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Half a Century Later, Psychology Researchers Remember Kitty Genovese
Fifty years ago today, a young woman was killed walking home from work in a quiet neighborhood of Queens, New York. Over the span of an excruciating half hour, she cried out for help as her killer maimed and stabbed her. And though there were people around who heard her calls, no one came to her aid and the police weren’t notified until it was too late. This is the story of Kitty Genovese’s death, perhaps the most well-known parable in psychology to emerge in the last century.
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Work Engagement: Ironing Out the Details
Disaffected workers are so common in television and movies that they’ve become something of an archetype. Almost every show about working life includes at least one member of the team who would, quite frankly, rather be doing something else. The fact that audiences empathize — or identify — with these characters so much seems to suggest that disengagement is widespread. This problem hasn’t been lost on the business community — or on psychologists. The field of engagement study is still relatively new, but over the past decade, research on the topic has increased exponentially. In 2011, APS Fellow Arnold A. Bakker, Simon L. Albrecht, and Michael P.
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Gesturing With Hands Is a Powerful Tool for Children’s Math Learning
Children who use their hands to gesture during a math lesson gain a deep understanding of the problems they are taught, according to research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. Previous research has found that gestures can help children learn. This study in particular was designed to answer whether abstract gesture can support generalization beyond a particular problem and whether abstract gesture is a more effective teaching tool than concrete action.
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From Failing to Fortune
A technique called systematic reflection can promote learning from our failures, but also from our successes, too.
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Psychology Sneak Peek for Underrepresented Students
The Psychology Sneak Peek is a great opportunity for traditionally underrepresented students considering a PhD in psychology to attend a preview weekend at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. Participating students will have the opportunity to visit Northwestern’s Department of Psychology, interact with faculty member and graduate students, and meet peers interested in pursuing graduate education in psychology. This years sneak peek will take place Friday, June 6th and Saturday, June 7th. Applications are due April 14th at 5:00pm CT. To apply, please click here. Expenses Visit expenses, including travel, lodging, and meals, will be provided.
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Money and Morality: Lack of Resources May Lead to Harsher Moral Judgments
Material resources, specifically income, have a sustaining impact on our lives. They dictate fundamental aspects of life, like where we live, and more peripheral aspects, such as whether we can go to the office happy hour. But research reveals that material resources can also influence how we judge other people. The findings, published in Psychological Science, suggest that individuals with lower incomes are more likely to issue harsher judgments of harmful behavior, like lying or physically attacking someone. Global factors, like the economy, as well as individual factors, such as mood, influence this effect.
