When Things Don’t Go According to Plan

The Latest From the APS Observer

New content is now posted to the Observer on a regular basis rather than bimonthly. Check the website every week for the latest news, features, and more.

About the Observer

The Observer is the online magazine of the Association for Psychological Science and covers matters affecting the research, academic, and applied disciplines of psychology. The magazine reports on issues of interest to psychologist scientists worldwide and disseminates information about the activities, policies, and scientific values of APS.

APS members receive a monthly Observer newsletter that covers the latest content in the magazine. Members also may access the online archive of Observer articles going back to 1988.

Featured

Tailoring Evidence-Based Treatment to the Person, Not the Diagnosis

Research is showing how evidence-based treatments might be molded to the distinct needs of individual patients.
Scientists Look Beyond the WEIRD World of Happiness

Psychological scientists once equated happiness with well-being, but recent research suggests that there is significant cultural variation in the ingredients of a good life.
From Resistance to Recovery

Stigma about mental health treatment is a major contributor to the world’s mental health crisis, policy experts say. Psychological research is uncovering strategies that persuade people to seek help.

Research Practice

Student Notebook: Finding Your Path in Psychological Science

Feeling unsure or overwhelmed as an early-career psychology student? Second-year graduate student Mariel Barnett shares advice to quell uncertainties.
Scientists Propose Upgrades to Research-Methods Education for Psychology Students

Many undergraduate psychology courses fail to ensure students fully understand research design and analysis. An international team of psychological scientists have recommended some systemic steps to remedy that shortcoming.
When Things Don’t Go According to Plan

Methodologists have embraced preregistration as a way to prevent questionable research practices and add transparency to scientific studies. But many researchers end up deviating from those preregistered plans, and those deviations aren’t reported systematically, if at all.

Career Development

Making a Career Choice: Follow in Your Own Footsteps

In a guest column, APS Fellow Barbara Wanchisen shares observations and ideas on broadening career opportunities for psychological scientists.
Professional Development Workshop: Belonging and Success in Work Settings

In a February Professional Development workshop, Danielle King and Kecia M. Thomas discussed imposter syndrome, academic burnout, and best practices for sustaining and supporting yourself during hard times.
How Many Peer-Reviewed Articles Do You Need to Earn Tenure?

Developmental psychologist James Byrnes explores updated norms, historical trends, and strategies of successful candidates for publishing peer-reviewed articles.

Member Spotlight

Tess Neal Examines the Nature—and Limits—of Expertise

Can psychological scientists divorce their own opinions and beliefs from their professional work? This APS Fellow’s research aims to answer that question.
Careers Up Close: Rohan Palmer on Genetics and Substance Use

This Emory University psychological scientist is engaged in cutting-edge research on the genetic and environmental factors that leave some people vulnerable to substance dependency.

Additional Content

Our Cognitive Bias Toward Novel, Negative Information May Make New Social Groups Seem Less Likeable

People’s biases against members of other groups may have a cognitive basis owing to how we prioritize negative information when encountering new social groups, new research suggests.
Seifert Is the New Editor of PSPI

APS Fellow Colleen M. Seifert, an expert on creative problem-solving at both the basic and applied levels, is the new editor of Psychological Science in the Public Interest (PSPI). She follows APS William James Fellow Nora Newcombe, who has served as editor of the journal since 2019.
Networking Inside and Outside the Academy

In an APS Professional Development webinar, five psychological scientists shared their own experiences and advice on expanding your relationships not only in academic circles, but in industry as well.
Teens Who View Their Homes as More Chaotic Than Their Siblings Have Poorer Mental Health in Adulthood

Many parents ponder why one of their children seems more emotionally troubled than the others. A new study in the United Kingdom reveals a possible basis for those differences.
Rewatching Videos of People Shifts How We Judge Them, Study Indicates

Rewatching recorded behavior, whether on a Tik-Tok video or police body-camera footage, makes even the most spontaneous actions seem more rehearsed or deliberate, new research shows.
Six APS Fellows Elected to the National Academy of Sciences

The newly elected Fellows include Kent C. Berridge, Vonnie C. McLoyd, Nora S. Newcombe, Henry Wellman, Brenda Major, and Eveline Crone.

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The Latest From the APS Observer

About the Observer

Latest Under the Cortex Podcast

Featured

Tailoring Evidence-Based Treatment to the Person, Not the Diagnosis

Scientists Look Beyond the WEIRD World of Happiness

From Resistance to Recovery

Research Practice

Student Notebook: Finding Your Path in Psychological Science

Scientists Propose Upgrades to Research-Methods Education for Psychology Students