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What Does ‘Middle Class’ Even Mean?
The Atlantic: If you had to place yourself in a socioeconomic class, where would you land? That’s a tricky and personal question for most Americans. Education, income, and even parental wealth can all factor into class status, but the borders of each group can still be hard to parse. That’s because socioeconomic class structure in the U.S. is a nebulous thing that can be as much about perception and comparison as it is about measurable metrics, like money. ... The shift is likely less about a downward economic trend than it is about feelings of runaway inequality.
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The Shaky Moral Compass of Silicon Valley
The New York Times: When I lived in Silicon Valley, I was struck by not just the region’s income disparity, but also by the lack of compassion that wealthy tech workers sometimes displayed toward the poor. I would overhear tech employees complain about the homeless in degrading ways — at coffee shops, bars and in parks. Sometimes their disgust spread online.
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New Research From Psychological Science
Read about the latest research published in Psychological Science: Is Playing Video Games Related to Cognitive Abilities? Nash Unsworth, Thomas S. Redick, Brittany D. McMillan, David Z. Hambrick, Michael J. Kane, and Randall W. Engle Although many recent studies have indicated that playing video games may enhance various cognitive abilities, other studies have failed to replicate these findings. The authors suggest that this discrepancy may be a result of methodological issues such as small sample sizes and extreme-groups designs. The authors reanalyzed two large sets of data on participants' video-game playing in relation to their performance on a variety of cognitive-ability assessments.
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Bringing Computational Modeling to Psychiatry
It can be challenging to understand the complex interactions and relationships that result in the development and maintenance of psychiatric problems; however, computational modeling -- the integration of mathematics, computers, and simulations to model complex systems -- provides a new tool to help describe clinical dysfunction. A special series in the May issue of Clinical Psychological Science, introduced by journal editor Alan Kazdin and special series guest editor Tiago V. Maia, brings together articles illustrating the diverse range of applications of computational modeling to psychiatry. Editor's Introduction to the Special Series: Computational Psychiatry Alan E.
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The Mystery of Loyalty, in Life and on ‘The Americans’
The Wall Street Journal: A few weeks ago, I gave a talk at the American Philosophical Association, in an excellent, serious symposium on human experience and rationality. The only problem was that my appearance meant missing the brilliant, addictive TV series “The Americans.” Thank heavens for on-demand cable—otherwise the temptation to skip the conference and catch up on the latest betrayals and deceptions might have been too much for me. Still, one practical benefit of a philosophical education is that it helps you to construct elaborate justifications for your favorite vices. So I’d argue that “The Americans” tackles the same philosophical questions I wrestled with in my talk.
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Baltimore Police Shooting That Wasn’t ‘Illustrates Malleable Nature Of Memories’
NPR: NPR's Robert Siegel speaks to Elizabeth Loftus, professor of psychology at the University of California, Irvine, about inventing memories. False reports Monday said a man was shot by Baltimore police. Yesterday in Baltimore, something didn't happen, despite convincing accounts that it did. The descriptions of a police shooting that wasn't were so persuasive as to make you wonder about perception, certainty and error. Fox News producer Mike Tobin told viewers he had seen it. Read the whole story: NPR
