NIHRDataInsights/HRCSData huggingface dataset:
Title: The Role of Vicarious Learning in Preventing and Treating Children's Fears
Funder: Economic and Social Research Council

Abstract: Anxiety is the most common of all childhood psychological disorders. It frequently hinders children's social and academic functioning and can therefore lead to problems in later life. Children can learn to become frightened of certain objects if they witness someone else acting frightened of them. This process is called "vicarious learning". To develop the most effective prevention and treatment programmes for fears acquired in this way it is necessary to understand when and how vicarious learning occurs by investigating the mechanism underpinning it. This is the first aim of the research programme. As with other anxiety disorders, clinical fears and phobias are associated with specific patterns of responses toward the feared object, including: avoiding it, saying negative things about it, and increased heart rate. Researchers have found that vicarious learning can cause changes in the first two types of response, but to better understand phobias it's important to show changes in heart rate too. Researchers have also shown that anxiety is typically maintained by biased ways of looking and thinking; in particular, anxious individuals tend to notice and pay more attention to their feared object (attentional bias). However, although it is thought likely that these biases begin in childhood, it is not yet known how or why they develop. Hence, we still know relatively little about this very important component of anxiety, therefore limiting our ability to prevent anxiety from developing in children. One probable scenario is that these biases begin following learning experiences with the feared object. The second aim of the research is therefore to see whether vicarious learning can affect heart rate responses to an object and how much attention is paid to it. A third aim is to evaluate ways of preventing and treating the negative outcomes of vicarious learning. Recent studies show that anxiety is reduced when people are trained to divert their attention away from the object of their fear (attentional training). We will examine whether vicariously learnt fear responses towards animals can be reversed using this type of training. Finally, we will investigate whether vicarious learning can also be used to protect against acquiring fears and eliminate existing fears. This work is of interest to psychologists, parents and teachers. It will offer guidance on how to minimise the risk of transmitting fears to children and suggest ways to intervene quickly when it is recognised that a child may have been involved in a fear-related vicarious learning event. Finally, the research also has wider implications for how animals and other stimuli are presented to children (e.g. on television, in films, or in books).


Research activity codes: 6.6 PSYCHOLOGICAL AND BEHAVIOURAL;2.3 PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Field experiment on the behavioural foundations of inter-group discrimination and its effects on public good provision in India
Funder: Economic and Social Research Council

Abstract: The first step on the way to measure, combat and ultimately eradicate poverty is to understand its causes. Often, the poorest have little or no access to key public goods like health, water or education. In countries like India, which suffers from widespread poverty, issues like low public good provision exist in the context of a longstanding social divide along caste and religious lines. Previous research has shown that there is lower public good provision when such goods are shared across social divides, whether racial, religious or linguistic in nature. The purpose of this research project is to understand why this is the case. There are two main reasons why two (or more) groups may not want to share a particular public good with each other. To illustrate our point we will consider the case of education, although the analogy extends to many other cases. The first explanation is that different social groups may prefer different varieties of the same public good: for example, it may be traditional among certain social groups to send their children to single-sex schools. As such they may be reluctant to send their daughters to co-educational schools. The second explanation is that they do not wish to share the same group with those who do not belong to their social group. In other words, members of a particular group would discriminate against outsiders. From a policy-maker's point of view, understanding which of the two causes is driving attitudes and behaviour is essential in order to formulate the right policy response. While in the former case, it may be best to invest single-gender schools to boost school attendance among children of a particular group, in the latter case, it may be optimal for the government to encourage inter-group dialogue. Understanding the behavioural foundations of inter-group social interaction may also provide clues as to why certain social groups tend to be socially insular, and why others are not. Is this to do with close ties of affiliation or is this the result of distrust towards outsiders? Is this a function of how large the group is relatively to the whole population? This has important consequences in terms of social mobility, and poverty alleviation. The answer to this question is important to political scientists and economists, as well as policy makers. We will study this question by combining extensive household surveys with field experiments in West Bengal, India. This way, we hope to uncover the behavioural motivations for inter-group discrimination, while studying them with a highly relevant population. West Bengal, India has one of the largest proportions of Muslim citizens in India (about 24% of the West Bengal population). As such, it is an ideal case study to understand the underlying causes of the impact social and religious fragmentation have on behaviour.


Research activity codes: 1.2 PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIOECONOMIC PROCESSES
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: What Motivates Ethnic Conflict? Evidence from Ethnically Motivated Violence in the UK
Funder: Economic and Social Research Council

Abstract: Ethnically motivated violence and harassment harm people and communities. Understanding the reasons behind ethnically motivated violence and harassment is key to designing policy to impact on ethnic violence and improve community wellbeing. Ethnic violence is violence perpetrated against a person because of their ethnicity. There are three possibilities which seem immediately obvious candidates as motivation for ethnic violence within a community: dislike of those who are different, where an individual gets displeasure simply from living in the same area as those from another ethnic group; competition over control of a public good, where, for instance, violence is perpetrated to dissuade another ethnic group from influencing the type of amenities in the local neighbourhood, or the cultural make-up of the neighbourhood, including types of shops and places of worship; and competition over divisible resources, where, for example, ethnic violence is perpetrated to dissuade other ethnic groups from using social housing or gaining employment in the area. We seek to better understand the causes of and motivation for ethnic violence and harassment, both in the UK and elsewhere. We construct an economic model in which individuals make decisions both about the local area in which to live and the extent to which they participate in ethnic conflict in their local area. Having established possible motivations for ethnic violence, we assume an individual chooses where to live and his level of violence and harassment against other ethnic groups in his local area based on these different motivations. The individual also takes into account the possibility that different local areas may have different values when making his decision, for example one area may have more jobs or better housing. Which motive is driving ethnic violence and harassment will affect the level of violence and harassment in a given area, as well as how ethnic violence interacts with factors such as the relative sizes of the various ethnic groups, job supply, housing supply and the wealth of an area. In this way we will use the economic framework to understand how we can tell one motivation for ethnic violence from another. For example, the framework will tell us what we should expect to see in a diverse community if competition over divisible resources is driving ethnic violence. We will use data on ethnic violence in the UK by local authority area, data on the ethnic composition of each local authority area, as well as data on economic resources (such as job supply and social housing) to examine what we see happening in communities in the UK. We want to understand what we find in our data on the UK in light of the predictions of the economic framework. In light of these findings we would hope to identify potential policy decisions capable of enhancing community wellbeing.


Research activity codes: 2.3 PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Age Differences in the Implementation of Knowledge and Experience to Support Memory
Funder: Economic and Social Research Council

Abstract: Over the last century, improvements in standards of living and developments in medicine have resulted in more individuals reaching old age and life expectancy has risen significantly. This has led to older adults making up an increasing proportion of society and the current trend is likely to continue. Therefore, tackling issues related to ageing has become a major focus for medical practitioners, scientists, policy makers and economists. Ageing not only results in a decline in physical abilities but also in cognitive abilities. The most widespread and salient age-related cognitive decline is a reduction in memory ability. In recent research in our laboratory, we have focussed on a factor that seems to alleviate age deficits in memory: When information that needs to be remembered is consistent with an individuals' knowledge and experience, it is easier to remember than abstract information and older adults appear to benefit from this effect more than do young adults. For example, when participants were asked to remember an association between two words, age differences in memory performance were smaller for related word pairs like article-book or fatigue-sleep compared to unrelated word pairs like article-lapel or fatigue-glass. This means that it may be possible to improve memory for all age groups, but particularly for older adults, by encouraging individuals to use knowledge and information that they are familiar with to support memory processes. The proposed project aims to establish how knowledge and experience can support different memory processes. This will be achieved by investigating how people can use knowledge about the world to: 1. Distinguish between different information in memory during retrieval. 2. Improve the chances of thinking in the same way when encoding information and when retrieving information. 3. Reduce the amount of effort required to successfully encode and retrieve information. Increasing our understanding of how knowledge and experience can support memory may lead to the development of new methods for alleviating age-related memory deficits. This would allow older adults with memory difficulties to retain independence for longer periods of time before requiring care. With the cost of full-time care reaching tens of thousands of pounds a year, extending independence even by just a few months will notably improve the financial circumstances for older individuals, their families and the state.


Research activity codes: 1.2 PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIOECONOMIC PROCESSES
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: BULLYING, CYBERBULLYING, AND PUPIL SAFETY AND WELL-BEING
Funder: Economic and Social Research Council

Abstract: Pupil safety and well-being, including bullying and cyberbullying, are vital issues. Cross-national collaboration is limited, and contact between Indian researchers and European researchers almost non-existent. This network brings together 4 European research teams, and 2 Indian teams We will share knowledge and expertise, and produce joint publications and resources for practitioners, in 5 topic areas: use and abuse of new technologies including cyberbullying; social networks in pupils including bullying roles and bystanders; life skills, health and risk-taking; influence of educational and cultural variables in measurement, explanation, and theory-building; and intervention strategies including teacher training, peer support and parent support.


Research activity codes: 2.6 RESOURCES AND INFRASTRUCTURE (AETIOLOGY);3.5 RESOURCES AND INFRASTRUCTURE (PREVENTION)
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Cognitive Biases and Behavioural Segmentation in Food Demand
Funder: Economic and Social Research Council

Abstract: The study will consist of three parts. The first part of the study will segment consumers based on their preferences and consumption patterns using economic models of demand to facilitate better targeting of dietary interventions. Previous models of food demand have provided the average response of the population as a whole to changes in economic and demographic circumstances. Our work will extend previous models to recognise that food preferences differ between different individuals and, therefore, the notion of an average response to changing socio-economic circumstances may provide only limited insights into consumer response to dietary interventions. Our modelling approach will enable us to identify sub-groups within the population within which food choices and food preferences are similar. This part of the study will use data from the UK Government's Living Costs and Food Survey which covers a nationally representative sample of nearly 7000 UK households, stratified by Government Office Region and other socio-economic variables. The second part of the study will attempt to explain these preferences and consumption patterns based on factors influencing behaviours derived from social psychology and behavioural economics. It will explore how susceptible consumers within particular preference and food consumption clusters are to the range of "biases" influencing food choice (e.g., tolerance of risk, conformity to social norms, discount rates, impulsivity etc). This part of the study will use a questionnaire-based survey of 1000 UK households to explore the range of social and cognitive factors that explain the susceptibility to biases influencing food choice. It will provide insights into the design of dietary interventions relevant for different consumer segments. The study will facilitate the development of a suite of interventions that are appropriate for different consumer preferences and behavioural patterns. The study can be used to develop diagnostic or screening tools to identify the most appropriate interventions for different segments of consumers. The third part of the study will use these insights to develop experimental manipulations aimed at changing the behaviour of some of the key sub-groups based on their susceptibility to behavioural biases and associated food preference patterns. This will help in assessing the potential efficacy of dietary interventions based on behavioural economics insights. The project will assemble a unique dataset which brings together food purchase behaviour and the cognitive biases and social factors influencing food choice which will be very valuable for future interdisciplinary research on food choice behaviour.


Research activity codes: 1.2 PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIOECONOMIC PROCESSES
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Cross Cultural Differences in Biased Cognition
Funder: Economic and Social Research Council

Abstract: Lay Summary The way in which we process information in the world around us has a significant effect on our health and well being. For example, some people are more prone than others to notice potential dangers, to remember bad things from the past and assume the worst, when the meaning of an event or comment is uncertain. These tendencies are called negative cognitive biases and can lead to low mood and poor quality of life. They also make people vulnerable to mental illnesses. In contrast, those with positive cognitive biases tend to function well and remain healthy. To date most of this work has been conducted on white, western populations and we do not know whether similar cognitive biases exist in Eastern cultures. This project will examine cognitive biases in Eastern (Hong Kong nationals ) and Western (UK nationals) people to see whether there are any differences between the two. It will also examine what happens to cognitive biases when someone migrates to a different culture. This will tell us whether influences from the society and culture around us have any effect on our cognitive biases. Finally the project will consider how much our own cognitive biases are inherited from our parents. Together these results will tell us whether the known good and bad effects of cognitive biases apply to non Western cultural groups as well, and how much cognitive biases are decided by our genes or our environment.


Research activity codes: 1.2 PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIOECONOMIC PROCESSES
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Investigation of micro RNAs as Biomarkers and Drug Targets for Bipolar Disorder
Funder: Chief Scientist Office (Scotland)

Abstract: Bipolar Disorder is a common, disabling, genetic condition in which aberrant micro RNA (miRNA) and mRNA expression has been repeatedly implicated. Profiling of blood-based gene expression will identify novel therapeutic targets and non-invasive biomarkers for pharmacogenomic targeting. miRNAs regulate the expression of multiple target genes and are, therefore, potentially efficient biomarkers. Here we propose to compare candidate miRNA expression in unmedicated subjects at high and low genetic risk of bipolar disorder. miRNA expression profiles will be related to genetic risk status and cyclothymic temperament (indicative of bipolar disorder susceptibility). This will identify a miRNA-based risk signature, which will contribute to assessment of bipolar disorder susceptibility. We will also determine whether expression of protein-coding genes targeted by the validated miRNAs is altered, with the aim of identifying new drug targets. Finally, we will determine which genes and pathways identified show modified expression in vitro in response to current therapeutic interventions.


Research activity codes: 4.1 DISCOVERY AND PRECLINICAL TESTING OF MARKERS AND TECHNOLOGIES;5.1 PHARMACEUTICALS
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: The use of Ketamine as an anaesthetic during electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for depression: does it improve treatment outcome?
Funder: Chief Scientist Office (Scotland)

Abstract: We propose to investigate the impact of using an alternative anaesthetic, Ketamine, in the course of ECT treatment. We hypothesize that it will protect against memory impairment and accelerate treatment response. Ketamine has long been licensed for use in anaesthesia, and has been demonstrated to be safe and effective in this setting - but it is rarely used and the potential impact on memory factors and outcome following ECT has not been systematically evaluated to date. Ketamine has antidepressant properties (these have only recently been established in patients), and, on the basis of animal studies, may reduce cognitive dysfunction induced by seizures. Should our hypothesis prove correct, a simple change in anaesthetic choice, at no additional cost to the NHS, could significantly improve outcomes and acceptability of treatment across the UK and beyond.


Research activity codes: 6.6 PSYCHOLOGICAL AND BEHAVIOURAL;6.1 PHARMACEUTICALS
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Suicide, Self-Harm and Premature Death following First Episode Psychosis
Funder: Medical Research Council

Abstract: Background - The high risk of suicide in psychotic disorders is well recognised, but may have been overestimated by studying unrepresentative samples. Time trends in suicide rate are poorly understood. There is conflicting evidence about deaths from other causes and knowledge about risk factors for suicide and self-harm is limited. Aims and Objectives - 1. To describe suicide, self-harm and mortality rates in a cohort study of 3000 first episode psychosis patients from three geographically defined areas. 2. To study any change in rates of suicide over four decades. 3. To identify risk factors for suicide and self-harm. Design - Cohort study with first presentation as entry point and death / emigration / Office for National Statistics (ONS) trace date as end point. Methodology - The cohort will be formed from three comparable datasets of all first episode psychosis cases from geographical catchment areas in London, Nottingham and Scotland. ONS tracing will be used to identify those patients who have died and their cause of death. Survival analysis involving a lexis expansion and Poisson Regression will be used to establish person-year rates of suicide and investigate individual (sociodemographic and clinical) and neighbourhood level (deprivation, social cohesion, urbanicity) risk factors for suicide and self-harm. Indirect standardisation will be used to calculate Standardised Mortality Ratios (SMRs) for suicide and other causes of death, standardised for age, sex and where possible ethnicity. A subset (n=500) have extensive clinical interview data from baseline and will be intensively followed-up using 10-year Life Chart information and Insight Schedules to determine further risk factors for self-harm. Scientific / Medical opportunities of the study - It is important to have accurate suicide and death rates following first episode psychosis, stratified by age, sex and ethnicity, to identify areas of health service need. If changes over time are found, either overall or in particular subgroups, this will generate further hypotheses to be tested in subsequent studies. Understanding risk factors for suicide and self-harm may suggest strategies for prevention.


Research activity codes: 4.1 DISCOVERY AND PRECLINICAL TESTING OF MARKERS AND TECHNOLOGIES;2.4 SURVEILLANCE AND DISTRIBUTION
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH