ANN ARBOR – The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare how widely human reactions vary over the threat of germs. Where we fall on the spectrum of “germ aversion” impacts how we react to slobbery kisses or stains on a drinking cup, and this anxiety can be shaped by both evolution and culture. A new study has… Continue reading Avoiding germs in our daily lives could provide a false sense of security when real threats arise
News Tag: Social Psychology
RCGD’s Shinobu Kitayama and Robert Sellers Receive APS’s 2024 Lifetime Achievement Awards
ANN ARBOR — The Association for Psychological Science (APS) has awarded 2024 APS Lifetime Achievement Awards– the association’s highest honors– to 15 psychological scientists whose contributions have advanced understanding of topics ranging from how to alleviate human suffering to cultural differences and similarities in mental processes. Two of the awards went to University of Michigan Psychology… Continue reading RCGD’s Shinobu Kitayama and Robert Sellers Receive APS’s 2024 Lifetime Achievement Awards
Matthew Diemer: Teen activism is associated with higher achievement
Young people who challenge social injustice and are politically active show high life satisfaction and better academic performance, says a University of Michigan researcher. A new study by Matthew Diemer of U-M’s Marsal Family School of Education, along with Miriam Schwarzenthal of the University of Wuppertal and colleagues in Germany and the U.K., sheds new light on the importance… Continue reading Matthew Diemer: Teen activism is associated with higher achievement
Shinobu Kitayama Explains Cultural Psychology
The preeminent cultural psychologist Shinobu Kitayama had studied cognitive dissonance and attribution theory at Kyoto University, but when he arrived at the University of Michigan in 1982 he experienced cultural shocks that made him feel “something more profound might be going on in terms of culture and its influence on psychological processes.” Kitayama, an affiliate… Continue reading Shinobu Kitayama Explains Cultural Psychology
David Dunning on the Dunning-Kruger Effect
“The beauty and the terror of the internet,” social psychologist David Dunning tells interviewer David Edmonds in this Social Science Bites podcast, “is that there’s a lot of terrific information, but there’s also a lot of misinformation and sometimes outright fraud. People often don’t have the wherewithal to distinguish.” David Dunning, a professor of psychology at the… Continue reading David Dunning on the Dunning-Kruger Effect
Arthur Lupia to lead Bold Challenges initiative as executive director
Contact: Alex Piazza, [email protected] ANN ARBOR – Arthur Lupia, a political scientist whose federal service spans two U.S. presidential administrations, will become executive director of Bold Challenges, leading collaborative research efforts across the University of Michigan to address societal challenges that intersect equity, health, infrastructure and sustainability. His two-year appointment begins Sept. 1. Bold Challenges,… Continue reading Arthur Lupia to lead Bold Challenges initiative as executive director
Nearly half of US kids live in homes with criminal justice involvement
Contact: Morgan Sherburne, 734-647-1844, [email protected] ANN ARBOR—Four in 10 children in the United States grow up in households in which a parent or co-residing adult faced at least one criminal charge, were convicted of a felony or spent time in prison, a University of Michigan study shows. This dwarfs estimates from the Bureau of Justice… Continue reading Nearly half of US kids live in homes with criminal justice involvement
New U-M initiative invests $4.5 million in environmental, social justice research
Contact: Brittany Smith, 734-936-4903, [email protected] Jared Wadley, [email protected] ANN ARBOR—The College of Literature, Science, and the Arts at the University of Michigan continues its tradition of groundbreaking research with the investment of nearly $4.5 million in grant funding for four new innovative faculty research projects. The winning proposals address climate change, the carceral state, systemic… Continue reading New U-M initiative invests $4.5 million in environmental, social justice research
Privileges confirmed for straight white men working in STEM
Contact: Jared Wadley, 734-834-7719, [email protected] ANN ARBOR—A new study that considered multiple aspects including sexual identity and disabilities confirms a long-held belief: White, heterosexual men without disabilities are privileged in STEM careers. The University of Michigan study of 25,300 professionals in science, technology, engineering and math shows that this segment experiences better treatment and rewards… Continue reading Privileges confirmed for straight white men working in STEM
NIH Grant in Kenya to Enhance Understanding of Aging in Africa
ANN ARBOR – With support from Center for Global Health Equity, an international team of researchers has received a $338k grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to address major gaps in population-level data on aging in Kenya, one of Africa’s most populous nations. The NIH grant supports pilot work to lay groundwork for… Continue reading NIH Grant in Kenya to Enhance Understanding of Aging in Africa