Data from Interviews with 95 Respondents Recollecting Repeated Dental Visits

In 2012, Swedish dental care patients (n = 95) participated in a quasi-experiment in which they were interviewed twice about dental visits they had made between 2002 and 2012. For verification purposes, the participants' narratives were compared to the dental records. The qualitative data was quantified, stored as a .csv file, and supplemented with a codebook in plain text. All study materials are freely available online. The data can be reused to further analyse memory for repeated events. The data can be used both as data from an experiment (including both interviews) and as single interview data (including data only from the first interview, i.e., before the respondents were provided with memory cues)

Putting the self in self-correction: findings from the loss-of-confidence project

Science is often perceived to be a self-correcting enterprise. In principle, the assessment of scientific claims is supposed to proceed in a cumulative fashion, with the reigning theories of the day progressively approximating truth more accurately over time. In practice, however, cumulative self-correction tends to proceed less efficiently than one might naively suppose. Far from evaluating new evidence dispassionately and infallibly, individual scientists often cling stubbornly to prior findings. Here we explore the dynamics of scientific self-correction at an individual rather than collective level. In 13 written statements, researchers from diverse branches of psychology share why and how they have lost confidence in one of their own published findings. We qualitatively characterize these disclosures and explore their implications. A cross-disciplinary survey suggests that such loss-of-confidence sentiments are surprisingly common among members of the broader scientific population yet rarely become part of the public record. We argue that removing barriers to self-correction at the individual level is imperative if the scientific community as a whole is to achieve the ideal of efficient self-correction

Supplemental analyses “Factors Affecting Two Types of Memory Specificity: Particularization of Episodes and Details”

Supplemental analyse

Utveckling av en evidensbaserad och objektiv familjehemsutredning | Development of an evidence-based and objective process for assessing prospective foster carers

There is a great need for foster carers in Sweden and the number of existing foster homes is not enough for everyone who needs it. Many young people are therefore placed in institutions instead despite current evidence suggesting that the long-term prospects for institutional care are worse than placement in foster homes. Prospective foster homes undergo an investigation where their suitability is assessed. The most common Swedish method is the New Kälvesten method (Willén & Kronkvist, 2021). The method was scientifically reviewed for the first time by Willén and Kronkvist who found it unethical with a high risk of subjectivity. At the same time, an underuse can be noted of the evidence-based Swedish methods Familjehemsvinjetter and BRA-fam. International research has also shown an underutilized potential regarding the application of psychological measurements in assessments of prospective foster homes. The current project intends to develop and test an investigation model consisting of several individual methods (e.g. BRA-fam and Familjehemsvinjetter), each of which is supported by scientific research. Study 1 examines and tests the potential for application of psychological instruments (e. g. personality tests). Study 2 develops and tests a structured assessment model based on the results from Study 1 and implementing knowledge derived from the scientific field of investigative psychology and investigative practical contexts (e.g. asylum, insurance and criminal investigations). A handbook and project website will be developed as part of the investigative model. Study 2 also prepares for long-term follow-up of approved families. Both studies will be ethically reviewed and preregistered before data collection. Anonymised datasets will be made freely available as well as the project's research and training materials

The New Kälvesten Method for the Assessment of Foster Parent Suitability in Sweden: Causes for Concern

Background: Prospective foster carers undergo an assessment of their suitability. The two most common assessment methods in Sweden are the Original Kälvesten (OK) and the New Kälvesten (NK). None of them have been empirically tested. The present study offers the first scholarly insights into the NK method. Methods: We were graciously allowed access from the founders to documentation of the method, including complete educational materials aimed at social workers (e. g., >8 hours recorded lectures). These materials were analysed qualitatively in a data-driven fashion with the purpose of describing and reviewing the NK method. Two semi-structured interviews were conducted with founders and educators to supplement the materials. In addition, 268 websites of licensed Swedish agencies conducting assessments of prospective foster carers were screened for mentions of which interview method they use. Results: The interview protocol primarily aimed at measuring attachment style (38%) and attachment and affects (17%); 10% was claimed to measure affects; 10% mentalisation; 25% were not connected to any outcome measure. We found that NK, just like the OK interview, prohibits recording of the interviews. Instead, interviewers were instructed to transcribe interviews verbatim in real time. The transcript was read back to the analyst in a role-play fashion during which the analyst conducted a quick linguistic analysis resulting in a binary yes/no decision on suitability. Of 268 agencies, 114 named an interview method: 51% reported use of NK; 44% Kälvesten; 4% Casey Home Assessment Protocol – Fostering Challenges. Conclusions: The NK method was found to be unethical in at least six ways: applicants were exposed to deliberate stress evocation; they were rejected when risk factors occurred without considering protective factors; they were not provided adequate feedback; interview outcome was unsuitable for linguistic analysis; there was a high risk of interviewer and analyst biases; the method can be described as pseudoscientific. Recommendations for future research and practice are made

Occupational perceptions of residential out-of-home care in Sweden

Materials and dat

The New Kälvesten Method for the Assessment of Foster Parent Suitability in Sweden: Causes for Concern

Background: Prospective foster carers undergo an assessment of their suitability. The two most common assessment methods in Sweden are the Original Kälvesten (OK) and the New Kälvesten (NK). None of them have been empirically tested. The present study offers the first scholarly insights into the NK method. Methods: We were graciously allowed access from the founders to documentation of the method, including complete educational materials aimed at social workers (e. g., >8 hours recorded lectures). These materials were analysed qualitatively in a data-driven fashion with the purpose of describing and reviewing the NK method. Two semi-structured interviews were conducted with founders and educators to supplement the materials. In addition, 268 websites of licensed Swedish agencies conducting assessments of prospective foster carers were screened for mentions of which interview method they use. Results: The interview protocol primarily aimed at measuring attachment style (38%) and attachment and affects (17%); 10% was claimed to measure affects; 10% mentalisation; 25% were not connected to any outcome measure. We found that NK, just like the OK interview, prohibits recording of the interviews. Instead, interviewers were instructed to transcribe interviews verbatim in real time. The transcript was read back to the analyst in a role-play fashion during which the analyst conducted a quick linguistic analysis resulting in a binary yes/no decision on suitability. Of 268 agencies, 114 named an interview method: 51% reported use of NK; 44% Kälvesten; 4% Casey Home Assessment Protocol – Fostering Challenges.  Conclusions: The NK method was found to be unethical in at least six ways: applicants were exposed to deliberate stress evocation; they were rejected when risk factors occurred without considering protective factors; they were not provided adequate feedback; interview outcome was unsuitable for linguistic analysis; there was a high risk of interviewer and analyst biases; the method can be described as pseudoscientific. Recommendations for future research and practice are made

The New Kälvesten Method for the Assessment of Foster Parent Suitability in Sweden: Causes for Concern

Background: Prospective foster carers undergo an assessment of their suitability. The two most common assessment methods in Sweden are the Original Kälvesten (OK) and the New Kälvesten (NK). None of them have been empirically tested. The present study offers the first scholarly insights into the NK method. Methods: We were graciously allowed access from the founders to documentation of the method, including complete educational materials aimed at social workers (e. g., >8 hours recorded lectures). These materials were analysed qualitatively in a data-driven fashion with the purpose of describing and reviewing the NK method. Two semi-structured interviews were conducted with founders and educators to supplement the materials. In addition, 268 websites of licensed Swedish agencies conducting assessments of prospective foster carers were screened for mentions of which interview method they use. Results: The interview protocol primarily aimed at measuring attachment style (38%) and attachment and affects (17%); 10% was claimed to measure affects; 10% mentalisation; 25% were not connected to any outcome measure. We found that NK, just like the OK interview, prohibits recording of the interviews. Instead, interviewers were instructed to transcribe interviews verbatim in real time. The transcript was read back to the analyst in a role-play fashion during which the analyst conducted a quick linguistic analysis resulting in a binary yes/no decision on suitability. Of 268 agencies, 114 named an interview method: 51% reported use of NK; 44% Kälvesten; 4% Casey Home Assessment Protocol – Fostering Challenges.  Conclusions: The NK method was found to be unethical in at least six ways: applicants were exposed to deliberate stress evocation; they were rejected when risk factors occurred without considering protective factors; they were not provided adequate feedback; interview outcome was unsuitable for linguistic analysis; there was a high risk of interviewer and analyst biases; the method can be described as pseudoscientific. Recommendations for future research and practice are made