APA's Science Policy Insider News March 2002

[ Subscribe to SPIN]  Countering Terrorism: Integrating Theory and Practice Academic scholars and researchers met with personnel from justice, intelligence and law enforcement agencies at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, on Feb. 28, 2002, for an invitational conference entitled “Countering Terrorism: Integration of Practice and Theory.” The meeting was sponsored by the FBI Academy’s Behavioral Science Unit, the School of Arts and Sciences and the Solomon Asch Center for Study of Ethnopolitical Conflict at the University of Pennsylvania, and the American Psychological Association. More than 70 participants, roughly half academic scholars and researchers and half law enforcement personnel, dispersed into seven small groups to discuss “scenarios” that the FBI developed before the conference. These scenarios illustrated some of the current problems that the FBI, law enforcement and intelligence agencies are facing as they try to discover cadres of terrorists or those who harbor them, as well as deter support for terrorism by individuals, designated groups, and communities. Two hours of scenario discussions were followed by two hours of small group discussions centered on “questions” that had been developed before the conference by the academic researchers and scholars. These questions involved stereotyping and ethnopolitical conflict, risk perception and communication, education regarding fundamentalism in all religious traditions, analysis of intelligence data, and strategies to deal with bioterrorism. The whole group reconvened for a final meeting where issues and concerns raised in the small groups were described and further analyzed, and conversations continued through a dinner hosted by the FBA Academy. The proceedings and recommendations offered by the various discussion groups will be reviewed and edited by the members of the individual groups, and then given to the Behavioral Science Unit of the FBI Academy to use and disseminate as they see fit. Each small group was comprised of approximately ten individuals with diverse areas of experience. Participants included: scholars or researchers from psychology or political science or medical science; attorneys with expertise in immigration law; representatives from the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the National Academy of Sciences, National Science Foundation; members of training or operational units of the FBI; personnel from the CIA, U.S. Secret Service, National Security Agency, Department of Defense, State Department, and staff from the Office of Homeland Security and the new Transportation Security Agency; and officers from the Stafford, Virginia, Washington D.C. or New York City Police or Sheriff’s Departments. Each participant was able to offer a different point of view and a different expertise on the issues raised by the scenarios and the questions. The juxtaposition of people whose expertise lies largely in “theory” with those whose expertise lies largely in “practice,” allowed each to expand on what they already knew and to be informed by the view of the other. The conversations were reported to be variously lively and sobering, informative and probing, and consistently collegiate and respectful. National and local government offices and agencies have received a large volume of information and offers of assistance from Americans across the country, as well as concerned individuals from other nations. Some of the challenges raised include how to: 1) collect this information and organize people in order to take full advantage of all that is offered; 2) get relevant expertise to the people who are at the forefront of counter-terrorism efforts; and 3) let the experience of those who are on the “front lines” inform the research and inquiries of the scholars. The conference was viewed as one way to accomplish this kind of interaction. See group photo at: www.apa.org/ppo/issues/sfbigroup.html See poster at: www.apa.org/ppo/issues/sfbiposterpic.html [back to top] Psychologists Take Science of Counter-Terrorism to the Hill On March 1, Geoff Mumford, Heather Kelly and Susan Brandon, APA’s Senior Scientist accompanied eight psychological scientists to meetings with senior legislative staff of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and the House Committee on Science. The purpose of the meetings was to raise awareness of how psychological research might be used to understand, prepare for and counter terrorism. The group, which included Jonathan Drummond, Princeton University; Victoria M. Esses, University of Western Ontario; Baruch Fischhoff, Carnegie Mellon University; Deborah Frisch, National Science Foundation; Arie Kruglanski, University of Maryland; Donald Norman, Northwestern University; Eldar Shafir, Princeton University; and Peter Suedfeld, University of British Columbia, was well-received on both sides of the Capitol. Senate staff invited the group to provide comments on a bill Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) is drafting, who chairs the Science, Technology and Space Subcommittee, to mobilize science and technology expertise in responding to terrorist attacks or natural disasters. House staff described the new joint effort between the State Department and the Department of Defense in the creation of a Technical Support Working Group (TSWG) to begin addressing and vetting proposed technological improvements to national security. Committee staff also discussed the possibility of restructuring the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) into a "Super-FEMA" that would have a much broader focus ranging from prevention through response and mitigation. See Senate staff photo at: www.apa.org/ppo/issues/senatestaffpic.html See House staff photo at: www.apa.org/ppo/issues/shousestaffpic.html Congressional Hearings on Terrorism In the aftermath of the attacks on America last fall, many congressional committees and subcommittees have held hearings to investigate various issues related to terrorism. Tracking the activities of those committees and subcommittees has been a daunting task. Thankfully, LaTonya Wesley has compiled an comprehensive website covering House and Senate hearings on a full range of topics related to the aftermath of 9/11 and the effects of anthrax mailed to Congress and others in October. Where available, LaTonya has provided hyperlinks to testimony and other background materials for each hearing and she will continue updating the site as warranted with future hearings. www.apa.org/ppo/issues/sterrorismhearings.html Advocating for Research within the Department of Veterans Affairs In addition to advocating for behavioral science at research powerhouses like NIH and NSF, Science PPO hits Capitol Hill each spring to represent the needs of research psychologists working within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) system. Last month, Kurt Salzinger, APA’s Executive Director for Science, and Science PPO Staffer Heather Kelly met with the Executive Committee of the Association of VA Psychologist Leaders (AVAPL) to draft briefing sheets for members of Congress on the needs of VA psychological scientists (these are in progress - feel free to email Heather directly with any suggestions). See our website for the most recent VA research coalition statement, to which APA has signed on, recommending increases in the VA research budget for Fiscal Year 03: www.apa.org/ppo/issues/svafundfy03.html [back to top] APA Supports Increased Federal Funding for NICHD As the largest source of funds for behavioral and psychological science research, APA is once again focused on the fiscal year 2003 appropriations forecast for the National Institutes Health. This year, the Friends of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), a coalition co-chaired by Science PPO Staffer Karen Studwell, has been focused on achieving a more equitable distribution of the proposed $3.7 billion increase for NIH. The Friends Coalition brings together a diverse group of professional and patient organizations to increase the profile and funding for NICHD and its important research portfolio. In February, the Friends Coalition held meetings with both NICHD Director Duane Alexander and key House appropriations committee staff to discuss the importance of NICHD research and request greater support for the institute. www.apa.org/ppo/issues/snichdfy03.funding.html As you may know, while fiscal year 2003 is the last year of the bipartisan congressional effort to double the NIH budget to $27.3 billion. Still, many institutes will be forced to cutback on planned projects, as a disproportionate share of the $3.7 billion increase, approximately $1.5 billion, proposed by President Bush, is restricted to bioterrorism research. Those funds are slated for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which will see a 57% increase. Other institutes are to receive only 8.5% increases based on the President’s budget, rather than the possible 15% many were counting on. Congress may not agree with this plan submitted by the President, and is unlikely to support many of the proposed cuts in the budget, especially in an election year. APA Co-hosts Congressional Briefing on Stress and Health APA cosponsored a congressional briefing on February 20, 2002, entitled “Promoting Health in a Stressful World.” Speakers included Raynard Kington, MD, PhD, of the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, University of Miami Professor Neil Schneiderman, Christine Bachrach of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and Curtis McMillen, Assistant Professor of Social Work at Washington University, St. Louis. Neil Schneiderman, who is a recent chair of APA’s Board of Scientific Affairs and a longtime NIH grantee, explained what scientists have learned through behavioral research about the effects of stress on health and illness. Christine Bachrach spoke about the types of research that may be spurred by an NIH conference she co-chaired, "Toward Higher Levels of Analysis: Progress and Promise in Research on Social and Cultural Dimensions of Health.” Curtis McMillen spoke about his research on unanticipated positive by-products of tragedies such as the Oklahoma City bombing and traumatic accidents. Raynard Kington served as moderator. Congressional staff members as well as representatives of federal science funding agencies attended. The briefing was sponsored by the Coalition for the Advancement of Health through Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, whose members include representatives of the American Psychological Association, the Consortium of Social Science Associations, the American Sociological Association, and other behavioral and social science-focused organizations. Representative Connie Morella (R-MD) agreed to serve as the congressional sponsor for the briefing. Congressional briefings are one means of sharing exciting scientific findings with policymakers. APA will bring scientists to Capitol Hill throughout the year to explain the importance of behavioral research in venues ranging from briefings, to congressional testimony, to one-on-one meetings with policymakers. View pictures from the briefing here: www.apa.org/ppo/issues/stressbriefphotos.html Any questions? If you have any questions regarding SPIN or specific science policy issues, please feel free to contact any of APA’s Science PPO staff. Geoff Mumford, Ph.D., Director of Science Policy Pat Kobor, Senior Science Policy Analyst Heather O'Beirne Kelly, Ph.D., Senior Legislative and Federal Affairs Officer Karen Studwell, J.D., Legislative and Federal Affairs Officer LaTonya Wesley, Legislative Assistant

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