Social Science posts
- July 22, 2010
- 04:18 PM
- 818 views
The Media Noose: Copycat Suicides and Social Learning
by Wintz in A Replicated Typo
I always remember 2008 as the year when the entire UK media descended upon the former mining town of Bridgend. The reason: over the course of two years, 24 young people, most of whom were between the ages of 13 and 17, decided to commit suicide. At the time I . . . → Read More: The Media Noose: Copycat Suicides and Social Learning... Read more »
Mesoudi A. (2009) The cultural dynamics of copycat suicide. PloS one, 4(9). PMID: 19789643
- July 22, 2010
- 01:55 PM
- 833 views
Want to Play It Safe? Have a Cheeseburger
by David Berreby in Mind Matters
Sometimes it seems that everyone has abandoned the notion that rational self-interest drives people's decisions. It's high time for some answers to the next obvious question: If Reason doesn't rule the mental roost, then what does govern people's approach to buying, selling, voting, marrying, hiring and other choices? Last month, this study suggested that part of the answer is, simply, food. People who are hungry, it found, make different financial decisions than people who've recentl........ Read more »
Symmonds, M., Emmanuel, J., Drew, M., Batterham, R., & Dolan, R. (2010) Metabolic State Alters Economic Decision Making under Risk in Humans. PLoS ONE, 5(6). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0011090
- July 22, 2010
- 11:27 AM
- 377 views
Bargaining — and Anger — Across Cultures
by Alan Morantz in Leading Thoughts
It may disappoint you to read this but anger has a productive role in negotiations. Empirical studies (such as those by Sinaceur and Tiedens in 2006) have shown that expressing anger induces larger concessions when negotiating with another party. Angry negotiators are perceived to be tougher and to have higher “reservation prices” (higher standards for [...]Post from: LEADING THOUGHTSBargaining — and Anger — Across Cultures
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Hajo Adam, Aiwa Shirako, & William W. Maddux. (2010) Cultural Variance in the Interpersonal Effects of Anger in Negotiations. Psychological Science, 21(6), 882-889. info:/10.1177/0956797610370755
- July 22, 2010
- 08:33 AM
- 618 views
the psychological reality of truthiness?
by Chris in The Lousy Linguist
New research out of U. Chicago looked at the effect of foreign accents on trust. The brief Flash Report Why don't we believe non-native speakers? (PDF; full citation below) found that "People judged trivia statements such as “Ants don't sleep” as less true when spoken by a non-native than a native speaker." There's a cline of truthiness because the researchers did the following: "Participants listened to each statement and indicated its veracity on a 14 cm line, with one pole label........ Read more »
Lev-Ari, S., & Keysar, B. (2010) Why don't we believe non-native speakers? The influence of accent on credibility. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. DOI: 10.1016/j.jesp.2010.05.025
- July 21, 2010
- 04:47 PM
- 511 views
Boomer Forest
by Journal Watch Online in Journal Watch Online
Are today’s urban forests another legacy of the Baby Boom generation? A new study of vegetation cover in neighborhoods near Baltimore, Maryland suggests that the wealth and education levels of residents 50 years ago helps explain how many trees we see today. The finding could have implications for current efforts to conserve and restore urban […] Read More »... Read more »
Boone, C., Cadenasso, M., Grove, J., Schwarz, K., & Buckley, G. (2009) Landscape, vegetation characteristics, and group identity in an urban and suburban watershed: why the 60s matter. Urban Ecosystems, 13(3), 255-271. DOI: 10.1007/s11252-009-0118-7
- July 21, 2010
- 07:17 AM
- 632 views
Accepting what life throws at ya
by Adiemusfree in Healthskills: Skills for Healthy Living
I was looking to write about a new treatment, or something that is innovative, and you know, there isn’t a whole lot new out there in pain management land. If it wasn’t for Lorimer Moseley’s work on motor imagery and Lance McCracken’s work on acceptance, I think we’d be doing pretty much what I was … Read more... Read more »
McCracken, L., & Zhao-O’Brien, J. (2010) General psychological acceptance and chronic pain: There is more to accept than the pain itself. European Journal of Pain, 14(2), 170-175. DOI: 10.1016/j.ejpain.2009.03.004
- July 21, 2010
- 12:58 AM
- 1,219 views
Refugee children left behind as eagle lands on the moon
by Ingrid Piller in Language on the Move
Yesterday, the New York Times carried a heart-breaking story about an exceptional school principal forced from her position under No-Child-Left-Behind legislation in order for the school district to obtain federal funding. It’s an instructive tale about the standardized-assessment tail wagging … Continue reading →... Read more »
Ruairc, G. (2009) 'Dip, dip, sky blue, who's it? NOT YOU': children's experiences of standardised testing: a socio-cultural analysis. Irish Educational Studies, 28(1), 47-66. DOI: 10.1080/03323310802597325
- July 20, 2010
- 08:39 PM
- 475 views
The Wednesday Post - High School Biology FAIL
by James Byrne in Disease Prone
I found a story kicking around the blogosphere this week that’s really got me irritated. According to a new study a bunch of American HIGH SCHOOL BIOLOGY TEACHERS were surveyed and asked to indicate their personal beliefs regarding evolution and the origin of human beings. The results of the survey were then presented in a fancy graphic by another group (go check it out, its depressing but shiny), the only purpose of which seems to be to deaden the impact of the astounding results.... Read more »
Berkman MB, Pacheco JS, & Plutzer E. (2008) Evolution and creationism in America's classrooms: a national portrait. PLoS biology, 6(5). PMID: 18494560
- July 20, 2010
- 08:12 PM
- 751 views
Research: Farmers, prices, and shade coffee
by Julie Craves in Coffee & Conservation
Why shade coffee does not guarantee biodiversity conservation. 2010. Tejada-Cruz, C., E. Silva-Rivera, J. R. Barton, and W. J. Sutherland. Ecology and Society 15: [online] http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol15/iss1/art13/. The title of this paper should probably be "Does promoting shade coffee encourage forest...
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C. Tejada-Cruz, E. Silva-Rivera, J. R. Barton, & W. J. Sutherland. (2010) Why shade coffee does not guarantee biodiversity conservation. Ecology and Society, 15(1). info:/
- July 20, 2010
- 06:23 PM
- 1,419 views
Hail Marys on the Subway
by Krystal D'Costa in Anthropology in Practice
There is probably little that can happen on the NYC subway that would surprise commuters. My friend Wendy once saw Spiderman (his spidey-web thing must have not been working properly). What did she do? She took a picture, of course. As further proof of the unflappable nature of subway riders, let's take a look at this video:
(I'm a big fan of Improv Everywhere—their Ghostbusters mission is a
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Kiernan, J.P. (1977) Public Transport and Private Risk: Zionism and the Black Commuter in South Africa. Journal of Anthropological Research, 33(2), 214-226. info:/
- July 20, 2010
- 05:00 AM
- 795 views
A qualified success?
by David Winter in Careers - in Theory
Why do some people fail to do things that would enhance their employability, and what can we do about it?... Read more »
Greenbank, P. (2009) An examination of the role of values in working-class students' career decision-making. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 33(1), 33-44. DOI: 10.1080/03098770802638259
- July 20, 2010
- 01:53 AM
- 571 views
What do people really do about their back pain? An on-line survey reveals…
by Adiemusfree in Healthskills: Skills for Healthy Living
There are many studies describing the way treatment providers fail to follow clinical guidelines for managing acute low back pain – and because there are inconsistencies between various guidelines for chronic low back pain, it’s not surprising that people with back pain (whether acute or chronic) get a little confused about what to do. Of … Read more... Read more »
Wilk V, Palmer HD, Stosic RG, & McLachlan AJ. (2010) Evidence and practice in the self-management of low back pain: findings from an Australian internet-based survey. The Clinical journal of pain, 26(6), 533-40. PMID: 20551729
- July 20, 2010
- 01:53 AM
- 541 views
What do people really do about their back pain? An on-line survey reveals…
by Adiemusfree in Healthskills: Skills for Healthy Living
There are many studies describing the way treatment providers fail to follow clinical guidelines for managing acute low back pain – and because there are inconsistencies between various guidelines for chronic low back pain, it’s not surprising that people with back pain (whether acute or chronic) get a little confused about what to do. Of … Read more... Read more »
Wilk V, Palmer HD, Stosic RG, & McLachlan AJ. (2010) Evidence and practice in the self-management of low back pain: findings from an Australian internet-based survey. The Clinical journal of pain, 26(6), 533-40. PMID: 20551729
- July 20, 2010
- 01:53 AM
- 577 views
What do people really do about their back pain? An on-line survey reveals…
by Adiemusfree in Healthskills: Skills for Healthy Living
There are many studies describing the way treatment providers fail to follow clinical guidelines for managing acute low back pain – and because there are inconsistencies between various guidelines for chronic low back pain, it’s not surprising that people with back pain (whether acute or chronic) get a little confused about what to do. Of … Read more... Read more »
Wilk V, Palmer HD, Stosic RG, & McLachlan AJ. (2010) Evidence and practice in the self-management of low back pain: findings from an Australian internet-based survey. The Clinical journal of pain, 26(6), 533-40. PMID: 20551729
- July 19, 2010
- 02:29 PM
- 379 views
Bigfoot
by Journal Watch Online in Journal Watch Online
Homo sapiens are dominating an increasing share of the mainland United States. Cities, towns, roads and other human land uses already shape about one-third of the landmass in the Lower 48 states, concludes a new analysis. By 2030, we could add a new “human footprint” the size of Indiana.
That forecast comes from a new […] Read More »... Read more »
Theobald, D. (2010) Estimating natural landscape changes from 1992 to 2030 in the conterminous US. Landscape Ecology, 25(7), 999-1011. DOI: 10.1007/s10980-010-9484-z
- July 19, 2010
- 07:05 AM
- 966 views
Sex after dawn: Marriage and natural selection
by Jeremy Yoder in Denim and Tweed
The book Sex at Dawn, by Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jethá, has had a lot of press in the last month—it first popped up on my radar with Eric Michael Johnson's review for SEED, and then it became unavoidable (for me, anyway) when Dan Savage devoted a whole column and podcast to it. The thesis of Sex at Dawn is that early humans were highly promiscuous, and that modern expectations of monogamy are probably not consistent with our biology. I haven't read the book yet, but the discussion surrou........ Read more »
Gillespie, D., Lahdenperä, M., Russell, A., & Lummaa, V. (2010) Pair-bonding modifies the age-specific intensities of natural selection on human female fecundity. The American Naturalist, 176(2), 159-69. DOI: 10.1086/653668
- July 19, 2010
- 02:43 AM
- 1,164 views
English-Only at Bon Secours
by Ingrid Piller in Language on the Move
From what I read, there is a nursing shortage in the Global North. From North America to Japan and from Europe to the Gulf countries, rich societies suffer from a “care deficit,” which they fill by importing – mostly female … Continue reading →... Read more »
Piller, Ingrid, & Takahashi, Kimie. (2011) At the intersection of gender, language and transnationalism. Nik Coupland. Ed. Handbook of Language and Globalisation. Malden, MA: Blackwell, 540-554. info:/
- July 19, 2010
- 12:00 AM
- 1,552 views
Scientific Ethics and the Myth of Stalin's Ape-Man Superwarriors
by Eric Michael Johnson in The Primate Diaries in Exile
Why the Soviets would fund a human-chimp hybridization program in the first place and what can be learned from this sordid tale of ethical misconduct is an important topic and fascinating in its own right. Ivanov represents a scientist, widely respected in his field, whose dedication to find out if something could be done blinded him to ask whether it should be done. It also reminds us of the role that politics can play in the development of scientific research even if the scientists directly in........ Read more »
Rossiianov, K. (2003) Beyond Species: Il’ya Ivanov and His Experiments on Cross-Breeding Humans with Anthropoid Apes. Science in Context, 15(02). DOI: 10.1017/S0269889702000455
RICHARDS, M. (2008) Artificial insemination and eugenics: celibate motherhood, eutelegenesis and germinal choice. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part C: Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, 211-221. DOI: 10.1016/j.shpsc.2008.03.005
- July 18, 2010
- 03:29 PM
- 607 views
Intuition and other failings in clinical reasoning
by Adiemusfree in Healthskills: Skills for Healthy Living
Einstein is accredited with saying “The important thing is not to stop questioning” while Euripedes apparently said “Question everything. Learn something. Answer nothing.” I’m sure of the origins of neither quote – but I think I must have inhaled both of them when I was a toddler because I have never stopped asking ‘why’! In … Read more... Read more »
Croskerry, P. (2002) Achieving Quality in Clinical Decision Making: Cognitive Strategies and Detection of Bias. Academic Emergency Medicine, 9(11), 1184-1204. DOI: 10.1197/aemj.9.11.1184
- July 18, 2010
- 02:50 PM
- 414 views
Developing Sustainable Ski Resorts in the United States Rocky Mountains
by Michael Long in Phased
Jordan Silberman and Peter Rees (University of Delaware, United States) find that the towns with the geographical characteristics of the typical ski resort in the United States Rocky Mountains face substantial infrastructure and environmental challenges, if they wish to reinvent their economies by venturing into ski tourism. This news feature was written on July 18, 2010.... Read more »
Silberman, J. A., & Rees, P. W. (2010) Reinventing mountain settlements: A GIS model for identifying possible ski towns in the U.S. Rocky Mountains. Applied Geography, 30(1), 36-49. DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2009.10.005
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