Negative perceptions of rap music and rappers threaten to sway juries in criminal trials.

In cases across the U.S., criminal investigators have been treating rap lyrics as confession evidence rather than as art or entertainment. The aspiring rappers’ lyrics – found on scraps of paper, in online rap videos, on Facebook posts and in other places – become courtroom evidence.

June 2017

Jennifer Sango, a Social Ecology undergraduate, has won the 2017 Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research. The award, given by the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, recognizes the research accomplishments of one student per school. Her Honor's advisor and research mentor is Susan Charles, professor of psychology and social behavior.

June 2017

John Hipp, professor of criminology, law and society, has won the 2017 Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Fostering Undergraduate Research. The award is a recognition of his outstanding work in mentoring undergraduate students engaged in research. Hipp is the director of the Metropolitan Futures Initiative.

June 2017

Former FBI Director James Comey started recording detailed memos of his interactions with President Donald Trump immediately after their first one-on-one meeting -- a fact that came up during his testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee June 8.

An FBI agent's contemporaneous notes are widely considered reliable evidence of conversations, but there is a downside to such a memory archiving method, says Elizabeth Loftus, distinguished professor of psychology and social behavior. Replaying events to write them down is a form of "rehearsal," or a way to better retain memories. While that rehearsing can help strengthen recollection of some details, it actually allows other non-rehearsed details to fade faster, a process known as retrieval-induced forgetting.

June 2017

Spending some time alone and away from you partner can be a good thing, says Jessica Borelli, an associate professor of psychology and social behavior. A day, a weekend or even a whole week can enrich the relationship, though too much time alone can allow a person to ruminate on negative thoughts.

June 2017

A record 234 million people are expected to fly this summer -- crammed into aluminum cylinders with uncomfortable seats and a host of strangers. The crowded conditions on commercial airplane flights contribute to stress that can lead to altercations and dysfunctional behavior, according to Dan Stokols, Chancellor's professor emeritus.

"People are like cattle being squished together, to get as many people on that plane," Stokols told the Washington Post. "And so tempers can flare. It’s a situation where people feel vulnerable."

June 2017

Different witnesses of a shooting at a bar in Appleton, Wisconsin remember the event differently -- a common problem, according to Elizabeth Loftus, a distinguished professor of social ecology.

"Anytime you have a group situation where something happens and you question witnesses about it, you end of up with lots of variation," Loftus told the USA Today Network in Wisconsin.

June 2017

Just two weeks after the Manchester, England terrorist attack that killed 22 people at an Ariana Grande concert, the performer held an all-star benefit concert for the victims.

The show signaled resilience, and a way to wrest control of the narrative away from the terrorists, according to Roxane Cohen Silver, professor of psychology and social behavior.

The School of Social Ecology welcomes Maura Allaire, who will be joining the Department of Planning, Policy and Design as an assistant professor.

Katlyn King, class of 2017

Degree: BA in Pscyhology and Social Behavior

Hometown: Rocklin, California (a suburb of Sacramento)

Why did you choose UCI’s School of Social Ecology?