Giving Psychological Science Away: The Role of Applications Courses

How Do Psychology Professors View the Relation Between Scientific Knowledge and Its Applicability and Societal Relevance?

How do researchers in psychology view the relation between scientific knowledge, its applicability, and its societal relevance? Most research on psychological science and its benefits to society is discussed from a bird's eye view (a meta-scientific perspective), by identifying general trends such as psychology's dominant focus on lab-based experiments and general descriptive theories. In recent years, several critics have argued that this focus has come at the cost of reduced practical and societal relevance. In this study, we interviewed Dutch psychology professors to gauge their views about the relation between psychological research and its relevance to society. We found that psychology professors engaged in a variety of activities to engage science with society, from work in clinical and applied settings, to consultancy, education, and science communication. However, we found that the role of theory when applying scientific knowledge to practical problems is far from straightforward. While most participants regarded theories as relevant to understanding general contexts of application, psychological theories were seldom directly related to specific applications. We compare and discuss our findings in the light of recent discussions about the lack of applicability and societal relevance of psychological science.

The Four-Loko Effect

There have been recent reports of mass hospitalizations for alcohol intoxication following consumption of fruit-flavored, caffeinated, alcoholic drinks-especially concerning one brand in particular: Four Loko. Caffeine was quickly determined to be the culprit. In accordance with a directive by the Food and Drug Administration, caffeine was removed from Four Loko and similar beverages. However, the evidence that caffeine played a prominent role in widespread displays of intoxication is far from clear. Rather, it is likely that Four Loko-type drinks are especially effective as intoxicants because they provide alcohol in an unusual context. It has been known for many years that drug tolerance partially results from an association between drug-paired stimuli and the drug effect. When these stimuli are altered, the drug-experienced individual does not display the expected tolerant response to the drug-rather, an enhanced (i.e., nontolerant) response is seen. Four Loko and similar beverages may be especially effective intoxicants because they provide a very novel flavor context for alcohol. A recent announcement by the manufacturer of Four Loko suggests (either by design or happenstance) appreciation of the contribution of alcohol-associated cues to alcohol tolerance.

Evolutionary Psychology in the Modern World: Applications, Perspectives, and Strategies

An evolutionary approach is a powerful framework which can bring new perspectives on any aspect of human behavior, to inform and complement those from other disciplines, from psychology and anthropology to economics and politics. Here we argue that insights from evolutionary psychology may be increasingly applied to address practical issues and help alleviate social problems. We outline the promise of this endeavor, and some of the challenges it faces. In doing so, we draw parallels between an applied evolutionary psychology and recent developments in Darwinian medicine, which similarly has the potential to complement conventional approaches. Finally, we describe some promising new directions which are developed in the associated papers accompanying this article.