Evolution of the biopsychosocial model: prospects and challenges for health psychology.

Although advances have been made in specifying connections between biological, psychological, and social processes, the full potential of the biopsychosocial model for health psychology remains untapped. In this article, 4 areas that need to be addressed to ensure the continued evolution of the biopsychosocial model are identified and a series of recommendations concerning initiatives directed at research, training, practice and intervention, and policy are delineated. These recommendations emphasize the need to better understand and utilize linkages among biological, psychological, social, and macrocultural variables. Activities that facilitate the adoption of a multisystem, multilevel, and multivariate orientation among scientists, practitioners, and policymakers will most effectively lead to the kinds of transdisciplinary contributions envisioned by the biopsychosocial perspective.     

More Than Mazel? Luck and Agency in Surviving the Holocaust

The canonical explanation for how Jews survived during the Holocaust involves some form of luck. To explore and deepen an understanding of episodic moments of luck, this article presents and discusses survivor Jerry Rawicki's close calls with death during the Holocaust. The first author examines Jerry's perspective as a survivor and her own perspective as a collaborative witness to his stories, as well as how these stories fit together within the broader literature about luck and survival. She suggests possible consequences of regarding luck as the sole explanation of survival and contends that agency and luck can go hand in hand even under oppressive structural conditions, such as the Holocaust. She concludes by reflecting on why Jerry and she might understand survival differently and on the importance of considering both positions in compassionate collaborative research.     

The Philosophical Anthropology of Heinrich Popitz

This analysis places the English translation of Heinrich Popitz’s (2017) Phenomena of Power: Authority, Domination, and Violence in the broader tradition of philosophical anthropology. It is argued anthropological arguments such as that offered by Popitz give insights not otherwise available to strict disciplinary inquiries. Poptiz’s discussion of power also suggests an important tension in philosophical anthropology. While Popitz contends power relations are “humanly produced realities” not “imposed by nature,” he nevertheless provides some support that physical and biological factors might contribute to an understanding of power. This discussion illustrates this tension using examples drawn from Popitz discussion of power, threats of violence, and the exercise of authority.     

Does quantity matter to a stingless bee?

Animal Cognition - Quantitative information is omnipresent in the world and a wide range of species has been shown to use quantities to optimize their decisions. While most studies have focused on...     

Coexistence of adjacent vacancy-ordered and eutectic phases in Al–Cu–Ni alloys

ABSTRACT

Copper-mould-cast Al–Cu–Ni alloys show adjacent coexistence of in situ grown ordered and eutectic phases. A bimodal microstructure of α–Al and eutectic α-Al+θ-Al₂Cu phases with length-scale hierarchy evolves during solidification. Microstructural analysis through Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) shows the presence of Vacancy-ordered phases (VOPs) with different morphologies in two different compositions.     

The interface of family disturbance and individual patienthood

Abstract

This paper addresses the need to approach understanding the individual patient's psychopathology from the vantage point of two etiologic systems: psychoanalytic object relations theory and family systems theory. The complementarity of these approaches is emphasized. It is suggested that the processes of internalization and projection are bridging concepts and that marital relationships provide a unique research context.     

Assessing Mission-Related Learning Outcomes at Zoos and Aquaria: Prevalence,Barriers, and Needs

ABSTRACT

The authors investigated the current practices for assessing mission-related learning outcomes at institutions that belong to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) in North America. A survey instrument was sent to 207 education directors in order to examine each institution's efforts in conducting audience research and evaluating the impact of their mission. Survey results from 97 institutions revealed that a large proportion of zoos and aquaria conduct visitor research; however, most only collect measures related to operational performance and not measures concerning mission-related learning outcomes such as knowledge gains, affective reactions to animals, or intended conservation actions. Large institutions tended to collect more information than smaller institutions. Most responding institutions also indicated a need for additional data to evaluate their mission performance. Not surprisingly, the most prevalent barriers for conducting visitor research were found to be inadequate staffing capacity and budgets. Most institutions clearly understand the need for additional mission-related research efforts. Because most institutions already conduct some audience research, incremental efforts, such as pooling resources or common measuring standards could yield deeper understanding of the mission performance in zoos and aquaria.