FABBS reports on items of interest to many communities – scientists, policymakers, and the public. In our news, you will see updates on science funding and policy, articles that translate research for policy, and descriptions of the research contributions of scientists at all stages of their research careers.
Quantifying the Unobserved: Gathering and Organizing Difficult Data
March 1, 2019
Some people tend to be more agreeable than others. Some suffer more depression symptoms than others. Yet personality traits such as agreeableness, and psychopathological syndromes such as depression, are difficult to measure statistically because they cannot be observed directly.
As a Quantitative
psychologist, Sonya Sterba looks for better ways to measure and model such
unobserved constructs. Her research both informs and corrects the
way researchers
Friends of NIDA Present Cannabinoid Research on the Hill
March 1, 2019
On February 27th, FABBS co-sponsored a congressional briefing held by the Friends of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) on “Opportunities and Challenges in Cannabinoid Research”.
The well-attended briefing began with an overview of the
state of cannabis research, presented by NIDA Director, Nora Volkow, MD. Volkow
mentioned that though much attention has been placed on the opioid epidemic, research
on marijuana and its effects is still urgently needed. A
FABBS Responds to NIH Requests for Comment
March 1, 2019
FABBS submitted comments to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) draft themes for their strategic plan. FABBS’ comments highlighted specific examples of how behavioral and cognitive sciences have contributed to NICHD accomplishments and identified where these sciences are currently missing in the draft themes. The plan is expected to strongly influence NICHD’s future research directions and funding decisions, including
read moreBRAIN Initiative Team E Invites FABBS to Present on Cognitive and Behavioral Opportunities
March 1, 2019
On February 19, Nora S. Newcombe, Temple University, FABBS board president, and Jeffrey M. Zacks, Washington University, FABBS board member, presented to the BRAIN (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies) Team for Integrative and Quantitative Approaches: Opportunities for the BRAIN Initiative 2.0.
Established in 2013, the BRAIN Initiative focused on technology development to measure neural and circuit activity for the first phase. With this phase
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