Month: November 2014

Does reading Harry Potter encourage tolerance? It depends.

On By Beth Morling, University of DelawareIn Chapter 08; Bivariate Correlation Research, Chapter 12; Experiments with More Than One Independent Variable, Questions Only

Reading the Harry Potter books led to more tolerant attitudes, but only for certain readers. Photo: Magical Creature of Harry Potter Wikipedia / Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows / Courtesy of Warner Brothers Pictures © 2011 Author J.K. Rowling, creator of the Harry Potter series of books, has said, “the Potter books in general …

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Using Twitter posts to gauge the emotions of a community

On By Beth Morling, University of DelawareIn Chapter 08; Bivariate Correlation Research, Chapter 09; Multivariate Correlation Research, Correlational Studies, Multivariate Studies, Questions Only

Scientists used the words people used on twitter in different counties to measure the counties' emotional tone. © Christin Gilbert / AGE Fotostock       Researchers have used twitter posts to assess risks for cardiovascular disease in different communities. How did they do it?  Here's a summary of some of the methods, as summarized …

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