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.
Optimism Remains for a Federal Budget Deal
November 15, 2017
With time winding down before the current Continuing Resolution (CR) expires on December 8th, Washington, DC is abuzz with speculation about how Congress will fund the federal government in Fiscal Year 2018. Already two months into the fiscal year, many Members of Congress on both sides of the political aisle realize that they need to strike a deal to raise the spending caps. Without a deal, appropriators must cut around $5B from Fiscal Year 2017 levels.
Word on the
read moreWhy “Just Say No” Programs Don’t Prevent Alcohol Misuse
September 21st, 2017
Youth programs with a “just say no” approach to preventing substance use have proven largely ineffective. Researchers have known this for over a decade, but now studies are helping to explain why. Alcohol misuse results from a complex interplay of genetic, environmental, and developmental factors, those studies find. There is no one reason problems develop “and no one-size-fits all solution to solving them,” according to Jeanne Savage and colleagues in a review
read moreFABBS Honors Robert Siegler
September 21st, 2017
Robert S. Siegler is currently Teresa Heinz Professor of Cognitive Psychology at Carnegie Mellon University; as of September 1, 2018, he will be Schiff Foundation Professor of Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University. His research focuses on how children learn mathematics and how theoretical understanding of mathematical development can be applied to improving that learning. Among his contributions are demonstrating the variability of strategy use, the
read moreBetter Risk Literacy = Better Decisions
September 21st, 2017
Studies have suggested a correlation between good decision-making and intelligence, but scientist Edward Cokely and his colleagues have found there is a much better predictor of whether people will make decisions that benefit them, regardless of their intelligence level: their understanding of risk and statistical concepts. Understanding how probability works has been found to predict the quality of decision-making in a wide range of areas, from using credit cards
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