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Write to be Read
Today many scientists struggle to get the public interested in psychological research. To help social psychologists reach larger audiences, In-Mind Magazine will organize a May 23 workshop, "Writing and Communicating with the General Public," in conjunction with the APS 25th Annual Convention in Washington, D.C. This workshop aims to support psychological scientists by offering a vital skill: the power to enchant a broad audience. How can you communicate important scientific findings to the media? Or, how do you turn your award-winning ideas into successful grant proposals?
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A New Look at Perception (Thank you, El Greco)
El Greco was one of the greatest artists of the Spanish Renaissance, and also one of its most idiosyncratic. His contemporaries were puzzled by his fantastic use of color, and even more so by his oddly distorted vision. Many of his figures—Saint John the Baptist and The Repentant Magdalen and even his own self-portrait—are unnaturally elongated, as if they are being stretched from toe to head. El Greco found a more appreciative reception among 20th century art historians, but the puzzle of his style persisted. Then, in the early 1900s, one expert came up with an explanation: The painter suffered from a severe astigmatism—a distortion of the eye—which “stretches” the world vertically.
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For frustrated bad boys, violent video games become more alluring
Los Angeles Times: Are people playing violent video games blowing off steam, or are they developing habits of violence that may play themselves out off-screen? In the wake of a wave of school shootings that have touched off debate about the roots of violence, those are more than academic questions. The second of those questions -- do video games promote violent behavior -- remains a matter of fierce debate. But a new study does offer some evidence to answer the first -- whether violent video games provide an outlet for negative feelings such as anger or frustration.
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Why a good deed sometimes leads to bad behavior
NBC: Doing a good deed can lead some people to more kind acts while spurring others to backslide. But how people respond depends on their moral outlook, according to a new study. People who believe the ends justify the means are likelier to offset good deeds with bad ones and vice versa. By contrast, those who believe right and wrong are defined by principle, not outcome, tend to be more consistent, even if they're behaving unethically. The findings were published Feb. 27 in the journal Psychological Science.
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How to Defuse a Hateful Slur
The Huffington Post: Well, now we have a psychological explanation for this counterintuitive phenomenon of self-labeling. Columbia University psychological scientist Adam Galinsky and his colleagues have come up with an elaborate model to illuminate self-disparagement -- its origins, intentions, and consequences. The scientists ran ten experiments to begin documenting this novel theory. It all has to do with power, and perceptions of power, in society. If social power is control over valuable resources, Galinsky argues, then self-labeling is the act of controlling words and their meaning.
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Does This Ad Make Me Fat?
The New York Times: OBESITY is a problem everywhere, with significant consequences for personal health and public spending. People weigh more than ever — but why? If we can find the causes of obesity, we can try to eliminate or counter them. Unfortunately, finding causes is easier said than done, and causes we think we see can turn out to be illusions. Consider a recent study in the journal BMC Public Health under the anodyne title “Outdoor advertising, obesity, and soda consumption: a cross-sectional study.” A team of researchers walked every street in 228 census tracts around Los Angeles and New Orleans and recorded every outdoor ad they saw.
