Open science prevents mindless science.

Lessons from a case of academic misconduc

A Delphi study to strengthen research methods training in undergraduate psychology programmes

Psychology programmes often emphasise inferential statistical tests over a solid understanding of data and research design. This imbalance may leave graduates under-equipped to effectively interpret research and employ data to answer questions. We conducted a two-round modified-Delphi to identify the research methods skills that the UK psychology community deems essential for undergraduates to learn. Participants included 103 research methods instructors, academics, students, and non-academic psychologists. Of 78 items included in the consensus process, 34 reached consensus. We coupled these results with a qualitative analysis of 707 open-ended text responses to develop nine recommendations for organisations that accredit undergraduate psychology programmes—such as the British Psychological Society (BPS). We recommend that accreditation standards emphasise (1) dataskills, (2) research design, (3) descriptive statistics, (4) critical analysis, (5) qualitative methods, and (6) both parameter estimation and significance testing; as well as (7) give precedence to foundational skills, (8) promote transferable skills, and (9) create space in curricula to enable these recommendations. Our data and findings can inform modernised accreditation standards to include clearly-defined, assessable, and widely-encouraged skills that foster a competent graduate body for the contemporary world

Policies for Tobacco and E-Cigarette Use: A Survey of All Higher Education Institutions and NHS Trusts in England.

INTRODUCTION: There is an absence of evidence regarding the impact of treating tobacco smoking and vaping equivalently in workplace policies. We aimed to describe and compare smoking and vaping policies in acute nonspecialist NHS Trusts (n = 131) and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) (n = 131) in England. METHODS: We conducted a census of smoking and vaping policies through organizational websites searches and direct requests for information. We recorded whether and where smoking and vaping were permitted. RESULTS: Smoking was prohibited indoors in all organizations. No NHS Trust permitted smoking freely outdoors, in contrast with 60% of HEIs. In 27% of NHS Trusts and 33% of HEIs smoking was permitted in designated areas, while in 73% of NHS Trusts and 8% of HEIs smoking was prohibited anywhere on site. Vaping was prohibited indoors in all NHS Trusts and all but one HEI, but permitted freely outdoors in 18% of NHS Trusts and 75% of HEIs. Vaping was permitted in designated outdoor spaces in 23% of NHS Trusts: 21% had areas shared with smokers; 2% had separate vaping areas. Vaping was permitted in designated outdoor areas in 18% of HEIs, all of which were shared with smokers. Vaping was prohibited anywhere on site in 54% of NHS Trusts and 6% of HEIs. CONCLUSIONS: Policies vary considerably in whether vaping and smoking are treated equivalently. Smoking policies in most HEIs should be reviewed to include more effective tobacco control approaches. Evidence is needed on the impact of imposing shared or separate spaces on vapers and smokers. IMPLICATIONS: This report provides a comprehensive review of smoking and vaping policies in two types of organization across England. It highlights key discrepancies between current public health recommendations for vaping and existing workplace policies, which often lead to smokers and vapers sharing spaces. The report identifies the need for evidence on the impact of imposing shared spaces on smokers and vapers to inform workplace policies that maximize public health benefit

Beyond choice architecture: advancing the science of changing behaviour at scale.

Addressing the global threats to population and planetary health requires changing many behaviours at scale. This demands consideration not only of the effect size of an intervention but also its reach - the proportion of the population exposed to the intervention.We propose that a relatively under-researched and generally poorly specified set of interventions involving changes to physical micro-environments - often referred to as Choice Architecture - has the potential to make a significant contribution to meeting this urgent challenge.Realising the potential of Choice Architecture interventions requires integration of basic - i.e. laboratory-based - and applied - i.e. field-based - research, generating interventions that can be delivered at scale alongside advancing theory. We illustrate this with examples to highlight the complementarity of laboratory and field studies informed by and in turn updating the results of evidence synthesis. The examples comprise two sets of interventions - changing the relative availability of products and changing their size - to reduce consumption of meat, energy from food and alcohol across populations

Beyond choice architecture:advancing the science of changing behaviour at scale

Abstract Addressing the global threats to population and planetary health requires changing many behaviours at scale. This demands consideration not only of the effect size of an intervention but also its reach – the proportion of the population exposed to the intervention. We propose that a relatively under-researched and generally poorly specified set of interventions involving changes to physical micro-environments – often referred to as Choice Architecture - has the potential to make a significant contribution to meeting this urgent challenge. Realising the potential of Choice Architecture interventions requires integration of basic – i.e. laboratory-based – and applied – i.e. field-based – research, generating interventions that can be delivered at scale alongside advancing theory. We illustrate this with examples to highlight the complementarity of laboratory and field studies informed by and in turn updating the results of evidence synthesis. The examples comprise two sets of interventions – changing the relative availability of products and changing their size - to reduce consumption of meat, energy from food and alcohol across populations

Nucleation increases the visual appeal of lager but does not alter overall likeability or drinking rate

BACKGROUND: Glassware can be an effective vehicle to recruit customers, revive brands, build profits and increase alcohol consumption by capitalising on the immediacy of glassware to the point of consumption. The design of glassware can also contribute to harm reduction by slowing and reducing consumption. Nucleated bases have been added to lager glasses in recent years which allow carbon dioxide (CO(2)) to be more rapidly released and ascend through the solution. The aim of these studies was to investigate the effect of nucleated glasses on the likeability and drinking rate of lager in alcohol drinkers. METHODS: In Study 1, participants (n = 116) were asked to taste two glasses of lager (280 millilitres (ml) each) in separate 5-min taste tests and fill out a likeability questionnaire after each glass in a within-subjects design with one factor of glass (nucleated, non-nucleated). The primary outcome was the likeability of lager and the secondary outcome was volume consumption during taste tests. In Study 2, participants (n = 160) were asked to consume a pint of lager (568 ml) and fill out a likeability questionnaire in a between-subjects design with one factor of glass (nucleated, non-nucleated). The primary outcome was time taken to consume a pint of lager and secondary outcomes were the likeability of lager, mood and alcohol craving. RESULTS: There was no clear evidence that likeability of lager differed between nucleated and non-nucleated glasses in either study. In Study 1, a paired-samples t test found strong evidence that lager in nucleated glasses was more visually appealing (single item from likeability measure) than lager in non-nucleated glasses (mean difference (MD) = 10.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) 6.1, 14.2, p < 0.001). In Study 2, a linear regression found no clear evidence that lager was consumed at different rates from nucleated and non-nucleated glasses (nucleated: 16.9 min, non-nucleated: 16.3 min, MD: 0.6 min, 95% CI − 1.5, 2.7, p = 0.57). CONCLUSIONS: Nucleated lager glasses do not appear to alter the likeability or consumption (volume consumed in Study 1 or drinking rate in Study 2) of lager, although they do seem to increase the visual appeal and refreshment of lager. This may increase the number of drinking episodes by making the drinking experience more enjoyable which may lead to increased alcohol related harm. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12954-022-00618-4

The 2012 Ferrara seismic sequence: Regional crustal structure, earthquake sources, and seismic hazard

Inadequate seismic design codes can be dangerous, particularly when they underestimate the true hazard. In this study we use data from a sequence of moderate-sized earthquakes in northeast Italy to validate and test a regional wave propagation model which, in turn, is used to under- stand some weaknesses of the current design spectra. Our velocity model, while regionalized and somewhat ad hoc, is consistent with geophysical observations and the local geology. In the 0.02–0.1 Hz band, this model is validated by using it to calculate moment tensor solutions of 20 earth- quakes (5.6 MW 3.2) in the 2012 Ferrara, Italy, seismic sequence. The seismic spectra observed for the relatively small main shock significantly exceeded the design spectra to be used in the area for critical structures. Observations and synthetics reveal that the ground motions are dominated by long-duration surface waves, which, apparently, the design codes do not adequately anticipate. In light of our results, the present seismic hazard assessment in the entire Pianura Padana, including the city of Milan, needs to be re-evaluated. Citation: Malagnini, L., R. B. Herrmann, I. Munafò, M. Buttinelli, M. Anselmi, A. Akinci, and E. Boschi (2012), The 2012 Ferrara seismic sequence: Regional crustal structure, earthquake sources, and seismic hazard, Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, L19302, doi:10.1029/ 2012GL053214