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This study reviews literature on racially equitable admissions practices relevant to graduate programs in STEM. Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores correlate more strongly with race, gender, and socioeconomic status than performance metrics for research during or after graduate school. Structural changes to admissions processes that can improve equity of admissions decisions and reduce correlations between admissions decisions and demographic data include using holistic review or composite scores that quantize more components of an application, removing hard limits on course requirements, admitting students as a cohort instead of to individual faculty sponsors, and diversifying admissions committees. Some alternative scoring methods attempt to measure personality traits, but performing these measurements during admissions may present difficulties. Bridge programs--whether they are implemented as collaborations with a minority-serving institution, a personalized educational program for each student admitted to a program, or a stand-alone program before the doctoral degree program--may be able to improve both recruitment and retention of students with underrepresented racial and ethnic identities in their field of study. Finally, financial barriers to applications can disproportionately affect underrepresented applicants due to systemic racism. We end with recommendations for graduate programs to improve equity in admissions processes.

Wearing face masks to prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses such as COVID-19 has the potential to impact social perception. In the present research, we explore differential consequences of wearing face masks for evaluations of Asian and Black faces. Drawing on theories of prejudice and differing stereotype content for Asian and Black people in the United States, we hypothesized that being depicted wearing a face mask would mitigate evaluations of threat more for Asian faces than for Black faces. Results of a 2 (mask status: face mask vs. no mask) × 3 (face race: Asian vs. Black vs. White) within-subjects design (n = 365) generally supported hypotheses. Additional analyses using normed ratings of face stimuli from the Chicago Face Database showed that Asian faces showed the greatest increase in threat evaluations compared to norming data. These results highlight the unique impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and related preventative health behavior on prejudice towards members of different racial groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Increasing buprenorphine prescribing for opioid use disorder (OUD) has been a major focus of U.S. opioid response efforts. However, concerns related to dispensing buprenorphine have been identified among pharmacists. Objectives: This study aimed to describe perceptions, policies, and practices reported by community-based pharmacists in relation to dispensing buprenorphine for OUD and to compare these responses by practice setting. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was administered to a random sample of 6376 pharmacists. Responses were collected anonymously from October 16, 2021, to November 7, 2021. Results: A response rate of 5.1% was achieved with 325 responders, and 281 were eligible to complete the survey. Most reported practicing in a chain (50.9%) or independent pharmacy (34.7%) as a staff pharmacist (39.7%) or pharmacist-in-charge (37.0%). Most (68.1%) indicated they could usually or always fill a buprenorphine prescription promptly. The most common pharmacy policies related to buprenorphine dispensing were checking the prescription drug monitoring program (71.3%), validating the prescriber’s X-waiver (44.9%), accepting only local prescribers (37.4%), and prohibiting refills more than one day early (35.8%). Policies limiting buprenorphine access to local prescribers, local patients, and established patients varied by practice setting and were most common in independent pharmacies. The strongest barriers to buprenorphine dispensing were insurance prior authorization, difficulty reaching prescribers with questions, and concerns about buprenorphine diversion. The strongest facilitators of buprenorphine dispensing were increased communication with prescribers, increased trust with prescribers, increased trust with patients, and increased education for pharmacists. Conclusion: Most respondents indicated they were willing and able to dispense buprenorphine products for OUD promptly. However, they also reported discomfort dispensing when factors representingpotential riskof diversionare present.Mitigating thishypersensitivity to diversionrisk among pharmacists should be a focus of regulatory agencies and professional organizations. Efforts to address the unique concerns of independent pharmacistswill also be essential to improve access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current research examines factors that facilitate or undermine goal pursuit. Past research indicates that attempts to reduce self-uncertainty can result in increased goal motivation. We explore a critical boundary condition of this effect-the presence of alternative goals. Though self-regulatory processes usually keep interest in alternative goals in check, uncertainty reduction may undermine these self-regulatory efforts by (a) reducing conflict monitoring and (b) increasing valuation of alternative goals. As such, reminders of alternative goals will draw effort away from focal goals for self-uncertain (but not self-certain) participants. Across four studies and eight supplemental studies, using different focal goals (e.g., academic achievement, healthy eating) and alternative goals (e.g., social/emotional goals, attractiveness, indulgence), we found that alternative goal salience does not negatively influence goal-directed behavior among participants primed with self-certainty, but that reminders of alternative goals undermine goal pursuit among participants primed with self-uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous social categories are often seen as vulnerable to harm. In the context of firms causing harm to individuals, we seek to better explain when and why observers absolve firms of responsibility as opposed to holding them more accountable. We propose that when someone's identity is thought to make them vulnerable to harm, identity visibility (how observable the identity is) and frequency (how common the identity is) influence the perceived foreseeability of a harmful event and firm responsibility. Across five studies (total N = 2,101), we find that when visibility and frequency are low, perceptions of foreseeability decrease, in turn decreasing firm responsibility. We illustrate how visibility and frequency, and in turn foreseeability, can vary based on the characteristics of the individual being observed (e.g., the visibility or rarity of a health condition) or context (e.g., an otherwise visible identity may be invisible in an online service context). Foreseeability and firm responsibility increased when the harmed individual's rare health condition was reframed to communicate the firm's likelihood of interacting with any individual with the same health condition. Implications for consumer welfare, policy, and inclusivity are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).