The BSSO Foundry: A community of practice for ontologies in the behavioural and social sciences.

There has been a rapid expansion in the quantity and complexity of data, information and knowledge created in the behavioural and social sciences, yet the field is not advancing understanding, practice or policy to the extent that the insights warrant. One challenge is that research often progresses in disciplinary silos and is reported using inconsistent and ambiguous terminology. This makes it difficult to integrate and aggregate findings to produce cumulative bodies of knowledge that can be translated to applied settings.

A meta-analysis of the effect of visiting zoos and aquariums on visitors' conservation knowledge, beliefs, and behavior.

Zoos and aquariums are well placed to connect visitors with the issues facing biodiversity globally and many deliver interventions that seek to influence visitors' beliefs and behaviors with respect to conservation. However, despite primary studies evaluating the effect of such interventions, the overall effect of engaging with zoos and the factors that influence this effect remain unclear. We conducted a systematic review to investigate the effect of zoo-led interventions on knowledge, beliefs (attitudes, intentions, self-efficacy, and social norms), and behavior among zoo visitors.

Longitudinal clustering of health behaviours and their association with multimorbidity in older adults in England: A latent class analysis.

Background: Health-risk behaviours such as smoking, unhealthy nutrition, alcohol consumption, and physical inactivity (termed SNAP behaviours) are leading risk factors for multimorbidity and tend to cluster (i.e. occur in specific combinations within distinct subpopulations).

Can behavior change techniques be delivered via short text messages?

Despite significant advancements in behavioral science it is unclear whether behavior change techniques (or BCTs) can be delivered to large numbers of people in a cost-effective and reliable way. The current study investigated whether it is possible to reliably deliver BCTs using short text messages. Short text messages were designed to deliver each of the 93 BCTs specified in the BCT taxonomy v1.

Exploring attitudes towards more sustainable dentistry among adults living in the UK.

Introduction Despite evidence that public pressure can promote sustainability in various domains (for example, retail and travel), no research has considered the public's attitudes towards sustainability in dentistry.Methods A questionnaire was developed to measure attitudes towards sustainable dentistry among adults living in the UK and their willingness to make compromises to reduce the impact of their dental treatment on the environment. In total, 344 adults completed the questionnaire that also measured pro-environmental identity and concern, general willingness to make compromises for the environment, and the tendency to engage in ecological behaviours.

Using social cognition models to understand why people, such as perfectionists, struggle to respond with self-compassion.

Responding with self-compassion to lapses in goal pursuit helps people to achieve their goals, yet evidence suggests that some people struggle to respond with self-compassion. The current research proposes that social cognition models such the Theory of Planned Behaviour and the Prototype Willingness Model could explain why some people, such as those high in perfectionistic concerns, struggle to respond with self-compassion. We therefore conducted a pre-registered prospective study that measured participants' beliefs about self-compassion, difficulties enacting self-compassionate responding, perfectionistic concerns, and then tested their ability to be self-compassionate in response to a recalled and future lapse.

Do people choose the same strategies to regulate other people's emotions as they choose to regulate their own?

How do people choose how to regulate others' emotional responses? We extended previous work on how the intensity of an emotional situation influences which strategies people choose to regulate their emotions (i.e., intrapersonal emotion regulation choice) to also consider the effect of intensity on which strategies people choose to regulate other people's emotions (i.

Improving sleep quality leads to better mental health: A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

The extent to which sleep is causally related to mental health is unclear. One way to test the causal link is to evaluate the extent to which interventions that improve sleep quality also improve mental health. We conducted a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials that reported the effects of an intervention that improved sleep on composite mental health, as well as on seven specific mental health difficulties.

Identifying the determinants of emotion regulation choice: a systematic review with meta-analysis.

Day-to-day life is inundated with attempts to control emotions and a wealth of research has examined what strategies people use and how effective these strategies are. However, until more recently, research has often neglected more basic questions such as whether and how people choose to regulate their emotions (i.e.

The effect of direct and extended contact on attitudes towards social robots.

The development of social robots has the potential to address significant societal concerns, however, most people have limited experience of such technology. The present research investigated whether techniques borrowed from the psychology of intergroup relations - namely direct and extended contact - affect people's attitudes towards robots. Participants were provided with either direct contact with a social robot or extended contact (these participants watched a video recorded by a friend who had met the robot) before their explicit and implicit attitudes towards robots were measured.

Assessing and promoting the use of implementation intentions in clinical practice.

Rationale: Striving for goals is a key part of psychological therapy, but people often struggle to translate their goals into action. Prior evidence has found that forming if then plans (or 'implementation intentions') is an effective way to bridge the gap between goals and action. However, it is unclear if therapists naturally prompt their clients to form implementation intentions and, if not, whether training would be feasible.

Understanding the effects of time perspective: A meta-analysis testing a self-regulatory framework.

Despite extensive evidence that time perspective is associated with a range of important outcomes across a variety of life domains (e.g., health, education, wealth), the question of time perspective has such wide-reaching effects remains unknown.

A meta-analysis of the effects of training clinicians in exposure therapy on knowledge, attitudes, intentions, and behavior.

Despite evidence that exposure therapy is an effective way to treat anxiety, many clinicians fail to implement it appropriately. The current review investigated whether training can improve practicing clinicians' beliefs about and implementation of exposure therapy. A systematic search of four databases (PsycINFO, Medline, Scopus, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses) identified fifteen studies evaluating the impact of training in exposure therapy.

Understanding obesity among companion dogs: New measures of owner's beliefs and behaviour and associations with body condition scores.

This research aimed to improve our understanding of how owners' beliefs and behaviour are associated with obesity in companion dogs. To do this, we employed new theoretical frameworks and integrated previously reported measures to curate a collection of brief, user-friendly self-report measures to assess owner factors. The reliability and validity of these was examined in two phases of empirical research, each with a cross-sectional questionnaire design that also examined the validity of assessing body condition score (BCS) from photographs submitted by owners.

Self-regulatory consequences of observing others making goal progress: A longitudinal field study in weight loss groups.

Objective: What happens when people see others making progress toward a goal that they also hold? Is it motivating or could it undermine goal pursuit because people feel that they have made progress themselves (i.e., they experience vicarious goal satiation)?

Methods: We investigated these questions in a longitudinal field context - a group weight loss programme.

Does the structure (tunneled vs. free-roam) and content (if-then plans vs. choosing strategies) of a brief online alcohol intervention effect engagement and effectiveness? A randomized controlled trial.

Despite the potential of brief online interventions for reducing alcohol consumption, their effectiveness may be compromised by low levels of engagement and the inclusion of ineffective behavior change techniques. To test whether (i) a tunneled version of an intervention (where the content is delivered in a prespecified order) leads to greater engagement and greater reductions in alcohol consumption than a free-roam version (where the content can be viewed in any order) and (ii) forming if-then plans linking strategies to cut down with high-risk situations leads to greater reductions in alcohol consumption than only choosing strategies to cut down. Participants (N = 286 university staff and students) were randomly allocated to one of four versions of a brief online alcohol intervention in a 2 (structure: tunneled vs.

Using the theory of planned behaviour and implementation intentions to reduce binge drinking in new university students.

Objective: Excessive alcohol consumption, including binge drinking, increases when students enter university. This study tests whether combining messages targeting theory of planned behaviour (TPB) constructs with if-then plans (i.e.

A cluster randomized controlled trial of a theory-based sleep hygiene intervention for adolescents.

Study Objectives: To use theory to design and evaluate an intervention to promote sleep hygiene and health among adolescents.

Methods: The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) were used to develop an intervention, which was then evaluated in a cluster randomized trial. Participants were high school students (N = 2,841, M age = 15.

How effective are interventions designed to help owners to change their behaviour so as to manage the weight of their companion dogs? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: The present review sought to evaluate whether - and to what extent - targeting owners' behaviour is an effective way to reduce the problem of overweight and obesity among companion dogs.

Methods: A systematic search of electronic databases identified 14 studies that evaluated the effect of an intervention targeting owners' behaviour on (i) the owner's behaviour or (ii) the weight, (iii) body fat, or (iv) body condition of the dog. We coded aspects of the study design (e.

Using research on self-regulation to understand and tackle the challenges that owners face helping their (overweight) dogs lose weight.

The present research sought to (i) understand the challenges that dog owners encounter in helping their pet lose weight, and (ii) develop and test an intervention designed to help dog owners to deal with these challenges. A series of focus groups (N = 79 dog owners, veterinarians, and industry experts) informed the content of an intervention designed to prompt owners to form if-then plans (or "implementation intentions") identifying challenges (e.g.

The Relationship Between a Balanced Time Perspective and Self-monitoring of Blood Glucose Among People With Type 1 Diabetes.

Background: Self-monitoring of blood glucose helps people with type 1 diabetes to maintain glycemic control and reduce the risk of complications. However, adherence to blood glucose monitoring is often suboptimal.

Purpose: Like many health behaviors, self-monitoring of blood glucose involves exerting effort in the present to achieve future benefits.

The Role of Compensatory Beliefs in Rationalizing Environmentally Detrimental Behaviors.

Compensatory green beliefs (CGBs) reflect the idea that a pro-environmental behavior (e.g., recycling) can off-set the negative effects of an environmentally detrimental behavior (e.

A structural equation model of the relationship between insomnia, negative affect, and paranoid thinking.

Background: A growing body of evidence points to relationships between insomnia, negative affect, and paranoid thinking. However, studies are needed to examine (i) whether negative affect mediates the relation between insomnia and paranoid thinking, (ii) whether different types of insomnia exert different effects on paranoia, and (iii) to compare the impact of objective and self-reported sleeping difficulties.

Method: Structural equation modelling was therefore used to test competing models of the relationships between self-reported insomnia, negative affect, and paranoia.

A randomized controlled trial of a brief online intervention to reduce alcohol consumption in new university students: Combining self-affirmation, theory of planned behaviour messages, and implementation intentions.

Objectives: Excessive alcohol consumption increases when students enter university. This study tests whether combining (1) messages that target key beliefs from the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) that underlie binge drinking, (2) a self-affirmation manipulation to reduce defensive processing, and (3) implementation intentions (if-then plans to avoid binge drinking) reduces alcohol consumption in the first 6 months at university.

Design: A 2 (self-affirmation) × 2 (TPB messages) × 2 (implementation intention) between-participants randomized controlled trial with 6-month follow-up.

Does improving sleep lead to better mental health? A protocol for a meta-analytic review of randomised controlled trials.

Introduction: Sleep and mental health go hand-in-hand, with many, if not all, mental health problems being associated with problems sleeping. Although sleep has been traditionally conceptualised as a secondary consequence of mental health problems, contemporary views prescribe a more influential, causal role of sleep in the formation and maintenance of mental health problems. One way to evaluate this assertion is to examine the extent to which interventions that improve sleep also improve mental health.