People believe claims of sexual harassment more when women are attractive

The coded stereotypicality of the drawing was a dependent variable in one of the studies. Photo: Courtesy of Dr. Jin Goh. Citation: Goh, J. X., Bandt-Law, B., Cheek, N. N., Sinclair, S., & Kaiser, C. R. (2021). Narrow prototypes and neglected victims: Understanding perceptions of sexual harassment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Advance online …

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Will an “awe walk” do wonders for your well-being?

The study asked all volunteers to go on a daily walk, but randomly assigned only some of them to seek out experiences of awe.  Credit: Studio Grand Web/Shutterstock A recent headline reads, "An 'awe walk' might do wonders for your well-being."  Here is the journalist's summary of an empirical journal article. The journalist starts by …

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Too sleepy to choose that major

These students might misattribute their early-morning fatigue to their interest in the subject. Photo credit: Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock Podcasts have been gaining in popularity in the last few years, and several feature psychological research. I'm going to be devoting my next few posts to some podcasts. We'll start with this very short, 3-minute episode/ interview from the …

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Lion attacks on cattle: A field experiment

Researchers painted eyes like these on some of the cattle in each herd. Credit: Cameron Radford Here's an example of a field experiment that took place in actual fields. The empirical article appeared in Nature Communications, and the authors of the research wrote their own summary for a popular audience in The Conversation. The quotes …

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Does “virtue signaling” change minds?

If a lot of us send virtue signals, it can communicate to others that norms are changing. Credit: SEEphotos7171/Shutterstock" Among people fighting for racial justice, "virtue signaling" may sometimes be derided as empty action. "Virtue signals" are public messages of support for a social justice cause. They could take the form of a yard sign, …

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Empathy and social justice

The more privilege people have, the less empathy they have for people lower in status. But that can change with increased perspective-taking. Photo credit: Clay Banks/Unsplash The spring of 2020 has seen sustained, worldwide, democratic protests, led by Black Lives Matter and demanding social justice and police reform in the U.S.  After this spring, American support …

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Teaching with 100 Humans

In 2020, Netflix released an 8-episode series called "100 Humans" in which 100 (American) humans from a variety of ages and social groups participate in a series of studies. It's a gold mine of examples for critical thinking in research methods. You'll find examples of posttest-only, pretest-posttest designs, HARKing, ethics, and more. Most of the …

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Evidence-based tips for well-being during a pandemic

Dr. Santos provides evidence-based ways to enhance well-being during this pandemic. Credit: Yale University How can people enhance their wellbeing during the Coronovirus pandemic?  Dr. Laurie Santos (pictured) has been meeting with several news outlets, sharing evidence-based tips from her psychology of well-being class at Yale University. A version of the course is also offered …

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Research on Native American mascots

The College of William and Mary has phased out its Indian-themed mascot over the years. In 2010, the College replaced its former mascot with "Griffin", above. Photo: Mitchell Layton/Getty Images Since 2005, the NCAA has required colleges and universities to reflect upon, and if necessary, change sports team mascots that feature depictions of Native-Americans.  Now …

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Fidget spinners seem to cause worse memory and attention

The fidget spinner IV was manipulated as independent groups in the first study and as within groups in the second. Photo: Marcel Jancovic/Shutterstock Fidget spinners were extremely popular a couple of years ago. When people promoted them, they often suggested that the toys could help people with ADHD focus and learn more. At the time, …

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