No one seems to have taken up David Myers' challenge, at least publicly on TIPS, to identify psychological research which has had a significant practical impact on society. Here's part of what David said:
On 25 Jun 2003, David Myers wrote: > As one of his APA presidential initiative, Phil Zimbardo created a > task force, which Bob Bjork and I have agreed to co-chair, that he > charged with creating a "web-based compendium of psychological > research" that has make positive contributions to the lives of > individuals or society. > > As part of this project, I�d like to invite you all to consider: What > psychological research displays the importance of our science to > society and to our students? What impacts of psychological science > make you proud? What might help the general public appreciate the > importance of funding psychology? (Note that the emphasis here is > not on what are psychology�s greatest > insights so much as its significant practical impacts.) (see the website at: http://www.psychologymatters.org/performance.html) My nomination would be the achievements of the field of applied behaviour analysis (ABA), which uses the methods of operant conditioning for application to a wide range of significant societal problems: child management in the home, academic performance at school, marital problems, psychological disorders, and problems in industry and business. If that's too broad (and it probably is) I would nominate the work of Ivar Lovaas and his colleagues (e.g. Lovaas, 1987) for their remarkably effective use of ABA to improve the quality of life for children with the severely-disabling disorder of infantile autism. While his claim that his UCLA young autism project has restored autistic children to normality is controversial (e.g. see criticisms in Herbert et al (2002)), even critics note that this is one of the most promising treatments available for autism. Moreover, the criticisms are largely unjustified (see Lovaas' (2000) response to them at his website). No less an authority than the Surgeon General of the US has endorsed the use of ABA for the treatment of autism (quoted in Rosenwasser & Axelrod, 2001, and available at http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/chapter3/sec6.html# autism). Given the sorry history of quackery in this field, especially the promotion by psychologists and others of the cruel, damaging and totally unfounded idea that autism is caused by inept parenting, this is one application of psychology that makes me truly proud to be associated with this discipline. Stephen Herbert, J. et al (2002). Separating fact from fiction in the etiology and treatment of autism. The Scientific Review of Mental Health Practice, 1, xx-xx. Lovaas, O. (1987). Behavioral treatment and normal intellectual and educational functioning in autistic children. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 55, 3-9. Lovaas, O. (2000) Clarifying comments on the UCLA young autism project. Available at: http://www.ctfeat.org/LovaasRebut.htm Rosenwasser, B, & Axelrod, S. (2001). The contributions of applied behavior analysis to the education of people with autism. Behavior modification, 25, 671-677. ______________________________________________________________ Stephen L. Black, Ph.D. tel: (819) 822-9600 ext 2470 Department of Psychology fax: (819) 822-9661 Bishop's University e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Lennoxville, QC J1M 1Z7 Canada Dept web page at http://www.ubishops.ca/ccc/div/soc/psy TIPS discussion list for psychology teachers at http://www.frostburg.edu/dept/psyc/southerly/tips _________________________________________________________ --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
