Professor Ian Donald Profile picture
Chartered Psychologist: Social & Environmental research; Behaviour and Anti-Microbial Resistance. Emeritus Professor, University of Liverpool. Typos all my own
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Feb 26, 2022 4 tweets 2 min read
It looks like #Putin's invasion of #Ukrania may well be the beginning of the end of Putin's regime. The more bloody the conflict he orders the quicker that will be. Strategically he clearly expected China's support. They (and India) effectively withdrew that last night in the UN It's probable he thought most of the world would be indifferent, but there are protests from Latin America, to Tokyo, Australia, and most of Europe.

Many people in Russia are also not accepting the regime's misinformation and are protesting, which is probably unexpected
Apr 16, 2020 8 tweets 2 min read
1. The idea that people will get bored with the restrictions and will stop following them if they go on has been expressed by Govt ministers, journalists, and the opposition. Keir Starmer said that without an exit strategy people will break the restrictions. . . 2. It's not clear what the evidence is for this. What we know of people's behaviour in emergencies suggest that they won't do that as long as they perceive restrictions as necessary. It's therefore important that the risk is not downplayed by politicians or media.
Apr 8, 2020 7 tweets 2 min read
1. Some realism on how long the current #coronavirus restrictions in the UK will be maintained would be helpful. There is surprise in some reports that they might not be relaxed after the 3 week review next week. They will not. They won't be after the next 3 week review either. 2. Let's consider some logic (which could be wrong). The numbers of infections and fatalities will reach a high level - a peak is misleading. Once it reaches that level numbers won't suddenly fall again. The peak will become a plateau. It might then, after time, gradually fall
Apr 3, 2020 6 tweets 2 min read
1. The action of #clapforNHS and others is important - it can help to keep our key workers healthy.
I read a tweet today saying that while nice, clapping in this way is pointless and doesn't achieve anything. That is wrong, for a number of reasons.
At a most basic level. . . 2. showing our appreciation for key workers and especially those treating #coronavirus patients can increase their morale. The difference that can make to them personally can be significant. We owe them that. But also it can impact on their enthusiasm; their motivation. . .
Apr 2, 2020 17 tweets 4 min read
1. The #coronavirus pandemic is a life-threatening emergency that shares a lot of similarities with other events, many of which become disasters. What we know about behaviour during those events can help us to understand what is happening during the pandemic and what should . . . 2. be happening.
The current emergency differs from many - though not all -in that it is happening relatively slowly, compared to a fire for example. A common characteristic of most emergencies is that they are uncommon and often ambiguous, especially early on. The rarity . . .
Mar 25, 2020 7 tweets 2 min read
1. Day 5 isolation, day 2 bi-solation, week 3 social distancing

Earlier I tweeted the end of a letter from my son's head teacher. A lot of people said they found it helpful, so I thought that it might be worth posting more - as stress relief - it's OK to be laid back, phew! 2. "You might be inclined to create a minute by minute timetable for your children. You have high hopes of hours of learning, including online activities, science experiments, and book reports. You’ll limit technology until everything is done! But here’s the thing..."
Mar 20, 2020 11 tweets 3 min read
1 The UK govt. strategy to managing the #coronavirus epidemic relies on getting two broad things right.

Those are the science of epidemiology and the biology; the other is the science of psychology and the behaviour.

They need to know what the infection rate is and predict... 2 what it will be in the future.

Once they know that they need to the know how to change behaviour so that it will reduce the infection to a manageable level, whatever that is, without unsustainable unintended damage to economy and people's normal health and wellbeing. . .
Mar 19, 2020 7 tweets 2 min read
1. I get the impression that the implementation of the Government's strategy is either ill thought out, or is in response to rather than driving how people are behaving - including the devolved governments action.

Frequently they say that details will become available. . . 2. for example, protecting the vulnerable. The idea and recommendation is made, but there seems no detail. They are still working on it.

The same with school closures. I know from headteachers that they have not been warned of the closure. . .
Mar 17, 2020 6 tweets 1 min read
1 The government restrictions are welcome, but will need to be made compulsory very soon. Yesterday a guy was interviewed outside a pub saying he'd keep going there. He isn't scared. It's not about not being scared or brave. Someone on a local network said . . . 2 . . .that yoga classes were going ahead as normal. This isn't about being brave, not being scared or carrying on as normal. While most people will be fine, some will not. Restrictions are about protecting those people. . .
Mar 13, 2020 17 tweets 4 min read
1. The govt strategy on #Coronavirus is more refined than those used in other countries and potentially very effective. But it is also riskier and based on a number of assumptions. They need to be correct, and the measures they introduce need to work when they are supposed to. 2. This all assumes I'm correct in what I think the govt are doing and why. I could be wrong - and wouldn't be surprised. But it looks to me like. . .