Unfairness and heart attacks

A recent article in the Los Angeles Times discusses the relationship between believing one was treated unfairly and subsequent heart attacks and angina (chest pain).

Civil servants in England were asked, "I often have the feeling that I am being treated unfairly." At the time of surveying, none of the approximately 6000 respondents were in poor health or showed signs of heart disease.

Ten years later, for those who reported high levels of unfair treatment, 387 had either died or had been treated for angina or other heart problems.

Respondents who reported less unfair treatment had lower levels of cardiac events.

The authors interpret these results as evidence for a possible relationship between cardiovascular and mental health. The mechanisms for the relationship are indirect. People who believe they have been treated unfairly are more likely to drink, smoke, overeat, and engage in other similar risky behaviors.

Reasons to adopt Spatz & Kardas

Here are 15 reasons to adopt our book:

1. It brings a fresh approach to research methods texts emphasizing the empowering of students as budding researchers. Our approach treats students much like apprentice scientists working in collaboration with master scientist.
2. It offers a simpler framework toward understanding the nature of research. We divide science into three main categories: experimental, correlational, and meta-analytic. Experimental methods are broadly defined.
3. It shows the differences in theory construction in psychological theory and physical science. We use Mjöset’s classification of social science theories: law-oriented, ideal, critical, and constructivist (Ch. 1) to provide students with a sophisticated understanding of recent social science theorizing.
4. It provides a step-by-step framework for understanding research methodologies. We use two chapters (11 & 12) to walk students through the entire research process from getting an idea to writing the final report and presenting it.
5. It emphasizes the central nature of ethics in psychological research. We make ethics a topic that is totally interwoven into the fabric of research and cover ethics with an entire chapter (3) that spans a gamut of topics including the IRB, scientific misconduct, and Nuremberg Code.
6. Spatz & Kardas reproduce the entire Ethics Code of the American Psychological Association. We take students through Section 8 (Research and Publication) of APA’s Ethics Code using responsibility to participants, responsibility to psychology, and animal research as conceptual guides. Informed consent and other ethical topics are fully explained and a sample consent form is provided. APA’s entire Ethics Code is reproduced as Appendix B.
7. It covers non-experimental approaches to psychological research. Chapter 10 covers naturalistic and participant observation, qualitative research (interviews, focus groups, oral history, archival research), and small-N research (case studies, AB, and ABA designs).
8. It provides examples of research conducted by undergraduate students. We use examples of psychological research conducted by undergraduate students and published in undergraduate journals to inspire budding researchers.
9. It leads students through the process of research from start to finish. Chapters 11 and 12 gently lead students through the research process from selecting original research topics to publishing research in undergraduate journals.
10. It provides comprehensive coverage of data exploration and statistics. Chapter 5 emphasizes modern exploratory data analysis (descriptive and inferential) and graphs. Chapter 6 covers traditional NHST statistical tests. Effect size and meta-analysis are fully covered.
11. The Stop & Think feature used by Spatz & Kardas adds to the interactive feel of the text. The Stop & Think questions (immediately followed by answers) are interspersed throughout the text, helping students see the authors’ pedagogy as they read.
12. It places glossary items in the margins and as a separate section makes the text easier to use. All glossary items appear in the margins and in a separate glossary. Glossary items are bolded the first time they appear in the text.
13. Spatz & Kardas’ use In the Know boxes helps students see the bigger picture easily. The In the Know boxes succinctly explain “inside information” similar to what we would share with a student during a conversation.
14. We replicate our engaging classroom styles in our writing. The text reads easily, it's a conversation. Students are directly addressed and treated as engaged learners.
15. It introduces extraneous variables gradually and logically. Extraneous variables are introduced gradually over three chapters (7 to 9), as are methods for their control. Students more easily learn how to handle extraneous variables through design.

Research: The 5 second rule

Here is some whimsical research. The research question is: Is it safe to eat food dropped on the floor if you pick it up within five seconds?

Interestingly, this topic has been researched. A recent New York Times article, summarizes those efforts.

All of this goes to show that nearly any topic can be researched!

Wagging Tails

A recent New York Times article summarizes research on differences in tail wagging by dogs. The article was published in the journal Current Biology recently. This link gives the doi locator for the article. Here is the citation:

Quaranta, A., Siniscalchi, G., & Vallortigara, G. (2007). Assymmetric tail-wagging responses to different emotive stimuli. Current Biology, 17, R199-R201.

Because we each first came to psychology as animal researchers, we naturally perk up when we find articles that stimulate our original interests. This particular article describes observational research conducted on pet dogs which indicates that their tail wagging direction differs depending of whether the stimulus causing the wagging is familiar or unfamiliar.

The 30 dogs observed were more likely to wag their tails to the right when presented with a familiar stimulus (their owner), but when presented with a large, dominant dog (a Belgian Malinois ) they were more likely to wag their tails to the left. The two other stimuli used, an unfamiliar human and a cat also led to right-side tail wagging, but with a lower amplitude.

Also of interest here is their method, naturalistic observation. From initial, unstructured observations, the authors conducted a more formal and controlled experiment. Their research serves as a good example of how scientists move from observation to experimentation.

Laws and Student Psychopathology

The Virginia Tech shootings have caused many to speculate whether the warning signs exhibited by the shooter were sufficient to have warranted intervention. Other discussions have centered around civil liberties and laws related to student conduct.

The linked article from the New York Times, Laws limit options when a student is mentally ill, discusses the last point above. There are many constraints placed on colleges and universities about how they may deal with students who exhibit unusual behaviors.

Zimbardo on Evil

Dr. Phillip Zimbardo has a new book out, The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil. In a review in the New York Times, he discusses his famous prison experiment and compares it to Milgram's earlier obedience research.

In that review he states, "In a lot of ways, the studies (his prison study and Milgram's obedience study) are bookends in our understanding of evil."

We agree. Chapter 3 of our text capitalizes on his book end metaphor nicely, we think.

Off to SWPA

Ed's off to the annual SWPA meeting. SWPA, the Southwestern Psychological Association, is one of the regional psychological associations we discuss in chapter 12 (p. 384).

SWPA's meeting features talks by several prominent researchers:

Through the Labyrinth: How Women Have Both Advantage and Disadvantage as Leaders: Alice Eagly, this year's Saul Sells' lecturer who is Professor and Chair of the Psychology Department and the James Padilla Chair of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern University. The winner of numerous awards and honors, Professor Eagly has two main speciality areas: attitudes and gender.


The Positive Psychology of Disability: Christopher B. Keys, who isProfessor and Chair of the Psychology Department at DePaul University. A former President of the Society for Community Research and Action (Division 27 of APA). Professor Keys has been conducting studies concerning the empowerment and strengths of people with disabilities and their families for 20 years. He helped edit the award-winning Encyclopedia of Disability and has been invited to present his research in Asia, Australia, Latin America and Europe.


Offensive Defensiveness: Why People Promote Zeal After Self-threats: Ian McGregor of York University, Toronto, Canada, has been referred to "as one of the truly bright stars in a new generation of research psychologists." He will speak on his cutting-edge laboratory work on the root causes of zealous ideological conviction and extremism.


Seeds of Hope: Effective Interventions for Relationship-Disturbed Children: David Cross is the director of the Developmental Research Lab, and Associate Director of the Institute of Child Development at Texas Christian University. For the past ten years he has been working with Dr. Karyn Purvis (Director, Institute of Child Development at TCU) to develop research-based interventions for at-risk adopted children and their families.


Different Strokes for Different Folks: the Genetic Basis of Individual Differences: SAMR invited speaker is Howard K. Gershenfeld, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor, Psychiatry, Internal Medicine - Clinical Geneticist , Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Southwestern Medical School.


Dr. William Buskist of Auburn University will present his 2005 Harry Kirke Wolfe lecture which he originally presented at the APA convention in New Orleans. This presentation is a part of a lecturer program for regional psychological associations sponsored by the APA.

I'm looking forward to an exciting few days in Ft. Worth.