, said Danese, a professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at Kings College London.

That was at the time when the philosophical tradition of Phenomenology was also developing, focusing on the differences between objective and subjective experience. Building on that tradition, we have recently shown that prospective measures of childhood trauma (third-person perspectives from official records or parental reports) and retrospective measures (self reports by adults) identify largely different groups of people. Therefore, we sought to test whether these different measures of childhood trauma also showed differential association with psychopathology.

To explore this topic, the researchers obtained a sample of 908 individuals identified through official court records as victims of child abuse or neglect in 1967-1971. The researchers then gathered a comparison sample of 667 individuals with no record of abuse or neglect, who were matched to the first sample when it came to age, race, sex, and social class.

Danese and Widom tracked down both groups of individuals and were able to conduct two-hour follow-up interviews among 1,196 of these participants, who were now an average of 28 years of age. During these interviews, the participants were asked questions about their upbringing that assessed the presence of childhood maltreatment. The interviews also measured current and lifetime psychopathology, which included measures of depression, dysthymia, PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, antisocial personality disorder, and alcohol and drug abuse/dependence.

The interviews revealed three different groups of participants: those with only objective experiences of child abuse, those with both objective and subjective experiences of abuse, and those with only subjective experiences of abuse.

The researchers found that adults with only objective experiences of child abuse those identified by official records as having been victims of abuse but who did not retrospectively recall the experience when interviewed showed no greater psychopathology than those with neither objective nor subjective experiences of maltreatment. On the other hand, adults who retrospectively recalled being abused as children showed an increased risk of lifetime psychopathology whether they had official records of childhood maltreatment or not.

The subjective or lived experience of childhood trauma is more strongly associated with psychopathology than even severe objective experiences documented from court records. This means that psychopathology is not simply triggered by what happens to children but rather how children and adults think about their experiences, Danese told PsyPost. This perspective offers new hope for treatments focused on cognitive interventions for trauma survivors. Overall, this evidence suggests that young people are not defined by their negative life experiences.

This pattern of findings remained constant across gender, race, type of psychological disorder, and type of maltreatment.

Of course, the researchers emphasized, our results do not diminish the significance of maltreatment in the lives of children . . . Our results also show that many children with official records and subjective appraisal of maltreatment go on to develop psychopathology.

The researchers said that the fields current understanding of psychopathology resulting from child abuse needs to be revised so that it acknowledges the crucial role of the subjective experience of childhood maltreatment. They added that more research is needed to better understand why some abused children go on to establish a subjective evaluation of their abuse while others do not.

We are interested to expand our analysis to test if there are features on the traumatic events and cognitive appraisal that can help us explain the differential association of objective and subjective measures of childhood trauma with psychopathology, Danese told PsyPost. We are also interested in testing whether similar or different patterns can be observed for the associations with physical health outcomes. Ultimately, we will learn from this epidemiological work to inform the development of new treatments.

The study, Objective and subjective experiences of child maltreatment and their relationships with psychopathology, was authored by Andrea Danese and Cathy Spatz Widom.

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Psychopathology resulting from childhood abuse is more strongly linked to subjective rather than objective ... - PsyPost

Human Behavior

Faculty note: Professor Chu’s new article is featured by the Center for Self-Determination Theory Inside UW-Green Bay News – UWGB

Assistant Professor and Chair, Alan Chu (M.S Sport, Excercise, and Performance Psychology) and his colleagues published a new article that shows high school athletes might be less active when coaches are disempowering, such as using punishing and yelling techniques. This article is featured by the Center for Self-Determination Theory, one of the most established motivation theories to explain human behavior and psychological needs.

To read the full feature, visit this LinkedIn page.

To learn more about Chus Self-Determination Theory publications, visit the International Scholars profile.

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Faculty note: Professor Chu's new article is featured by the Center for Self-Determination Theory Inside UW-Green Bay News - UWGB

Human Behavior

Resident Alien: Why The Reviews Are So Positive | Screen Rant – Screen Rant

Critics have lauded Resident Alien for its star Alan Tudyk's performance and the charming off-beat comedy. Here's a quick review round-up.

Resident Alienhas garnered a lot of positive buzz since its SyFy premiere last Wednesday.Several critics credit Alan Tudyk's performance as a clueless, cynical alien for the show's burgeoning success. Based on the Dark Horse comic series by Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse, Resident Alienis sure to be a win formany viewers.

The show follows Alan Tudyk's alien, disguised asDr. Harry Vanderspeigle, as he navigates being stranded on Earth after a failed mission to destroy humankind.Heassumes the doctor's appearance after he throws the human version into a frozen lake, thereby killing him. Though he spends three months isolated and learning human behavior via television, he is by no means an expert. Surprisingly,the imposter doesn't fool anyone, albeit the mayor's son, when he's called on to examine the body of the town's only other doctor and begins the show's ultimate murder mystery.

Related: Why The Little Things' Reviews Are So Bad

Over on Rotten Tomatoes, Resident Aliencurrently holds a near-perfect 96% rating from critics. For the most part, critics laud Alan Tudykas anextraterrestrialinitially resistant to the charms of human living. Theypraise his physicality and versatility in the role, as well as complimenting the supporting cast, who play completely normal characters around his odd man out. Many also claim the blend of dark humor and sincerityworks to the show's advantage. With these critiques in mind, let's take a look at some of the most positive reviews.

Decider:

A show likeResident Alienhas to take on a delicate balance, where it should be funny but not goofy, dramatic and heartfelt but not smarmy, and scary but not violent. Sheridan and his writers have done a good job having all three of these elements in the pilot, but much of it is thanks to the casting of Tudyk as Harry.

CNN:

Adapted by "Family Guy" writer Chris Sheridan, "Resident Alien" possesses the quirky qualities of a live-action cartoon, capitalizing on Tudyk's weirdly endearing performance, which makes you root for Harry even with his occasional homicidal tendencies.

Roger Ebert:

The writing isnt quite of that caliberit too often goes for easy character beats instead of nuanced storytellingbut this is a consistently likable show at a time when people could use something comfortable and easy. And theres enough talent and potential in it that it could still develop into something even richer and deeper.

Wall Street Journal:

Among all the secret weapons inhabiting Resident Alien, the principal one is Mr. Tudyk, who often provides voices for animated series but can assume the otherworldly look, and charms, of a creature cut loose from his reality.

While many are in favor of Alan Tudyk,some reviewers believe the storyline becomes a little muddled as the series progresses and the show is just too long to warrant one-hour episodes. Several critics say half-hour episodes would have worked best for this dramedy. Some also claim the heavier subject matter outweighs the lighthearted moments at times, so it strikes an uneven balance in tone. A fewsay that the showdoesn't provide fresh perspectivesto thesci-figenreor small town tropes, which may deter from the overall quality of the show. See below for some less favorable remarks.

The Hollywood Reporter:

The TV incarnation of Resident Alien struggles to find a consistent tone, layers in more artificial storytelling obstacles than the premise requires and only occasionally figures out how to use its appealing cast. ... After seven episodes I'd grown tired of wading through the half-dozen plotlines I didn't care about for the one or two that I did.

The Times:

It's a nice send-up of various genres, based on the Dark Horse comic books. However, it feels too slight to warrant hour-long episodes and would perhaps be snappier in half-hour bites.

Despite these misgivings, it seems as though Resident Alienhas enough steam to be a hit.The overarching opinion from critics for thereason to tune in and keep watching is because of Alan Tudyk. However convoluted the plot may become, Tudyk carries the show and makes it an entertaining and worthwhile watch.

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Resident Alien: Why The Reviews Are So Positive | Screen Rant - Screen Rant

Human Behavior

Will MnDOT be responsive to communities’ I-94 non-expansion demands? – MinnPost

For years, advocates and the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) have been engaged in a subtle game of three-dimensional advocacy chess. It centers on the central portion of Interstate 94, the states most used freeway, which carries around 150,000 cars a day between Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Built more than 60 years ago, the central link of I-94 is approaching its design life and soon much of it will have to be reconstructed at great expense. The open question is whether MnDOT will try to expand the freeway when it undergoes construction.

The agency is rapidly approaching a key decision point as a committee meets this week. Following a multiyear agency public-engagement effort on one hand, titled Rethinking I-94, groups of social justice and environmental advocates have taken a preemptive position on the future of the states busiest freeway.

There are a lot of layers and complexities to any kind of transportation project, explained Keith Baker, the managing director of Reconnect Rondo. This is the most important corridor in the state, and having MnDOT, the city, the Met Council, and Ramsey County on the same page in reference to this opportunity is critical.

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Before he began working with Reconnect Rondo, an advocacy organization for St. Pauls freeway-adjacent communities, Baker worked for 15 years at MnDOT. Last October, his Reconnect Rondo organization sent the agency a detailed eight-page position paper [PDF] calling for an equitable and restorative development model in planning for the freeways future. And in December, the Minneapolis City Council unanimously passed a resolution [PDF] laying out a series of demands and expectations for how the freeway is used.(The St. Paul City Council is expected to pass a very similar resolution next week.)

The elephant in the room remains climate change, now a more urgent problem than ever. The problem is that, statewide and nationally, the transportation sector poses the largest challenge for decarbonization. While Minnesota has succeeded in cutting emissions from sectors like electricity generation, transportation pollution has grown as larger cars, trucks, and SUVs continue to increase the states overall Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT).

In 2019, MnDOT released a report on its goals for reducing carbon through encouraging electric vehicles. But even those plans barely included overall VMT reductions, making it difficult to reach ambitious climate goals.

The decision around central I-94 might be an opportunity to take the next step.

Minnesota Department of Transportation

Minnesota Department of Transportation

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If you look at the Minneapolis City Council resolution, its full of ideas that point to reducing traffic on the freeway. In it, the council states flatly that it strongly opposes the repair or reconstruction of I-94 in its current form and categorically rejects any roadway expansion within its boundaries or any right of way expansion.

In place of some existing freeway traffic, the City Council proposes taking an existing travel lane and converting it to a transit/carpool lane that would allow express buses and other high occupancy vehicles to speed between the cities, even during rush hour.

The resolutions other details include better bridges and connections for walking and bike paths, sidewalks, and trails over the freeway, alongside mitigation efforts to reduce harmful pollution for people living nearby.

I-94 was the most destructive project, and this is a once in a generation opportunity to repair that damage, explained Burns. The Sierra Club position is that if, MnDOT wants to brand this thing as Rethinking 94, were calling on them to do that, and to really create infrastructure that centers on the health of people and ecosystems.

Of course, the central spur of I-94 is not just any freeway, but a particularly infamous stretch of urban highway that is held up as a national example of the worst kind of midcentury freeway construction. When it was built it destroyed St. Pauls largely African-American Rondo neighborhood, and that story has filled several books, a handful of documentaries, and at least one play. Thanks to the tireless work of African American community leaders in St. Paul, commemorating the historic Rondo neighborhood has long been the subject of an annual summer festival.

While this is a transportation project, it cannot be viewed solely as a transportation project, said Keith Baker of Reconnect Rondo.Bakers four-year-old nonprofit centers on building support and funding for a land bridge that would put a lid over a central stretch of the freeway, relinking both sides of the historic Rondo community.

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Since then, Reconnect Rondo has reframed its mission, to focus less on infrastructure specifics and more on revitalizing the citys African American community that the freeway destroyed in the first place.

Reconnect Rondo will help to create a unified voice within the community that will lead a restorative movement, explained Baker. By leading a restorative movement, we aim to revitalize the past of Rondo, looking to the future of an African American cultural enterprise district thats connected by a community land bridge. The land bridge [itself] is merely a tool.

For Baker, the Minneapolis City Councils I-94 resolution is a good step forward, and he suggested we dont see anything within the resolution that hinders the work were doing.

But as Baker sees it, the key for the future of Rondo community will be for MnDOT to truly rethink its goals. Thats why their position paper lays out an alternative vision for the DOT, rethinking the purpose and need of the freeway in the first place.

The position paper speaks to the importance of social, economic, and environmental considerations to be up front in purpose and need rather than simply talking about infrastructure, Baker explained.

For generations, traffic engineering has been nearly synonymous with freeway expansion. DOTs have long been tasked with the problem of reducing traffic congestion, which is an almost impossible goal given the perniciousness of human behavior around induced demand.

But this year, during a pandemic that saw travel behavior rapidly shift, there were some glimmers that MnDOT is starting to change its habits. In December, an external committee that advises the agency on climate policy,theSustainable Transportation Advisory Council, approved recommendations to set goals for reducing driving statewide. Among the adopted principles are reducing VMT statewide by 20% by 2050 and the corollary tostop expanding highway capacity to reduce congestion.[PDF]

Thirty years in the future might not seem like a significant time horizon, but even that goal represents a massive shift for an agency that has predicted growth in driving since its inception.

Minnesota Department of Transportation

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Elsewhere around the country, its another story. Destructive urban freeway expansion projects continue to be pitched and planned in cities like Portland (Oregon), Houston, Cleveland, Los Angeles and dozens of other cities.

Ending highway expansion would represent a huge political fight, especially for fast-growing exurban communities. But with incoming U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg openly calling for an urban freeway removal fund, the time might be right for MnDOT to shift gears.

MinnPost photo by Bill Lindeke

I-94 at sunset in Minneapolis' Seward Neighborhood.

Our community has a continuum, and people are at different places, said Baker. Some want the doggone thing just to be filled in. Others say its OK to have a freeway, but dont want expansion. Or that we need transit considerations, as well as ensuring connectivity so that biking and walking can take place.

Baker and others will be closely watching this weeks meeting of the freeways policy advisory committee, as is members draft their Purpose and Need Statement for the freeway project.

We are at an important point, talking about mobility equity, he said. Anything that gets us to mobility equity, we completely support.

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Will MnDOT be responsive to communities' I-94 non-expansion demands? - MinnPost