Psychology Education in the Post-Covid World

A major aim of psychology education is to train students in psychological literacy – the ability to apply psychological knowledge to everyday activities. In this paper we explore how well this has been achieved in recent years. As a result of Covid-19 the focus of teaching in recent months has inevitably been on developing online methods of teaching and attempts to develop psychological literacy have of necessity received less attention. However, we argue that the developments enforced by Covid-19 actually open up a range of new possibilities and that psychological literacy can benefit from these changes. In particular, we suggest that much of the transmission of psychological knowledge can continue to take place online and that universities should become places where the focus is on the application of that knowledge

The New Tipping Point: Disruptive Politics and Habituating Equality

This Essay argues that the events of 2020 opened a window of political opportunity to implement policies aimed at dismantling structural injustice and systemic racism. Building on the work of philosopher Charles Mills and political scientist Clarissa Rile Hayward, we argue that the Black Lives Matter Movement constituted the “disruptive politics” necessary to shift dispositions of many in the United States toward racial equity by interrupting the white “epistemologies of ignorance.” Moreover, because policies that correct structural injustice are beneficial for people across race, even those whose hearts and minds remained closed may embrace legislative policies that function to dismantle systemic racism. As people become habituated to structures that facilitate equality and the policies that underlie them, the United States will finally begin to tip toward equality and a society of belonging

University lecturers’ adaptability: Examining links with perceived autonomy support, organisational commitment, and psychological wellbeing

In this study, we examined associations between university lecturers’ perceived autonomy support (PAS), adaptability, organisational commitment, and psychological wellbeing. A sample of university lecturers (N = 102) from a single ex-polytechnic higher education institution in the United Kingdom completed validated scales for each construct in the spring term. Inspired by prior work in pre-tertiary education with schoolteachers, a conceptual model of predicted relations was developed and tested using structural equation modelling (SEM). Findings showed that PAS was positively associated with lecturers’ adaptability, organisational commitment, and psychological wellbeing; however, adaptability was unable to influence these outcomes independently of its association with PAS. The findings extend prior work with schoolteachers suggesting that, while adaptability is of importance, its influence may be more salient at pre-tertiary level – where there is typically heightened regulation and lower autonomy – and less salient when autonomy options are wider, as is the case in higher education

Adaptability, Social Support, and Psychological Wellbeing Among Malaysian Adults

Malaysian adults are regularly exposed to a wide variety of complex stressors (exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic): these stressors, without sufficient protective resources, threaten to negatively impact upon psychological wellbeing. Recent literature has shown that personal resources (e.g., one’s adaptability) and situational resources (e.g., one’s social support) are associated with psychological wellbeing; however, limited research has examined the unique contribution of these resources to psychological wellbeing among collectivist cultures (e.g., Malaysian adults). Here, a sample of 136 Malaysian adults completed a survey measuring their adaptability and social support as well as different components of psychological wellbeing (i.e., flourishing, psychological distress, and life satisfaction). We found that adaptability and social support contribute significantly, and independently, to psychological wellbeing (all measures) among Malaysian adults, with social support being the stronger predictor in each case. Further, no significant interaction effects between adaptability and social support on psychological wellbeing were observed. The findings corroborate a developing literature suggesting that adaptability and social support may be targeted in efforts to enhance psychological wellbeing but also indicate that among Malaysian adults of a collectivist culture, social support may be more salient

Adaptability and psychological flexibility: Overlapping constructs?

Adaptability is purported to be a key mental resource and refers to an individual's cognitive, behavioral, and emotional regulation (or adjustment) in situations of change, novelty, and uncertainty. Psychological flexibility refers to a person's capacity to allow experience and acceptance of negative thoughts and feelings with mindful awareness guided by a commitment to goal-driven action according to their self-chosen values. It is important to disentangle these cognate constructs—adaptability and psychological flexibility—so that the unique variance attributable to each can be estimated, and interventions and resources can be directed with greater precision. The current study explored the potential overlap between adaptability and psychological flexibility by conducting an online cross-sectional survey (n = 205), with measures of adaptability, psychological flexibility, wellbeing, and psychological distress. A confirmatory factor analysis suggested considerable overlap, but sufficient discrimination between the two constructs. Structural equation modelling showed that adaptability was related to psychological wellbeing, but not related to psychological distress after accounting for the effects of psychological flexibility

Probing Electron Tunneling Pathways: Electrochemical Study of Rat Heart Cytochromecand Its Mutant on Pyridine-Terminated SAMs

The electron-transfer rates between gold electrodes and adsorbed cytochromes are compared for native cytochrome c and its mutant (K13A) using two different immobilization strategies. A recent study by Niki (Niki, K.; Hardy, W. R.; Hill, M. G.; Li, H.; Sprinkle, J. R.; Margoliash, E.; Fujita, K.; Tanimura, R.; Nakamura, N.; Ohno, H.; Richards, J. H.; Gray, H. B. J. Phys. Chem. B 2003, 107, 9947) showed that the electron-transfer rate for a particular mutant cytochrome c (K13A) is orders of magnitude slower than the native form when electrostatically adsorbed on SAM-coated gold electrodes. The current study directly “links” the protein's heme unit to the SAM, thereby “short circuiting” the electron tunneling pathway. These findings demonstrate that the immobilization strategy can modify the electron-transfer rate by changing the tunneling pathway

Who is more likely to feel ostracized? A latent class analysis of personality traits

Perceived ostracism (e.g., feeling ignored or excluded) is a painful and distressing experience. However, little empirical research has investigated the types (profiles) of people more likely to perceive ostracism. The present study (N = 395) used latent class analysis to (a) identify potential classes based on the big five personality traits (i.e., openness, agreeableness, negative emotionality, extroversion, and conscientiousness) and (b) examine whether such classes could reliably differentiate levels of self-reported perceived ostracism. We extracted three classes: (a) Moderate Traits (MT), (b) the Quiet Over-Reacting Procrastinators (QORP), and (c) the Active and Adaptable Thinkers (AAT). Those in the QORP class reported the highest levels of perceived ostracism, whereas those in the AAT class reported the lowest levels of perceived ostracism compared to the MT class. This study provides new insight into the profiles of individuals who may be more likely to perceive ostracism. However, further research is needed to explore the association between personality and ostracism (e.g., as ostracism may lead to changes in personality), so that potential risk markers to trigger early psychological interventions of such ostracized individuals can be identified

Adaptability and Social Support: Examining Links with Psychological Wellbeing Among UK Students and Non-students

The purpose of this multi-study article was to investigate the roles of adaptability and social support in predicting a variety of psychological outcomes. Data were collected from Year 12 college students (N = 73; Study 1), university students (N = 102; Study 2), and non-studying members of the general public (N = 141; Study 3). Findings showed that, beyond variance attributable to social support, adaptability made a significant independent contribution to psychological wellbeing (life satisfaction, psychological wellbeing, flourishing, and general affect) and psychological distress across all studies. Beyond the effects of adaptability, social support was found to make a significant independent contribution to most wellbeing outcomes (but not psychological distress in university students). In a multi-group analysis comparing predictors of psychological wellbeing in university students and non-studying adults, where the same outcome measures were used (Study 4; N = 243), it was found that adaptability played a stronger role (relative to social support) for university students, whereas social support played a stronger role for non-studying adults. Finally, (contrary to expectations) there was no evidence of an interaction between adaptability and social support predicting psychological outcomes—adaptability and social support operated as independent main effects. These findings demonstrate the importance of adaptability and social support in uniquely predicting psychological wellbeing in different sample groups. It is argued here that these two factors, should be given greater consideration in discussions of psychological wellbeing, and are relevant to psychological wellbeing at different major developmental life stages

Spin-Dependent Enantioselective Electropolymerization

The electro-oxidative polymerization of an enantiopure chiral 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene monomer, performed using spin-polarized currents, is shown to depend on the electron spin orientation. The spin-polarized current is shown to influence the initial nucleation rate of the polymerization reaction. This observation is rationalized in the framework of the chiral-induced spin selectivity effect