November 29, 2017
Two faculty members in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society were honored with awards at the American Society of Criminology conference in November. Assistant Professor Keramet Reiter was honored with the Ruth Shonle Cavan Award for Young Scholars, while Professor Mona Lynch was honored with the Michael J. Hindelang Award for her book "Hard Bargains."
November 25, 2017
Imagine this: a driverless car is cruising down the road when a group of pedestrians walks in front of it. In that moment, the car's algorithms have to make a choice, to either sacrifice the driver and save the pedestrians, or sacrifice the pedestrians and save the driver.
Most people agree the car should do the greatest good for the greatest number of people, and save the group of pedestrians, according to research by Azim Shariff, assistant professor of psychology and social behavior. But people are much less likely to want to buy any car "in which they and their family member would be sacrificed for the greater good," Shariff told USA Today.
November 22, 2017
Most prisoners are not like Charles Manson, a fact that news watchers should bear in mind when thinking about inmates, says Charis Kubrin, professor of criminology law and society.
"There aren’t too many Charles Manson’s roaming around," Kubrin told Fortune. "One would really have to look deeper into the individual circumstances of his family friends, to explain his behavior."
November 21, 2017
It's Thanksgiving this week, so of course that means families gathered around the table will be required to name something they're grateful for. For many families, it's a time-honored tradition. And for many children it's a dreaded moment during an otherwise festive time.
Maybe this year, parents and adults can allow children to feel ungrateful, Jessica Borelli, associate professor or psychology and social behavior, writes in the Huffington Post.
November 20, 2017
Mistaken memories can often be mistaken for lies; the line between a false belief that is sincerely held and an outright lie can get blurry at times, according to Professor Elizabeth Loftus, who was recently quoted in Vogue.
"[It’s] virtually impossible to tell true from false memory without independent corroboration," Loftus said.
November 15, 2017
Many people -- and probably most kids -- don't like eating their vegetables. But what if there was a psychological way to convince them to do so?
Elizabeth Loftus, professor of social ecology, has done studies testing whether false memories can be planted in people, and the effects those memories have, including on eating habits. She was recently quoted in a story in Popular Science on convincing kids to more vegetables.
November 15, 2017
As driverless cars grow more and more common on roadways, automotive engineers, regulators and consumers will have to wrestle with the ethical choices the vehicles are programmed to make, says Azim Shariff, assistant professor of psychology and social behavior. Shariff was quoted in a recent New York Times story.
November 14, 2017
False memories can be planted in people following traumatic experiences and in other situations, according to research by Elizabeth Loftus, professor of psychology and social behavior.
It doesn't matter whether the person is intelligent, or has superior memory abilities, and the memories can't be detected through emotional reactions or brain imaging techniques, Loftus said during a lecture discussion at the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, D.C.
November 9, 2017
A recent uptick in gang violence in Santa Ana has prompted renewed efforts to prevent gang violence. But why do gangs emerge in some areas and not others?
Gangs are more common in areas with poverty, institutionalized racism, lack of opportunities, poor resources in schools, overextended parents and inadequate supervision, Cheryl Maxson, professor of criminology, law and society, told The Orange County Register.
November 7, 2017
There's not just an income or wealth gap between rich and poor; more and more, they're living in separated, homogeneous neighborhoods, according to a New York Times story quoting assistant professor Paul Piff.