INVESThub

Time flies and this week we had already our second part of The Workshop Tracks concept which we started in January. This time we had a a follow-up meeting and we heard from FACTOR project how they survey experiment went and what kind of experiences the process offered the. We had a fruitful brainstrorming and came up with very useful ideas how tho conduct surveys in the future and how to avoid some possible pitfalls etc. In general, we are very happy about this concept it felt that it fulfilled our expectations well. And of course we are very grateful and delighted to our participants so far. To refer senior researcher Mikko Leino from FACTOR project:

“We found this concept of  Workshop Tracks a very useful to us for developing our research processes to be better. We got many good ideas from the comments and discussions, and we also implemented them in the field. Thank you”.

After the workshop we hed to cost to have have a strategy retreat with the INVESThub group. We planned our actions for the next semester and we are happy to annonunce that we will continue the Workshop Tracks. Actually, this time we would like to take from two to four projects to these tracks. Feel free to contact us if you would like to paricipate to this concept in the Autumn and have a support for your field experiments. Also, Brown Bag sessions will continue and they will be arranged every first Wednesday of the month, starting in september. Details about these events will be updated to their own sections below.

Coming up:

Brown Bag Session: 22nd of May, Publicum KH149 first floor at 11-12, Pauline Norris(University of Otago) will give us presentation about her researcher on interventions. information will be updated soon below in the Brown Bag section. We welcome everyone to join us!

INVESThub is hosting two parallel sessions in the INVEST Conference on 15-17 May! The sessions are hosted by INVESThub group and named Social Experiment I & II. Please find more information about the conference and programme here.

The above mentioned was updated in May 2024

Spring comes always fast! Here are some updates what’s going on in our INVESThub unit.

Brown Bag Sessions have been very interesting and nice events, thank you for all presenters at this point. And as a good news, we are arranging an extra session on 22nd of May. That time, Pauline Norris (University of Otago) will give us presentation about her researcher on interventions. information will be updated soon below in the Brown Bag section. We welcome everyone to join us!

The Workshop Tracks will continue with a follow up meeting on 6th of May and we will hear experiences from FACTOR group and how they completed their survey desing. More information will be updated below to the workshop’s section. If you would like to join this event, please feel free to contact us.

INVESThub is hosting two parallel sessions in the INVEST Conference on 15-17 May! The sessions are hosted by INVESThub group and named Social Experiment I & II. Please find more information about the conference and programme here.

Also, we will have an own strategy retreat in May and we are starting to plan our next activities. Let’s be in touch and have a good Spring time!

The above mentioned was updated in March 2024

INVESThub has a new member as Francesco Pompedda (Senior Researcher, PhD in Psychology, Licensed Psychologist, CPsychol, FHEA) hopped on board in the beginning of the year. He has expertise in designing and evaluating training programs in Investigative Interviews of Children. Welcome Francesco!

In the meantime, the hub’s spring has started nicely. The first pilot Workshop Track was very fruitful event and Brown Bag Sessions have been rolling nicely. Many activies are to come on Spring time so stay tuned for more information soon!

The above mentioned was updated in January 2024

Happy new year!

INVESThub starts its year with piloting new Workshop Tracks concept. First workshops will be held on 17th of January in which Sami Ahonen will be presenting his research group’s plans for their study: Framing climate policies through climate change mitigation, economic benefits and energy security – an experimental approach. Also, Anniina Kaittila will be presenting  her research group’s  plans for continuation of their research FinSoc which focuses on social work interventions. These both workshops open up a very interesting platform to approach and brainstorm practical matters of studies in their early stages. The second part of the workshops will be arranged in May, and that time we will have a follow up for these groups and hear how their studies have succeeded.

INVESThub will arrange atleast four Brownbag Sessions in the Spring. In these sessions, we will hear a very interesting presentations on soscial experiments and interventions from different fields of sciences. The details will be updated on this page below.

Updated 17.1.2024: Thank you so much to all participants for the first Workshop Tracks! Read more about this event below from the accordion “Workshop Tracks”. 

Updated on September 2023

Autumn 2023 will be very active for INVESThub. We are now contacting researchers and inviting them to visit our Brown Bag Sessions. The schedule for that will be released soon. Also, we will gather together in November to plan our upcoming Workshop Tracks. The basic idea is to search and offer a consultance for reaserch group which is doing research on social experiments and inteventions. Our aim is to arrange a series of workshops with this group during the year 2024. In these workshops, the aim is to support the group by sharing our expertise and to brainstorm ideas. The idea is to follow up the development of their work for the whole year. And as an exhange, this kind of action will naturally offer us possibilities to develop our own research activity.  Stay tuned for more!

We also decided to have an own visual look. Our brilliant Jonne Värikäs desingned us a logo which is built up from some of INVEST flagship’s elements mixed with some own elements. So, from now on, you can recognize us from the following figure:

Updated on June 2023

In early June 2023, INVESThub team gathered for a strategy seminar in Villa Paradise, located in a stunningly beatiful Noux. The aim of the seminar was to plan actions of the hub in the near future but also in long terms. The hub will bring more it’s expertise in teaching and naturally the research activity will be active. Also, searching for a new funding opportunities will be under the radar.  For other practices, we are going to launch a new concept of workshops. And last but not least, the Brown Bags Series will continue with exciting research presentations in the Fall 2023.  Stay tuned and see you soon!

Updated on Spring 2023

In early June 2023, INVESThub team gathered for a strategy seminar in Villa Paradise, located in a stunningly beatiful Noux. The aim of the seminar was to plan actions of the hub in the near future but also in long terms. The hub will bring more it’s expertise in teaching and naturally the research activity will be active. Also, searching for a new funding opportunities will be under the radar.  For other practices, we are going to launch a new concept of workshops. And last but not least, the Brown Bags Series will continue with exciting research presentations in the Fall 2023.  Stay tuned and see you soon!

In early June 2023, INVESThub team gathered for a strategy seminar in Villa Paradise, located in a stunningly beatiful Noux. The aim of the seminar was to plan actions of the hub in the near future but also in long terms. The hub will bring more it’s expertise in teaching and naturally the research activity will be active. Also, searching for a new funding opportunities will be under the radar.  For other practices, we are going to launch a new concept of workshops. And last but not least, the Brown Bags Series will continue with exciting research presentations in the Fall 2023.  Stay tuned and see you soon!

Updated on Spring 2023

The Spring 2023 will be very active and interresting in INVESThub. Kirsi Peltonen started as an Associate Professor and Docent Aki Koivula as a senor researcher. Also, recruiting an IT-specialist to support research is progressing. We will coninue our Brownbag Sessions to offer a nice forum to present and share ideas for social experiments. There will be nice presentations from different fields of science. As a new thing, the seminars will also be streamed. There are also other events coming up so stay tuned! To be mentioned, the Hub will also have an own parallel session in the next INVEST Scientific Seminar.

UPDATE 17th of March 2023

Warmest thanks to Nevena Kulic for great collaboration and seminar presentation!

Title of the speech:

“Awareness of gender and educational inequality and support for school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. A survey experiment

UPDATE 24.4.2023.

Warmest thanks to Mikko Leino, Katariina Kulha and Maija Setälä for presenting a very interresting plans for the research in FACTOR project. They introduced us how to build a research desing for the study: Three ‘types’ of climate deliberation – a lab-in-the-field experiment. The discussion was very active and fruitful. It gave the group good  some ideas and advice for supporting the succesful compliation of the study!

UPCOMING EVENTS

22nd of May 11-13 , KH149 Publicum 1st. floor: Pauline Norris

Title: From research to policy change: a randomised controlled trial of prescription medicine copayments in New Zealand

Absctract:

Early in 2023 the results of our randomised controlled trial of prescription copayments were published in BMC Health Services Research. We found that exempting people from copayments led to fewer hospitalisations. In May, informed by our study, the New Zealand government decided to eliminate prescription copayments for everyone in New Zealand. I will talk about the background to our study, give a short description of the study itself, and then discuss factors that led to its impact on policy.

Zoom: https://utu.zoom.us/my/bahamondeh

18^th of April 11-13, Lecture hall Pub5 Publicum 3rd floor: Kaisa Herne

NOTE! We have moved to “biring your own lunch” -system and registration is not needed anymore. The idea is to bring your own lunch and enjoy it together with colleagues (definitely better than just ‘ordinary’ lunch).  Welcome!

Also hybrid  in Zoom: https://utu.zoom.us/my/bahamondeh

Title of the speech: “Does the mode of deliberation influence opinion transformations and learning in a deliberative mini-public? An experimental comparison of online automated moderator, online human moderator and face-to-face citizen deliberations”

Abstract:

Does the mode of deliberation – face-to-face with human moderators, online with human moderators and online with automated moderating – influence opinion formation and learning in a deliberative mini-public? We study a mini-public called Citizens’ parliament which was organized according to the Deliberative poll® model. We expect that the mode of deliberation does not have significant effects on outcome variables because the main tenets of deliberative mini-publics (rules of discussion, briefing materials, hearing experts, moderated discussions) are held constant across the modes.

Participants (n=671) to the Citizens’ parliament were recruited through a random sample of the population (n=30000). Participants were randomly allocated into one of the three treatment conditions. In the Face-to-face condition, participants discussed face-to-face with human moderators (in Sokos Hotel Tripla, Helsinki). In Online human moderator, participants discussed in an online meeting (via Zoom) with human moderators. In Online automated moderator, participants discussed in an online platform with automated moderating.

All discussions took place in small groups of about ten people. The topics were based on four citizens’ initiatives, two of which were about drug use policies and two about fuel pricing and taxation. Apart from the meeting mode, the procedures were held constant. Participants received briefing materials and rules of discussion prior deliberations, and during deliberations they could pose questions to experts. Each participant completed four surveys, of which three were administered before deliberations (t1-t3) and one after (t4). Surveys included items on opinions on the discussed topics, democracy preferences, political trust and efficacy, affective polarization and political knowledge. A control group that fulfilled the same surveys was also formed. The aim of the control group was to measure potential public opinion changes during the time lag between pre and post surveys.

We hypothesize that: Participants’ opinions de-polarize and on average become more progressive (H1); Opinion changes are not different in the three modes of deliberation (H2); Participants’ issue knowledge increases in the course of deliberation (H3); Knowledge changes are not different in the three modes of deliberation (H4).

PAST EVENTS

January 18th at 11-13: Samuli Kangaslampi

Title of the speech: Psychedelic Research – Findings, Questions, Challenges

Abtract:

Psychedelics are back in science. They are being studied as psychiatric treatments, used as tools in neuroscientific and consciousness research, and the social and philosophical implications of their increasing use is actively. There is increasing media hype and entire psychedelic industries have even appeared.

In this talk, I briefly introduce the background to the current wave of research into psychedelics and then present some of my empirical and theoretical work related to psychedelic-induced mystical experiences, methodological issues in psychedelic research, and MDMA-assisted treatment of PTSD. I then describe some ideas and avenues for future research, and finally explore some of the practical, ethical, methodological, and philosophical questions and challenges involved in psychedelics as a rather unique and sometimes controversial research topic.

February 15th Publicum faculty meeting room KH149 first floor 11-13: Maija Jäske

Title of the speech: “How do the design features and the outcome affect public trust in an advisory mini-public: A survey experiment”

Abtract:

Deliberative mini-publics have become widely used and studied forms of citizen participation during the last few decades (OECD, 2020). They engage a randomly selected group of lay citizens in hearing experts, discussing in respectful environment and forming collective opinions to support decision-makers in politics and governance. Recent empirical studies have found that mini-publics can be trusted sources of information and instruments for policy-making among voters outside the deliberative forum as well (e.g. Knobloch et al. 2019; Suiter and Reidy 2020; Setälä et al. 2020). In this paper, we examine how information regarding the design features of an advisory mini-public and its policy recommendations affect the wider public’s legitimacy, especially trust, in the mini-public. Our population-based factorial survey experiment is based on an actual mini-public, organized in Finland in Spring 2021. Commissioned by the Ministry of the Environment, the purpose of the Citizens’ Jury was to provide input to the preparation of the national Medium-Term Climate Change Policy Plan.

March 7th Publicum faculty meeting room KH149 first floor 11-13: Oskari Lahtinen

Title: Mindfulness – overhyped superpower?

Abstract

The replication crisis in psychology has not left mindfulness research untouched. Contrary to how it’s been advertised, mindfulness may not cure your psoriasis or treat your high blood pressure. However, short 8 week courses still appear to offer reductions in anxiety, depression, stress, and experiencing pain. Currently mindfulness instruction is typically delivered via a meditation app, which are used by hundreds of millions of people. Evidence indicates the apps offer similar benefits to face-to-face programs. This lecture looks at what mindfulness is, how it has been defined, how one practices it, what may be its clinical application, and what effects it has. The topic is approached via my own digital mindfulness intervention Tita.

NEXT SESSIONS:

• Special session: Wednesday 6th of November, 11.15-12.30, Publicum, first floor KH149: Roope Grönroos &  Moona Heiskari

Roope Grönroos: Social comparison and belonging on social media

Along with the possibility for creating meaningful social connections and enhancing well-being, social media usage has brought equally impressive litany of grievances and negative consequences into our daily lives. One of the chief sources of concern is social comparison. We tend to compare our abilities and characteristics against better performing and superior people, a tendency likely accelerated by positively skewed online self-presentation and an abundance of comparison material on endless social media feeds. This upward ability comparison usually decreases our mental health, subjective well-being, body image, and self-esteem. But why do these social comparisons have such a drastic effect on us at all? Why are we willingly engaging in harmful social comparisons in an environment over which we have a considerable control?

Rather than approaching these questions from an individual dysfunction point of view, I argue that social comparisons serve a social belonging function. More specifically, in my view, social comparisons are used to monitor the status of individual’s social belonging through the perception of social norms and standards and whether the individual is able to live up to them. After all, social belonging has a distinct group level. We are not only concerned whether we have an adequate number of high-quality interpersonal relationships, but whether we are able to achieve social and cultural standards, which are set by social groups. If groups can harm us by making us feel excluded, they can make us feel better by creating a sense “us”. In line with The Social Cure approach to health and well-being, this presentation will offer empirical results on the online social groups’ role in mitigating harmful social comparison.

Moona Heiskari: Digital wellbeing: A longitudinal study on the social psychological role of new technologies in everyday life

New technologies are rising and transforming our everyday lives, including how we manage daily tasks, gain information and connect with others. Technologies like AI-driven applications and smart technologies are becoming increasingly capable and independent. Thus, human-technology interaction is intensifying as people are sharing agency with technologies and relying on them. The role of new technologies in everyday life is a critical and current research topic in the field of digital wellbeing. What kind of harms and benefits new technologies have and how are these harms and benefits divided between people?

In my presentation, I will introduce my doctoral research that focuses on the relationship between AI-driven applications and other smart technologies in everyday use and technology related basic psychological needs. According to self-determination theory, the satisfaction of autonomy, competence and relatedness needs is influenced by the social environment, a factor that technology research has only limitedly acknowledged. Therefore, I investigate how social psychological factors, such as technological social identity and self-efficacy, support or hinder psychological needs satisfaction in the context of AI-driven applications and smart technologies. I utilize longitudinal cross-country survey data and Finnish follow-up data. Analyzing changes over time both within individuals and between people, as well as cultural differences, my research seeks to broaden the understanding of digital wellbeing and the social psychological context that shapes the perceived harms and benefits of new technologies.

• Wednesday 4th of December, 11.00-12.00, Publicum, first floor KH149: Florencia Olivares Gonzalez

The sessions will also be on-line in Zoom: https://utu.zoom.us/my/bahamondeh

PAST SESSIONS AUTUMN 2024:

• Wednesday 4th of September, 11.00-12.00, Publicum, first floor KH149: Neşe Saruhan

Title of the speech: Let my brain work as it does for us : Sustainable societies should provide equal opportunity for neurodiverse workforce

• Wednesday 2nd of October, 11.00-12.00, Publicum, first floor KH149: Francesco Pompedda

Title of the speech: Training in Investigative Interviews of children. Where were we, and where are we heading?

Abstract:

Training in investigative interviews of children is a long-established topic, however, while we have gained significant insights, much remains to be discovered. In recent years, a new approach has emerged: Using serious gaming instead than traditional training methods. This shift aims to address an important question: How can we make training both time and cost-effective.

In this presentation for the Brown Bag series, I will provide an overview of the work around training in Investigative interviews of children, with a particular focus on the application of avatar-based simulations and response algorithms, a field in which I have been working for the past 10 years. We conducted a series of experiments to test the efficacy of the simulation in different contexts and countries. There will also be an opportunity to discuss the methodologies and technologies we employed. Part of this pioneering work has been included in a recent white paper published by the European Association of Psychology and Law (EAPL). I will conclude the presentation by addressing challenges and potential avenues for further exploration.

Next Workshop Tracks will be organized in January 2025. Please contact vemapa@utu.fi if you would like to join the events.

Autumn 2024 events below.

Part I: Research designs and practices

Part I: Research designs and fielding the studies

• Tuesday 27th of August
  Anniina Kaittila: A financial social work intervention for families with complex financial difficulties – A randomised controlled trial
• Wednesday 11th of September
  Fiia Takio and the FinnBrain Group: How the trajectories/profiles of socio-emotional abilities, language, and self-regulation development from infancy to school age (until the age of 9 years) are related to psychological functioning, motivation, self-efficacy and learning  outcomes at 5th grade.
  

Are you starting a new project involving experimental or intervention methodologies? Do you need guidance on refining your experimental research design? Or perhaps you are facing practical challenges related to experimental or intervention data collection or analyses?

INVESThub Workshop Tracks have been established to help researchers improve their studies, especially in the early stages. In our meetings, we brainstorm together on the group’s study plans and research designs, aiming to make them successful while avoiding potential pitfalls. Additionally, we invite external experts to comment on the presentations to ensure the discussions are beneficial. We also offer a follow-up meeting after the field process has ended to summarize how the process realised. This way, we can all learn from each other and enhance research activity based on social experimental and intervention methodology. The meetings also provide a great forum for potential new collaborations. Groups that have already participated in this activity have found it very useful and supportive.

Please contact vemapa@utu.fi if you are interested to propose your study and join our Workshop Tracks, organized in January 2025

INVESThub will take part in the INVEST Conference: Uncertainty and Resilience in Changing Soscieties, 14–16 May 2025 Turku, Finland

More information will follow soon!