Dolores Albarracín, PhD

Albarracín is currently the Alexandra Heyman Nash University Professor at the University of Pennsylvania.

Tell us a bit about your background: What is your area of research? What is your most recent journal-editing experience?

I am a social psychologist and attitudes researcher, focusing on the study of attitudes, persuasion, behavioral change, and interventions. My expertise encompasses both fundamental processes and practical applications. Previously, I gained editorial experience during my tenure as the editor of Psychological Bulletin from 2014 to 2020. Additionally, I have edited three volumes of the Handbook of Attitudes (2005 and 2018), special issues of journals, and a volume on behavioral change. I am currently the Alexandra Heyman Nash University Professor at the University of Pennsylvania.

Briefly, what are your main priorities? For example, how will you grow readership, what type of scholarship would you like to see in the journal, and what kind of content are you hoping to attract?

During my editorship, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology: Attitudes and Social Cognition (JPSP: ASC) will continue its tradition of serving as a platform for multistudy articles that heavily rely on experimental methods to enhance the understanding of attitudinal and social cognitive processes—attitudes, beliefs, stereotyping and prejudice, cognition, emotion, motivation, and the like. With the support of a diverse and expert team of editors and reviewers, JPSP: ASC will publish articles that either (a) make a theoretical contribution to the literature on attitudes and social cognition or (b) report the discovery of new phenomena of high relevance to attitudes and social cognition. Any of the following would be considered a theoretical contribution:

• developing a new theory;
• developing a conceptualization of a social-psychological phenomenon not previously studied within the field;
• using an existing theory to explain a new phenomenon;
• making novel connections between two theories to address new empirical questions
• providing a novel integration of phenomena under an existing theory originally designed to understand a different phenomenon in another area of research;
• establishing the operation of psychological processes to explain a phenomenon that is currently understood as implicating different processes;
• conceptualizing the conditions that give way to different processes previously studied independently;
• conceptualizing moderators that explain conflicting predictions in the literature;
• introducing a new moderator that helps in understanding the conditions under which a previously established phenomenon occurs;
• introducing new elements to a theory that failed to explain a phenomenon;
• introducing a new theoretical construct and demonstrating its importance;
• replicating seminal research that has made any of the contributions already described, ideally contributing to explanations for variability in past findings; and
• another theoretical contribution specified by the author.

Some of my priorities are ensuring the vitality of the field of attitudes and social cognition, publishing exceptional research, increasing submissions, reducing time to publication, and increasing the number of articles published.

Why is this journal important for the field? What is its relevance to society/public health? What are the hot issues in your area right now?

The field of attitudes and social cognition holds tremendous influence on the understanding of the effects of public communications regarding health; social policies related to diversity, equity, and inclusion; political dynamics; and work and organizational issues. Furthermore, research in this field informs various fundamental processes of interest to psychologists in other areas, such as close and intergroup relationships, as well as fields beyond psychology, such as political science, communication, public health, and marketing. Some of the most intriguing current research combines basic social-cognitive processes with real-world contexts and policies. Furthermore, thanks to methodological advances, it is now possible to study perception, judgment, and decision making in significant detail. I anticipate that these trends will continue to evolve during the next 6 years.

What challenges, if any, lie ahead for the field?

In the past, the topics that authors in the field studied were clearly identifiable as the social psychology of attitudes and social cognition, and the outlets that published their research (e.g., JPSP: ASC) were directly linked to the field. However, now several new general journals (e.g., Nature Human Behavior) are available as outstanding options for disseminating such studies. In this new context, the ability to highlight a significant portion of the work as research on the psychology of attitudes and social cognition will be critical to maintaining the field’s identity and determining the unique questions that will be pursued in the future, as well as how such studies will be done. Publishing in JPSP: ASC connects this work with the field in a way that publishing in general scientific outlets like Nature Human Behavior, Scientific Reports, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, and Psychological Science does not. Thus, even though research in the field should be recognized as research on behavioral science and psychology, it is also important to link it to the social psychology of attitudes and social cognition. JPSP: ASC is the most visible journal that can accomplish this goal.

In addition, the field is more diversified, and similar research is conducted in political science, communication, marketing, organizational behavior, and other disciplines. JPSP: ASC allows social psychologists and other researchers with homes outside of psychology departments to maintain or establish their identity as contributors to the field.

A challenge for APA journals like JPSP: ASC is the very limited resources allocated to the editorial teams. For example, editorial stipends have not increased since I became the editor of Psychological Bulletin in 2012, and APA does not really cover faculty time in more traditional ways, such as buying time as grants do. Furthermore, an editor might plan for growth, but APA needs to rapidly allocate funds for associate editors to support the growth immediately. Otherwise, editors must invest in their journal more time than is feasible and even ethical, given their commitments to their institutions. However, I am gratified to see that the Editorial Director, Annie Hill, and the Publisher, Dr. Rose Sokol, have been very open to discussing these issues and identifying solutions. If the number of allotted pages goes up, so should the budget for associate editors. If the number of submissions goes up, an adjustment is needed immediately to address them. Parental leave is another issue that needs to be built into the system if we are to ensure that parents can perform these duties.

Do you have plans for a special issue or changes to the editorial process? Have you introduced or are you planning to introduce any changes?

Traditionally, JPSP: ASC has not filled its allotted pages because not enough articles were deemed worthy of publication. However, I would like to actively select articles to fill those pages. In addition, APA’s publisher has allocated additional pages to JPSP: ASC, presenting a significant opportunity for the growth and visibility of the field. If I am to capitalize on this opportunity, it is necessary to open the door to more scientific contributions.

Increasing submissions. To encourage the submission of a larger number of manuscripts, we at the journal need to find ways to make submitting to JPSP: ASC less costly. Manuscripts and the publication lag at JPSP: ASC have been lengthy for several decades. Consequently, researchers face the risk of significant delays and potential losses when submitting their work, as traditional editorial timelines often result in their manuscripts being left in limbo for extended periods. These barriers to entry may have limited the accessibility of JPSP: ASC for a variety of researchers, restricting the diversity of the authors willing and able to submit to the journal. Therefore, I am dedicated to reducing processing times for manuscripts that are sent out for external review.

Another issue pertains to the amount of work and time authors invest in producing a manuscript. Given the often lengthy articles in JPSP: ASC, manuscripts intended for the journal must be crafted differently and require more time compared with manuscripts intended for other outlets. To address this concern, I encourage the submission of shorter yet rigorous multistudy manuscripts. I recommend a combined length of 3,500 words for the introduction and discussion sections. The reduction in length does not limit the number of rigorous studies reported in a manuscript, but supplements and tables may be creatively used if necessary. The length reduction also helps to expedite editorial processing times and ensures that work remains accessible to general audiences interested in the topics.

Given these changes, attitudes and social cognition manuscripts that authors might submit to Psychological Science or Nature Human Behavior also will be easy to submit to JPSP: ASC.

Increasing acceptances. I aim to publish rigorous research while maintaining reasonable expectations and ensuring a sufficient pool of accepted manuscripts. The strategies to achieve these goals are as follows:

1. Traditionally, a significant portion of revise-and-resubmit decisions at JPSP: ASC have required new data. However, this approach does not produce a steady flow of manuscripts because of the time required for data collection and further rounds of peer review. To address this point, I intend to identify manuscripts that can be revised and resubmitted without new data. Current submissions to JPSP: ASC already include more data than ever before. From this pool, a number of manuscripts that is equal to or higher than the number of manuscripts receiving the same decision in previous terms will be selected. These invitations will focus on addressing limitations through statistical analysis, elaboration, discussion, or other processes chosen by the editor and the authors. This approach is expected to generate a higher and more predictable number of manuscripts suitable for timely publication.
2. A larger set of manuscripts with high potential that will require new data to realize that potential is being identified. These manuscripts tended to be rejected previously, despite receiving reasonably positive evaluations or being identified as promising or excellent by reviewers. This second pool of manuscripts, receiving a reject-and-resubmit decision, will contribute additional manuscripts to fill the journal’s pages.

Having implemented these policies for almost 6 months, I am gratified to see that they are producing the intended effects. The number of manuscripts receiving revise-and-resubmit decisions has modestly increased, and the number of reject-and-resubmit decisions has significantly increased. If the policies result in more accepted manuscripts than the journal can accommodate, I will make the necessary adjustments.

Increasing disclosure of uncertainty and limitations. Uncertainty is inherent in scientific research, and although everyone strives to minimize error, it cannot be eliminated entirely. JPSP: ASC supports open science and adheres to best practices to enhance the validity of the published work. Two instruments have been introduced to communicate uncertainty: (a) a statement of limitations and (b) a table of limitations. These tools are intended to reassure readers that any imperfections in published work will be openly communicated. In addition, they enable science journalists to identify and publicize the limitations of the research.

Open science. All open science practices implemented during the prior editorial period will continue to be enforced. This includes the expectation that data, materials, and code are shared in a permanent repository. Preregistration of least some of the research reported in a manuscript is also expected. Given the prevailing norms and the nature and quantity of studies typically found in a JPSP: ASC manuscript, the absence of preregistration may suggest a lack of confidence on the part of the authors.