Hand-washing may help cleanse conscience as well
BEHAVIOR
By washing their hands, people might absolve themselves of their misdeeds -- if only in their minds. This is the finding of researchers from the University of Toronto and Northwestern University who explored what they call the ``Macbeth effect," a threat to one's moral purity that incites the urge to cleanse oneself. In three studies, participants who thought about unethical acts were more likely to behave in ways that indicated they felt unclean. In one study, subjects recalling an unethical deed from their past were more likely than subjects recalling an ethical one to convert word fragments, such as W_ _ H and S _ _ P, into cleansing-related words (wash and soap). In another study, participants remembering an unethical act were more likely to request an antiseptic wipe over a pencil as a free gift. A sense of uncleanliness did not necessarily translate to more virtuous behavior, however: In a fourth experiment, subjects who cleansed their hands after describing an unethical deed were less likely to help a graduate student looking for research volunteers than subjects who did not clean their hands.
BOTTOM LINE: Moral impurity does seem to be mentally linked to physical impurity, and the act of washing one's hands seemed to ``wash away moral feelings," said Chen-Bo Zhong, coauthor of the studies and a behavioral scientist at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management.
CAUTIONS: As the authors acknowledge, there are ``limits to the absolution afforded by a bar of soap." Indeed, 41 percent of the subjects who cleansed their hands did volunteer to help the graduate student. It is also unknown how subjects would have responded were they given the chance to help someone they had acted unethically toward.
WHAT'S NEXT: Zhong and coauthor Katie Liljenquist are investigating the link between ethical behavior and cleanliness of one's surroundings, building on previous studies of environmental appearance and personal behavior (such as research into the ``Broken Windows" theory of crime fighting).
WHERE TO FIND IT: Science, Sept. 8.
AMI ALBERNAZ
PATIENT CARE
New doctors lack training in use of language interpreters
Doctor's visits can be intimidating, especially for patients with limited English. Though research has shown that patients provided with professional interpreters are more likely to seek care and follow doctors' orders, many doctors lack the training to provide such assistance, according to a new study from Harvard Medical School. The researchers surveyed 2,047 medical residents nationwide and found that more than half had little or no training in recognizing patients with limited knowledge of English or the patients' legal right to professional interpreters. Many residents rely on patients' family members or friends and other hospital employees as interpreters, and 22 percent use children. The use of children is particularly alarming because it can put children in awkward situations and at risk of misinterpreting or concealing information from the doctor, said senior author Joel Weissman. The study found that residents with more training were almost twice as likely to use professional interpreters. ``If you don't speak English, don't settle for using family members or other untrained interpreters that can compromise your quality of care," said Weissman.
BOTTOM LINE: Medical residents need more training in the use of professional interpreters to improve quality of healthcare for non-English speakers.
CAUTIONS: This study relied on survey data rather than direct observation of residents and their use of interpreters, so the results may be imprecise.
WHAT'S NEXT: The researchers are developing ways for hospitals to improve the way they collect language information from patients so they can identify and resolve language-related issues.
WHERE TO FIND IT: Journal of the American Medical Association, Sept. 6
ELIZABETH DOUGHERTY 
