Trusting autonomous vehicles as moral agents improves related policy support.

Compared to human-operated vehicles, autonomous vehicles (AVs) offer numerous potential benefits. However, public acceptance of AVs remains low. Using 4 studies, including 1 preregistered experiment (total N = 3,937), the present research examines the role of trust in AV adoption decisions. Using the Trust-Confidence-Cooperation model as a conceptual framework, we evaluate whether perceived integrity of technology-a previously underexplored dimension of trust that refers to perceptions of the moral agency of a given technology-influences AV policy support and adoption intent. We find that perceived technology integrity predicts adoption intent for AVs and that messages that increase perceived integrity of AV technology result in greater AV adoption intent and policy support. This knowledge can be used to guide communication efforts aimed at increasing public trust in AVs, and ultimately enhance integration of AVs into transport systems.

Thermostat wars? The roles of gender and thermal comfort negotiations in household energy use behavior.

Although advanced thermostat technologies offer energy efficiency potential, these devices alone do not guarantee savings. Household occupants often deviate from thermostat programs, perhaps due to differing thermal comfort preferences, which are strong drivers of residential energy use and vary across genders. This study aims to develop an initial typology of interpersonal interactions around thermal comfort, explore the role of gender in such interactions, and examine the impacts of interactions on thermostat adjustments. Using n = 1568 diary observations collected from 112 participants, we identify three interaction types: conflicts, compromises, and agreements. Fixed effects analyses find that women are marginally more likely to report engaging in conflicts, whereas men are significantly more likely to report engaging in agreements and compromises, both of which are associated with greater likelihood of adjusting thermostats within a given day. This work represents an early step in investigating the multiply determined nature of household energy decisions.

Unlocking the potential of smart grid technologies with behavioral science.

Smart grid systems aim to provide a more stable and adaptable electricity infrastructure, and to maximize energy efficiency. Grid-linked technologies vary widely in form and function, but generally share common potentials: to reduce energy consumption via efficiency and/or curtailment, to shift use to off-peak times of day, and to enable distributed storage and generation options. Although end users are central players in these systems, they are sometimes not central considerations in technology or program design, and in some cases, their motivations for participating in such systems are not fully appreciated. Behavioral science can be instrumental in engaging end-users and maximizing the impact of smart grid technologies. In this paper, we present emerging technologies made possible by a smart grid infrastructure, and for each we highlight ways in which behavioral science can be applied to enhance their impact on energy savings.

Empirically defined subtypes of alcohol dependence in an Irish family sample.

Alcohol dependence (AD) is clinically and etiologically heterogeneous. The goal of this study was to explore AD subtypes among a sample of 1221 participants in the Irish Affected Sib Pair Study of Alcohol Dependence, all of whom met DSM-IV criteria for AD. Variables used to identify the subtypes included major depressive disorder, antisocial personality disorder, illicit drug dependence (cannabis, sedatives, stimulants, cocaine, opioids, and hallucinogens), nicotine dependence, the personality traits of neuroticism and novelty seeking, and early alcohol use. Using latent class analysis, a 3-class solution was identified as the most parsimonious description of the data. Individuals in a Mild class were least likely to have comorbid psychopathology, whereas a severe class had highest probabilities of all comorbid psychopathology. The third class was characterized by high probabilities of major depression and higher neuroticism scores, but lower likelihood of other comorbid disorders than seen in the severe class. Overall, sibling pair resemblance for class was stronger within than between classes, and was greatest for siblings within the severe class, suggesting a stronger familial etiology for this class. These findings are consistent with the affective regulation and behavioral disinhibition subtypes of alcoholism, and are in line with prior work suggesting familial influences on subtype etiology.

Mood-related drinking motives mediate the familial association between major depression and alcohol dependence.

BACKGROUND: Major depression and alcohol dependence co-occur within individuals and families to a higher than expected degree. This study investigated whether mood-related drinking motives mediate the association between major depression and alcohol dependence, and what the genetic and environmental bases are for this relationship. METHODS: The sample included 5,181 individuals from the Virginia Adult Twin Study of Psychiatric and Substance Use Disorders, aged 30 and older. Participants completed a clinical interview which assessed lifetime major depression, alcohol dependence, and mood-related drinking motives. RESULTS: Mood-related drinking motives significantly explained the depression-alcohol dependence relationship at both the phenotypic and familial levels. Results from twin analyses indicated that for both males and females, the familial factors underlying mood-related drinking motives accounted for virtually all of the familial variance that overlaps between depression and alcohol dependence. CONCLUSIONS: The results are consistent with an indirect role for mood-related drinking motives in the etiology of depression and alcohol dependence, and suggest that mood-related drinking motives may be a useful index of vulnerability for these conditions.

Predictors of illicit substance dependence among individuals with alcohol dependence.

OBJECTIVE: Individuals with alcohol dependence (AD) are at increased risk for developing dependence on illicit and prescription drugs. The goal of this cross-sectional study was to identify factors associated with drug dependence among individuals with AD. METHOD: The sample consisted of 855 adults from the Irish Affected Sib Pair Study of Alcohol Dependence who were treated in inpatient or outpatient alcohol treatment programs and met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, criteria for lifetime AD. We studied predictors of dependence on six classes of drugs: cannabis, sedatives, stimulants, cocaine, opioids, and hallucinogens. Potential predictors examined included gender, age, education, and socioeconomic status; the personality traits of extraversion, neuroticism, and novelty seeking; conduct disorder, major depressive disorder, nicotine dependence, age at onset of alcohol use, early illicit drug use, and parental AD. RESULTS: Nicotine dependence, depression that began before substance use, and drug use before age 19 each increased the risk for dependence on several substance classes. Male gender, younger age, maternal AD, fewer years of education, higher neuroticism scores, conduct disorder, and early alcohol use each increased the risk of dependence on one or more substance classes. CONCLUSIONS: Among individuals in treatment for AD, cigarette smoking, early onset of major depression, and early drug use were associated with increased risk for drug dependence. These results suggest individuals with these risk factors may benefit from more intensive screening to prevent the onset of or to identify and treat drug dependence.

Facilitating youth self-change through school-based intervention.

Early interventions for youth with high rates of alcohol use have often suffered from lack of willing participation due to negative stereotypes about treatment and the impression that alcohol interventions are not developmentally relevant for adolescents. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a school-based voluntary secondary intervention for alcohol use (Project Options). 1254 high school students (55% girls; M age = 15.9, SD = 1.2) with a history of lifetime drinking completed survey measures after the first year of Project Options in 3 schools. These results suggest that the intervention was successful in recruiting high-frequency drinkers into the intervention as well as facilitating attempts to cut down or quit alcohol use in this group of adolescents. This study provides preliminary support for a consumer-based approach to alcohol intervention and design and use of voluntary secondary interventions in a school-based population.