The New Science of Wise Psychological Interventions

Walton, Gregory M.

doi:10.1177/0963721413512856

Cited by 552 publications

(501 citation statements)

References 44 publications

(55 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

473

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…So that adolescents would internalize this information, the treatments used techniques that are now standard in "wise" psychological interventions (26). First, to create a descriptive norm in support of the treatment message after reading the article, participants read a brief report from an ostensible survey of older students in their school district suggesting that most such students felt outraged about food company practices and planned to "fight back" (e.g., ".…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Students then read a series of purported quotes from students who had completed that survey designed both to contribute to the perception of widespread outrage and to suggest how that outrage could be channeled to fight back against the injustice perpetrated by food companies by eating less unhealthy, and more healthy, food. Second, students wrote essays explaining why they were outraged and how they might fight back against the companies-a so-called "saying is believing" exercise (26,27). Traditional public health message: The active placebo control.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Harnessing adolescent values to motivate healthier eating

Bryan

Yeager

Hinojosa

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

101

146

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

What can be done to reduce unhealthy eating among adolescents? It was hypothesized that aligning healthy eating with important and widely shared adolescent values would produce the needed motivation. A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled experiment with eighth graders (total n = 536) evaluated the impact of a treatment that framed healthy eating as consistent with the adolescent values of autonomy from adult control and the pursuit of social justice. Healthy eating was suggested as a way to take a stand against manipulative and unfair practices of the food industry, such as engineering junk food to make it addictive and marketing it to young children. Compared with traditional health education materials or to a non–food-related control, this treatment led eighth graders to see healthy eating as more autonomy-assertive and social justice-oriented behavior and to forgo sugary snacks and drinks in favor of healthier options a day later in an unrelated context. Public health interventions for adolescents may be more effective when they harness the motivational power of that group’s existing strongly held values.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Harnessing adolescent values to motivate healthier eating

Bryan

Yeager

Hinojosa

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

101

146

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Our research contributes to a growing body of research showing that brief interventions that target key social-psychological processes can have lasting effects on well-being. [21][22][23][24] Participants were randomly assigned to complete a brief writing exercise in which they reflected on personal experiences of unconditional regard, conditional regard, or other social experiences. Negative self-feelings were assessed 3 weeks later on the day participants received their first report card of the school year.…”

Section: Present Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unconditional Regard Buffers Children’s Negative Self-Feelings

et al. 2014

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BACKGROUND: Unconditional regard refers to the feeling that one is accepted and valued by others without conditions. Psychological theory suggests that experiences of unconditional regard lead children to feel that they are valuable despite setbacks. We hypothesized that reflecting on experiences of unconditional regard would buffer children’s negative self-feelings (eg, shame, insecurity, powerlessness) in the face of setbacks. To test this hypothesis, we randomized children to reflect on experiences of unconditional regard or other experiences, and examined their response to an academic setback 3 weeks later. METHODS: Participants (11–15 years old) were randomly assigned to reflect for 15 minutes on experiences of unconditional regard (n = 91), conditional regard (n = 80), or other social experiences (n = 76). Research personnel, teachers, and classmates remained blind to condition assignment. Three weeks later, after receiving their course grades, children reported their self-feelings. Course grades were obtained from school records. Receiving low course grades represents a salient and painful real-world setback for children. RESULTS: Replicating previous research, children who received lower grades experienced more negative self-feelings (P < .001). As predicted, this well-established relationship was significantly attenuated among children who had reflected, 3 weeks previously, on experiences of unconditional regard (Ps < .03). Reflecting on unconditional regard specifically reduced negative self-feelings after low grades (P = .01), not after average or high grades (Ps > .17). CONCLUSIONS: Reflecting on unconditional regard buffered children’s selves against the adverse impact of an academic setback over an extended period of time. Unconditional regard may thus be an important psychological lever to reduce negative self-feelings in youth.

show abstract

“…Empathy, as an ability to understand oneself and others (Eisenberg & Strayer, 1987), can be developed (Eriksen, 2009) through various learning activities. Social-psychological interventions for learning offer a possible path for developing cognitive empathy (Walton, 2014). Without detracting from efforts spent on introducing leadershiprelated content, constructive activities will provide students with opportunities to develop qualities like empathy and leadership, which are essential to their intended professions and important for being able to critically analyze information and make decisions.…”

Section: Limitations and Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%