Abstract: Efforts to change policies and the environments in which people live, work, and play have gained increasing attention over the past several decades. Yet health promotion frameworks that illustrate the complex processes that produce health-enhancing structural changes are limited. Building on the experiences of health educators, community activists, and community-based researchers described in this supplement and elsewhere, as well as several political, social, and behavioral science theories, we propose a new framework to organize our thinking about producing policy, environmental, and other structural changes. We build on the social ecological model, a framework widely employed in public health research and practice, by turning it inside out, placing health-related and other social policies and environments at the center, and conceptualizing the ways in which individuals, their social networks, and organized groups produce a community context that fosters healthy policy and environmental development. We conclude by describing how health promotion practitioners and researchers can foster structural change by (1) conveying the health and social relevance of policy and environmental change initiatives, (2) building partnerships to support them, and (3) promoting more equitable distributions of the resources necessary for people to meet their daily needs, control their lives, and freely participate in the public sphere.

Abstract: Social Psychology :The Study of Human Interaction , Social Psychology :The Study of Human Interaction , کتابخانه مرکزی دانشگاه علوم پزشکی تهران

Abstract: Psychology for Sustainability, 4th Edition -- known as Psychology of Environmental Problems: Psychology for Sustainability in its previous edition -- applies psychological theory and research to so-called "environmental" problems, which actually result from human behavior that degrades natural systems. This upbeat, user-friendly edition represents a dramatic reorganization and includes a substantial amount of new content that will be useful to students and faculty in a variety of disciplines—and to people outside of academia, as well. The literature reviewed throughout the text is up-to-date, and reflects the burgeoning efforts of many in the behavioral sciences who are working to create a more sustainable society. The 4th Edition is organized in four sections. The first section provides a foundation by familiarizing readers with the current ecological crisis and its historical origins, and by offering a vision for a sustainable future.The next five chapters present psychological research methods, theory, and findings pertinent to understanding, and changing, unsustainable behavior. The third section addresses the reciprocal relationship between planetary and human wellbeing and the final chapter encourages readers to take what they have learned and apply it to move behavior in a sustainable direction. The book concludes with a variety of theoretically and empirically grounded ideas for how to face this challenging task with positivity, wisdom, and enthusiasm. This textbook may be used as a primary or secondary textbook in a wide range of courses on Ecological Psychology, Environmental Science, Sustainability Sciences, Environmental Education, and Social Marketing. It also provides a valuable resource for professional audiences of policymakers, legislators, and those working on sustainable communities.

Abstract: This article looks at 20 years of applications of agent-based models (ABMs) in sociology and, in particular, their explanatory achievements and methodological insights. These applications have helped sociologists to examine agent interaction in social outcomes and have helped shift analyses away from structural and aggregate factors, to the role of agency. They have improved the realism of the micro-behavioral foundations of sociological models, by complementing analytic modeling and game theory–inspired analyses. Secondly, they have helped us to dissect the role of social structures in constraining individual behavior more precisely than in variable-based sociology. Finally, simulation outcomes have given us a more dynamic view of the interplay between individual behavior and social structures, thus promoting a more evolutionary and process-based approach to social facts. Attention here has been paid to social norms, social influence, and culture dynamics, across different disciplines such as behavioral sciences, complexity science, sociology, and economics. We argue that these applications can help sociology to achieve more rigorous research standards, by promoting a modeling environment and providing tighter cross-disciplinary integration. Recently, certain methodological improvements toward model standardization, replication, and validation have been achieved. As a result, the impact of these models in sociology is expected to grow even more in the future. WIREs Comput Stat 2015, 7:284–306. doi: 10.1002/wics.1356 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website. Conflict of interest: The authors have declared no conflicts of interest for this article.

Abstract: In the early 1980s we witnessed the birth of one of the most complex and perplexing social problems faced by modern society -- the epidemic of infection with HIV, which causes AIDS. Currently, there is no proven vaccine to prevent HIV infection, and curative therapies for those infected are still in the experimental stages. With no biomedical solutions on the near horizon, society must turn to the social and behavioral sciences for guidance in dealing with the epidemic. Two major classes of social problems have arisen from the epidemic: how to stem the tide of HIV infection, and how to care for the increasing numbers of persons with AIDS (PWAs). Because of the urgency in dealing with these social problems, many solutions that have been attempted thus far were hastily concocted and had little basis in research or accepted theory. This volume's goal is not to evaluate previous attempts to answer these social problems, but to provide theoretical analyses of some of the basic social psychological processes that underlie the problems. The authors are mainstream psychologists who have developed theoretically-driven AIDS-related research. Social psychological theories are developed and refined to meet the demands of burgeoning issues. Without the guidance of theories, lives and resources are lost in the chaos of "trying to do something" about the epidemic. Useful as a supplemental text for graduate-level courses in health, social, and applied social psychology. Also of interest to those involved in public health, epidemiology, and behavioral medicine.

Abstract: Robots are predicted to serve in environments in which human honesty is important, such as the workplace, schools, and public institutions. Can the presence of a robot facilitate honest behavior? In this paper, we describe an experimental study evaluating the effects of robot social presence on people’s honesty. Participants completed a perceptual task, which is structured so as to allowthem to earn more money by not complying with the experiment instructions. We compare three conditions between subjects: Completing the task alone in a room; completing it with a non-monitoring human present; and completing it with a non-monitoring robot present. The robot is a new expressive social head capable of 4-DoF head movement and screen-based eye animation, specifically designed and built for this research. It was designed to convey social presence, but not monitoring. We find that people cheat in all three conditions, but cheat equally less when there is a human or a robot in the room, compared to when they are alone. We did not find differences in the perceived authority of the human and the robot, but did find that people felt significantly less guilty after cheating inthe presence of a robot as compared to a human. This has implications for the use of robots in monitoring and supervising tasks in environments in which honesty is key. Categories and Subject Descriptors H.1.2 [Models and Principles]: User/Machine Systems; J.4 [Computer Applications]: Social and Behavioral Sciences–- psychology. General Terms Experimentation, Human Factors.

Abstract: Advances in the study of social behavior require a revision in the economic concept of the invisible hand, which states that self-interested behavior leads to well-functioning societies without individuals having the welfare of the society in mind. Evolutionary theory shows that self-interest does not robustly benefit the common good because behaviors that are “for the good of the group” seldom maximize relative fitness within the group. The evolution of group-level functional organization requires a process of group-level selection. Species that have become highly adaptive at the group level are called ultrasocial. The idea that an invisible hand leads to social harmony is valid primarily for ultrasocial species, where selection at the group level results in individual-level behaviors that produce group-beneficial outcomes. Individuals do not necessarily have the welfare of the group in mind, but neither do their behaviors or underlying proximate mechanisms resemble the economic concept of self-interest. Evolutionary science therefore provides a valid concept of the invisible hand, but one that is different from the received version, with far-reaching implications for economics, politics, and public policy.

Abstract: Conventional behavioural models, such as social cognition models, to improve oral health have been proposed for a long time but have failed to consistently explain reliable amounts of variability in human behaviours relevant to oral health. This paper introduces current work from the behavioural sciences aiming to better understand the process through which behaviour change may take place. Given the shortcomings seen so far in attempts to explain behaviour through traditional models it is proposed that a new approach is adopted. This commentary outlines this new approach, grounded in current work by mainstream behaviour change experts. We propose that attempts to use unreliable theoretical models to explain and predict oral health behaviour should now be replaced by work following this new paradigm.

Abstract: The newly emerging area of Investigative Psychology provides a behavioural science basis for crime detection by examining investigative processes and criminal behaviour. It draws upon a range of material collected by law enforcement agencies that is not widely utilised in the social sciences. This may be regarded as a form of nonreactive, unobtrusive data that has many of the advantages originally promoted by Webb, Campbell, Schwartz and Sechrest (1966) and more recently explored by Lee (2000). The value of such data, derived from police sources, has been demonstrated in a variety of Investigative Psychology studies. However, law enforcement material is not usually collected as data but rather as evidence. Consideration is therefore given to how to address the challenges this poses. The unobtrusive measures derived from police investigations provide a different perspective on crime and other aspects of human actions from that based on more conventional sources of data such as questionnaires and interviews. To assist in the effective use of measures derived from police information a framework for considering this material is proposed reflecting the range of sources of measures that Lee (2000) identified; personal records, running records, physical traces, and simple observation. As in other areas, close attention to the methods of collecting such material can considerably improve its utility. The measures being utilized in Investigative Psychology therefore offer some fruitful directions for other areas of social science research. Development of these measures can also improve the effectiveness of

Abstract: NHMRC: 233200, 1007544, 566940, 1057608, 1003960, 1078360, 1086029, 1000986 NHF: PH 12B 7054

Abstract: Public policymakers routinely receive and communicate information characterized by uncertainty. Decisions based on such information can have important consequences, so it is imperative that uncertainties are communicated effectively. Many organizations have developed dictionaries, or lexicons , that contain specific language (e.g., very likely , almost certain ) to express uncertainty. But these lexicons vary greatly and only a few have been empirically tested. We have developed evidence-based methods to standardize the language of uncertainty so that it has clear meaning understood by all parties in a given communication. We tested these methods in two policy-relevant domains: climate science and intelligence analysis. In both, evidence-based lexicons were better understood than those now used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the U.S. National Intelligence Council, and the U.K. Defence Intelligence. A well-established behavioral science method for eliciting the terms’ full meaning was especially effective for deriving such lexicons.

Abstract: Interpersonal distance and gaze provide a wealth of information during face-to-face social interactions. These “proxemic” behaviors offer a window into everyday social cognition by revealing interactants’ affective states (e.g., interpersonal attitudes) and cognitive responses (e.g., social attention). Here we provide a brief overview of the social psychological literature in this domain. We focus on new techniques for experimentally manipulating and measuring proxemics, including the use of immersive virtual environments and digital motion capture. We also discuss ways in which these approaches can be integrated with psychophysiological and neuroimaging techniques. Throughout, we argue that contemporary proxemics research provides psychology and neuroscience with a means to study social cognition and behavior as they naturally emerge and unfold in vivo.

Abstract: The Cure Violence Health Model is a health approach for reducing violence. This model is based on established methods that have been shown to control other epidemic diseases. It is derived from a synthesis of the fields of epidemiology, infectious diseases, behavioral science, social psychology, and neuroscience.

Abstract: The phenomenon of the Social Web (i.e., the Web of Social Media) has caught the attention of research communities in the last decade. Researchers from diverse disciplines ranging from social and behavioral sciences to computer science have started investigating the issues and challenges in the Social Web. Within computer science, researchers from established research areas such as language technologies, machine learning, and service and cloud computing have started looking into the computational and development challenges brought about by the Social Web. With the continued reports of breach of trust and hoax news spreading from social media to mainstream news, trusting the Social Web has become one of the major challenges that need to be addressed. This special issue focuses on this challenge. In this editorial note, we provide a brief introduction of the Social Web, followed by a discussion on the major challenges in building a trusted Social Web. Finally, we present recent work in trusting the Social Web through a summary of the papers included in this special issue. Social media is increasingly becoming mainstream for a variety of purposes, ranging from online journalism (e.g., blogs), online knowledge bases (e.g., Wikepedia), online marketing (e.g., Twitter), to keeping in touch with friends, family and professional colleagues online (e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.). These technologies have given rise to a web of social media, also known as the Social Web. The popularity of the Social Web has been overwhelming. It is reported in [8] that 67 % of online adults are connected to one or more social media, and that a large proportion of them first check in to their favorite social media site everyday. This trend is likely to grow as the number of Android-based smartphones shipments alone is expected to reach 1 billion by 2013 [13]. Additionally, the value of social commerce is expected to reach 30 billion dollars within next 5 years. Similarly, 13 % of digital news consumers follow recommendations from Twitter and Facebook. Therefore, the World Wide Web (2015) 18:1–7 DOI 10.1007/s11280-013-0252-2

Abstract: Behavioural science has advanced considerably over the past decade Recent guidelines and methods for intervention development, reporting and evaluation (Bartholomew, Parcel, Kok, Gottlieb, & Ferna

Abstract: Professional nursing practice is informed by biological, social and behavioural sciences. In undergraduate pre-registration nursing programs, biological sciences typically include anatomy, physiology, microbiology, chemistry, physics and pharmacology. The current gap in the literature results in a lack of information about the content and depth of biological sciences being taught in nursing curricula. The aim of this study was to establish what priority is given to the teaching of science topics in these programs in order to inform an understanding of the relative importance placed on this subject area in contemporary nursing education. This study employed a cross-sectional survey method. This paper reports on the first phase of a larger project examining science content in nursing programs. An existing questionnaire was modified and delivered online for completion by academics who teach science to nurses in these programs. This paper reports on the relative priority given by respondents to the teaching of 177 topics contained in the questionnaire. Of the relatively small population of academics who teach science to nursing students, thirty (n = 30) completed the survey. Findings indicate strong support for the teaching of science in these programs, with particular priority given to the basic concepts of bioscience and gross system anatomy. Of concern, most science subject areas outside of these domains were ranked as being of moderate or low priority. While the small sample size limited the conclusions able to be drawn from this study, the findings supported previous studies that indicated inadequacies in the teaching of science content in nursing curricula. Nevertheless, these findings have raised questions about the current philosophy that underpins nursing education in Australia and whether existing practices are clearly focused on preparing students for the demands of contemporary nursing practice. Academics responsible for the design and implementation of nursing curricula are encouraged to review the content of current programs in light of the findings of this research.

Abstract: State implementation of new Environmental Protection Agency climate regulation may shift behavioural strategies from sidelines to forefront of US climate policy.

Abstract: The self is a concept that is widespread in modern psychology and has played either a central or supporting explanatory role in several major theoretical approaches to human behaviour including psychodynamics, humanism and positive psychology. Despite the popularity of ‘self’ as an explanatory concept within these approaches, however, it has arguably remained ill-defined in operational terms. Recently, however, a strand of behavioural psychology, namely Contextual Behavioural Science (CBS), has emerged that has begun to provide a functional analytic account of human language and cognition. From this perspective only humans have a sense of self. This is because only humans have language. Characterizing the self in functional terms is crucial to coherent understanding and effective intervention. The current paper examines a bottom up functional approach to understanding the self and perspective taking that can provide crucial knowledge on how to predict and influence self related problems.

Abstract: Governments, companies and organizations across the world have implemented strategies for countering corruption. A growing body of so-called best practice has emerged in the last 20 years. But some approaches have been criticized for being costly, ineffective or even counterproductive. This study illustrates this, using six examples, relating to the four-eyes principle, procurement, development aid, compliance statements, leniency and the tone at the top. Increasingly, behavioral science has provided insights on how to improve policies. These insights, along with experimental evidence, are applied to the six examples to provide direction to behaviorally better informed policies.

Abstract: Aim: Physical activity (PA) among adults with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is suboptimal. This study assessed PA motivations and perceptions in adults with RA and rheumatologists. Methods: Patients and rheumatologists participated in structured interviews led by a behavioral scientist. Sessions were audiotaped, transcribed and coded. Results: Twenty-three patients (mean age = 63 [standard deviation = 10], 96% female) and seven rheumatologists (57% male, 29% fellows) participated. Nine themes emerged: communication with the rheumatologist, environment/access, symptom management, social support, mental health, breaking inactivity cycles, integrating PA into routines, staying in control and challenge/intimidation. Highly active patients viewed PA differently than low active patients. The need to compete with RA-free individuals may impede PA. Conclusion: Understanding how patients conceptualize PA will enable clinicians to formulate PA strategies to motivate patients.