232 posts · 112,195 views
peer-reviewed by my neurons
232 posts
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- June 18, 2013
- 01:01 AM
- 44 views
The Hazards of Debating Race and Inequality
by Eric Horowitz in peer-reviewed by my neurons
Imagine there is a certain advantaged group of people that supports a policy that harms a disadvantaged group, and you believe there are hints of racial or ethnic bias underlying their position. Even if the advantaged group doesn’t literally believe that the disadvantaged group is less deserving, it’s impossible to view their insensitivity to the [...]... Read more »
Saguy, T., Chernyak-Hai, L., Andrighetto, L., & Bryson, J. (2013) When the powerful feels wronged: The legitimization effects of advantaged group members' sense of being accused for harboring racial or ethnic biases. European Journal of Social Psychology. DOI: 10.1002/ejsp.1948
Rasinski, H., Geers, A., & Czopp, A. (2013) "I Guess What He Said Wasn't That Bad": Dissonance in Nonconfronting Targets of Prejudice. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. DOI: 10.1177/0146167213484769
- June 16, 2013
- 12:15 PM
- 52 views
People Think Secret Information Is Better Information
by Eric Horowitz in peer-reviewed by my neurons
The recent disclosures about the extent of the NSA’s domestic spying program add to a long history of incidents in which the American public has gained access to information that was once secret. And that’s great. People should have information about what their government is doing. But it’s worth considering whether people are able to [...]... Read more »
Travers, M., Van Boven, L., & Judd, C. (2013) The Secrecy Heuristic: Inferring Quality from Secrecy in Foreign Policy Contexts. Political Psychology. DOI: 10.1111/pops.12042
- June 10, 2013
- 11:52 PM
- 49 views
What Makes Being Persistent So Frustrating?
by Eric Horowitz in peer-reviewed by my neurons
Farhad Manjoo has a fun story about how people engage (or disengage) with online articles. In short, a lot of people don’t read much of the article, and even those who share a link often haven’t read the whole thing. Manjoo concludes that in the face of competing alternatives it’s too easy to lose interest. With ebooks [...]... Read more »
Kurzban, R., Duckworth, A., Kable, J.W., & Myers, J. (2012) An opportunity cost model of subjective effort and task performance. Behavioral and Brain Sciences. info:/
- June 4, 2013
- 08:20 AM
- 67 views
Here’s Why Incorrecly linking Race and Intelligence Is Worse Than You Think
by Eric Horowitz in peer-reviewed by my neurons
When the Heritage Foundation published its controversial anti-immigration policy paper last month people from all corners of the internet swiftly banded together to debunk the paper’s claims about Hispanics having lower intelligence. Zack Beauchamp had the definitive takedown of co-author Jason Richwine’s Harvard dissertation, which laid out many of the Heritage paper’s arguments in more detail, but [...]... Read more »
Johnson, I., & Fujita, K. (2012) Change We Can Believe In: Using Perceptions of Changeability to Promote System-Change Motives Over System-Justification Motives in Information Search. Psychological Science, 23(2), 133-140. DOI: 10.1177/0956797611423670
Laurin, K., Gaucher, D., & Kay, A. (2013) Stability and the justification of social inequality. European Journal of Social Psychology. DOI: 10.1002/ejsp.1949
- May 28, 2013
- 08:06 AM
- 61 views
The Trouble With Politicians Who Always Talk About Values
by Eric Horowitz in peer-reviewed by my neurons
Last spring Paul Ryan spoke about the latest version of his budget, promising it “offers a better path, consistent with the timeless principles of our nation’s founding and, frankly, consistent with how I understand my Catholic faith.” According to Ryan, “We put our trust in people, not in government.” There was nothing new or surprising [...]... Read more »
Kouzakova, M., Harinck, F., Ellemers, N., & Scheepers, D. (2013) At the Heart of a Conflict: Cardiovascular and Self-Regulation Responses to Value Versus Resource Conflicts. Social Psychological and Personality Science. DOI: 10.1177/1948550613486673
- May 23, 2013
- 01:48 AM
- 48 views
What if 501(c)4 Organizations Had to Disclose Their Donors?
by Eric Horowitz in peer-reviewed by my neurons
The IRS kerfuffle has increased interest in the tax code by about 5700%, and one outcome is that people are starting to put the various exemption groups under a microscope. Dylan Matthews has thoughtful piece on 501(c)4 organizations, the groups at the center of the scandal. Matthews thinks the real issue is disclosure, and it’s [...]... Read more »
Dowling, C., & Wichowsky, A. (2013) Does It Matter Who's Behind the Curtain? Anonymity in Political Advertising and the Effects of Campaign Finance Disclosure. American Politics Research. DOI: 10.1177/1532673X13480828
- May 21, 2013
- 01:33 AM
- 62 views
How Your Social Status Influences the Way You’re Judged
by Eric Horowitz in peer-reviewed by my neurons
One of the palpable weaknesses in the American justice system is the tendency for it to produce different outcomes for people from different social classes. Part of this is a result of discrepancies in the quality of legal representation people can afford, but part of it is also due to inconsistencies in the way morally questionable activities [...]... Read more »
Polman, E., Pettit, N., & Wiesenfeld, B. (2013) Effects of wrongdoer status on moral licensing. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 49(4), 614-623. DOI: 10.1016/j.jesp.2013.03.012
- May 16, 2013
- 02:12 AM
- 68 views
We’re All Just Looking For a Patsy
by Eric Horowitz in peer-reviewed by my neurons
If often seems as though policy-making has devolved into nothing more than a contest where the goal is to blame as many people as possible (but not yourself) for the country’s problems. Fossil fuel companies blame environmental regulations for economic stagnation and high energy prices. Neocons blame civil libertarians for national security weaknesses. And of [...]... Read more »
Rothschild, Z., Landau, M., Molina, L., Branscombe, N., & Sullivan, D. (2013) Displacing Blame over the Ingroup’s Harming of a Disadvantaged Group can Fuel Moral Outrage at a Third-Party Scapegoat. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. DOI: 10.1016/j.jesp.2013.05.005
- May 14, 2013
- 01:49 AM
- 74 views
Teacher Expectations Have a Stronger Impact On Low-Income Students
by Eric Horowitz in peer-reviewed by my neurons
In their 1968 book Pygmalion in the Classroom, Robert Rosenthal and Lenore Jacobson presented their groundbreaking research that showed teacher expectations are self-fulfilling prophecies. If two students start the school year at the same achievement level, the student the teacher is told is a high achiever will make more gains than the student the teacher believes is [...]... Read more »
Sorhagen, N. (2013) Early teacher expectations disproportionately affect poor children's high school performance. Journal of Educational Psychology, 105(2), 465-477. DOI: 10.1037/a0031754
- May 5, 2013
- 01:42 PM
- 91 views
How Does Political Ideology Influence Views On Accountability?
by Eric Horowitz in peer-reviewed by my neurons
Accountability is all the rage these days, whether it’s with regard to schools, hospitals, government agencies, or the local Geico car insurance branch. But not all accountability is the same, and a thought-provoking new study led by Penn’s Philip Tetlock examines how political ideology and trust can influence support for various accountability systems. The study [...]... Read more »
Tetlock, P., Vieider, F., Patil, S., & Grant, A. (2013) Accountability and ideology: When left looks right and right looks left. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 122(1), 22-35. DOI: 10.1016/j.obhdp.2013.03.007
- April 29, 2013
- 01:51 AM
- 80 views
School Choice Is Associated With More Student Engagement
by Eric Horowitz in peer-reviewed by my neurons
One thing I harp on a fair amount is that it’s a shame the concept of school choice has been bound to divisive rhetoric about competition and free markets. Every student is different, and therefore the presence of more choices always makes it more likely that a student will find a school that meshes with [...]... Read more »
Vaughn, M., & Witko, C. (2013) Does the amount of school choice matter for student engagement?. The Social Science Journal, 50(1), 23-33. DOI: 10.1016/j.soscij.2012.07.004
- April 25, 2013
- 12:11 AM
- 146 views
How Knowledge Can Make You Stupid
by Eric Horowitz in peer-reviewed by my neurons
The human ability to infer what other people are thinking is a big reason we’re able to understand and cooperate with others. Along with the ability to take pictures of our food, it’s what separates us from lesser primates. But we’re not born with this ability. Experiments involving what’s called the “change-of-location” or “false-belief” task show [...]... Read more »
Sommerville, J., Bernstein, D., & Meltzoff, A. (2013) Measuring Beliefs in Centimeters: Private Knowledge Biases Preschoolers' and Adults' Representation of Others' Beliefs. Child Development. DOI: 10.1111/cdev.12110
- April 21, 2013
- 11:19 AM
- 111 views
Heroism Is Our Default Setting
by Eric Horowitz in peer-reviewed by my neurons
One of the oft-cited takeaways from the past week is that people are basically awesome. In the midst of unpredictable danger and tragedy, residents (and guests) of the Boston area didn’t hesitate to help their fellow citizens. But what’s troubling about these realizations of human goodness is that they suggest an a priori doubt about [...]... Read more »
Fischer, P., Krueger, J., Greitemeyer, T., Vogrincic, C., Kastenmüller, A., Frey, D., Heene, M., Wicher, M., & Kainbacher, M. (2011) The bystander-effect: A meta-analytic review on bystander intervention in dangerous and non-dangerous emergencies. Psychological Bulletin, 137(4), 517-537. DOI: 10.1037/a0023304
Greitemeyer, T., & Mügge, D. (2013) Rational bystanders. British Journal of Social Psychology. DOI: 10.1111/bjso.12036
- April 19, 2013
- 12:23 AM
- 109 views
Was the Push For an Assault Weapons Ban a Bad Idea? Digging into the “Door In the Face” Technique
by Eric Horowitz in peer-reviewed by my neurons
The Senate’s sad failure to pass any kind of gun control legislation has led to the rehashing of what can now be deemed failed political tactics. Much of the focus has been on the decision of gun control advocates to initially pursue an assault weapons ban: Congressional consideration was also delayed by gun control proponents’ [...]... Read more »
Cialdini, R., & et al, . (1975) Reciprocal concessions procedure for inducing compliance: The door-in-the-face technique. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 31(2), 206-215. DOI: 10.1037/h0076284
Feeley, T., Anker, A., & Aloe, A. (2012) The Door-in-the-Face Persuasive Message Strategy: A Meta-Analysis of the First 35 Years. Communication Monographs, 79(3), 316-343. DOI: 10.1080/03637751.2012.697631
- April 17, 2013
- 12:45 AM
- 113 views
Why You Should Always Confront Prejudice
by Eric Horowitz in peer-reviewed by my neurons
What goes through your mind when somebody makes a racist or sexist remark? Perhaps you feel a strong desire to expose their morally bankrupt worldview through an artful recitation of contemporary philosophy and social science research. Perhaps the potential awkwardness of scolding an acquaintance leads you to avoid confrontation. Whatever you’ve done in the past, [...]... Read more »
Rasinski, H., Geers, A., & Czopp, A. (2013) "I Guess What He Said Wasn't That Bad": Dissonance in Nonconfronting Targets of Prejudice. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. DOI: 10.1177/0146167213484769
- April 14, 2013
- 03:11 PM
- 106 views
How Pharmaceutical Ads Distort Healthcare Markets
by Eric Horowitz in peer-reviewed by my neurons
It probably doesn’t strike you as strange to see advertisements for prescription drugs. By now, everybody know that you should “talk to your doctor about Levitra” while “doing more with Lipitor” and getting “Claritin clear.” But if you think about it, it’s strange for an actor being paid by a pharmaceutical company to tell you [...]... Read more »
Lewin, B. (2013) Patient satisfaction with physician responses during interactions prompted by pharmaceutical advertisements. The Social Science Journal. DOI: 10.1016/j.soscij.2013.03.002
- April 11, 2013
- 09:20 AM
- 131 views
Bad Grades Lead to College Dropout Even When They Don’t Have To
by Eric Horowitz in peer-reviewed by my neurons
An important new working paper (NBER, pdf) from Todd and Ralph Stinebrickner helps pinpoint an overlooked cause of college dropout. They were interested in the non-financial reasons for dropout, particularly the role played by grades. The longitudinal survey data they collected was uniquely suited to this question because it came from Barea College, a small [...]... Read more »
Stinebrickner, T., & Stinebrickner, P. (2013) Academic Performance and College Dropout: Using Longitudinal Expectations Data to Estimate a Learning Model. NBER Working Papers. DOI: 10.3386/w18945
- April 8, 2013
- 01:44 AM
- 134 views
Insurance Is a Criminal’s Best Friend
by Eric Horowitz in peer-reviewed by my neurons
Most residents of developed Western nations assume their justice systems are relatively infallible. Going through life without constantly worrying about whether people are capable of upholding a certain standard of objectivity and fairness is easier than the alternative. But with human decisions come human biases, even in situations that demand objectivity. For example, crimes involving [...]... Read more »
van de Calseyde, P.P., Keren, G., & Zeelenberg, M. (2013) The insured victim effect: When and why compensating harm decreases punishment recommendations. Judgment and Decision Making. info:/
- April 1, 2013
- 12:51 AM
- 161 views
Loss Frames Are Sticky, And Other Keys to Fox News Success
by Eric Horowitz in peer-reviewed by my neurons
Words matter, particularly when it comes to the difference between framing something as a loss or as a gain. Tversky & Kahneman demonstrated the importance of this distinction with their famous experiment (pdf) in which participants are told a disease is likely to kill 600 people. Given a choice between a treatment that saves 200 people (gain frame) and [...]... Read more »
Ledgerwood, A., & Boydstun, A. (2013) Sticky Prospects: Loss Frames Are Cognitively Stickier Than Gain Frames. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. DOI: 10.1037/a0032310
- March 25, 2013
- 12:53 PM
- 158 views
Are Savings More Important Than Income For Poor College Students?
by Eric Horowitz in peer-reviewed by my neurons
Noah Smith has a good piece in the Atlantic about ways low-income families can save more money. Because the article focuses on solutions, Smith mostly pays lip service to the benefits of increased savings, but if you have any doubts, a new paper by Vernon Loke illustrates the crucial role that savings can play in a [...]... Read more »
Loke, V. (2013) Parental asset accumulation trajectories and children's college outcomes. Economics of Education Review, 124-133. DOI: 10.1016/j.econedurev.2012.12.002
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