Juror Psychology–Can juries ignore inadmissible evidence or pretrial publicity?
Answer: probably not. Superb chapter by Lieberman, Arndt, & Vess: “Inadmissible evidence and pretrial publicity: The effects (and ineffectiveness) of admonitions to disregard.” You “cannot unring the bell” as one judge put it. The last 30 years of social cognitive psychology, starting with the work of Tversky and Kahneman, up to the most recent work […]
Modern Times? Masturbation Discourse in 2011
Archives of Sexual Behavior is surely the most interesting professional journal. It catalogs sexual behavior is just about every species. A recent article on attitudes toward masturbation among young adults (college students) articulates issues and attitudes that reflect deeply on our social fabric and mores: Kaestle, CE, & Allen, KE (2010), The Role of Masturbation in […]
17,000 Helens agree — Bad Parents are Bad News
But seriously, check out http://www.cdc.gov/ace/index.htm. The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study is one of the largest investigations ever conducted to assess associations between childhood maltreatment and later-life health and well-being. The study is a collaboration between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Kaiser Permanente’s Health Appraisal Clinic in San Diego. More than 17,000 […]
Use it or lose it–adverse cognitive effects of early retirement?
Taking Early Retirement May Retire Memory, Too (excerpts from the NY Times, Online, October 11, 2010) The two economists call their paper “Mental Retirement,” and their argument has intrigued behavioral researchers. Data from the United States, England and 11 other European countries suggest that the earlier people retire, the more quickly their memories decline… Researchers […]