EXPERT Q&A ANN ARBOR—Gun violence claimed 46,728 lives in the United States last year—the third-highest number of firearm-related deaths ever recorded—including a record-high 27,300 suicides by using a gun. The data marks a significant escalation over the past decade, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sparking an urgent examination of contributing factors,… Continue reading Gun deaths reach alarming high, sparking debate over media’s role
Project: RCGD
PRBA Names Myles Durkee 2025 James S. Jackson Emerging Scholar
Myles Durkee, Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Michigan, has been named the next James S. Jackson Emerging Scholar by the Program for Research on Black Americans (PRBA) at the Institute for Social Research (ISR). Dr. Durkee is a PRBA affiliate whose research examines the dynamics of code-switching, cultural invalidations, and racial discrimination… Continue reading PRBA Names Myles Durkee 2025 James S. Jackson Emerging Scholar
Friends act as family surrogates for unmarried African Americans
ANN ARBOR—Friends play an essential role in everyone’s life, offering companionship and a safe space to share personal thoughts and feelings. A recent University of Michigan study reveals important information about the patterns and supportive functions of friendships among African Americans. One intriguing aspect is that separated, divorced, widowed and never-married individuals interacted with friends… Continue reading Friends act as family surrogates for unmarried African Americans
Nick Camp, on Trust in the Criminal Justice System
Racism and bias are often thought to stem from an individual’s personal prejudice against a certain group, but social psychologist Nick Camp notes that isn’t the way many inequities are perpetuated in the criminal justice system. In a new Social Science Bites podcast, interviewer David Edmonds interviews Camp on his research that investigates the relationships… Continue reading Nick Camp, on Trust in the Criminal Justice System
Body camera footage reveals benefits of police training
ANN ARBOR—Training police officers on effective communication through body-worn camera analysis can improve their interactions with community members, a new University of Michigan study suggests. In an analysis involving the Oakland (California) Police Department, officers who received procedural training expressed more reassurance, safety concerns and clearer justifications during traffic stops. The findings come as public concerns about… Continue reading Body camera footage reveals benefits of police training
Police body cams can measure effects of officer communication training
ANN ARBOR – A new study based on body-worn camera footage capturing police-community interactions in Oakland, Calif., provides empirical evidence that police officer trainings can improve their interactions with the communities they serve. Findings published today in PNAS Nexus showed that police officers communicated more respectfully with drivers during traffic stops after they were trained… Continue reading Police body cams can measure effects of officer communication training
Robert Sellers to Give James S. Jackson Distinguished Lecture
The National Center for Institutional Diversity (NCID) and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI) will recognize Dr. Robert Sellers, the Charles D. Moody Collegiate Professor of Psychology, as the 2023 recipient of the James S. Jackson Distinguished Career Award for Diversity Scholarship. A distinguished lecture, panel discussions, and a reception on Oct. 28 will… Continue reading Robert Sellers to Give James S. Jackson Distinguished Lecture
Remembering Shirley Hatchett, Shaper of the First National Survey of Black Americans
Shirley Jean Hatchett, a survey researcher whose work yielded new insights about Black American attitudes and the sociology of race, died August 9, at 77. An early faculty member at the Program for Research on Black Americans (PRBA) at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research, Dr. Hatchett made essential contributions to the program’s… Continue reading Remembering Shirley Hatchett, Shaper of the First National Survey of Black Americans
Article highlights three Indigenous approaches to youth suicide prevention
Contact: Jon Meerdink ([email protected]) ANN ARBOR — Suicide is commonly treated as a mental health issue, but Indigenous communities, specifically American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN), often approach the issue as a social problem — one associated with settler colonialism. Addressing the issue from that perspective is the focus of a recent paper, which examines… Continue reading Article highlights three Indigenous approaches to youth suicide prevention
Childhood poverty may have an effect on language processing in adults
Contact: Jon Meerdink ([email protected]) ANN ARBOR — Many factors influence human language development, and a new paper suggests childhood poverty could be among them. “Language processing following childhood poverty: Evidence for disrupted neural networks,” published this year in the journal Brain and Language, finds that childhood poverty appears to disrupt language processing neural networks in… Continue reading Childhood poverty may have an effect on language processing in adults