Life News (Social & Behavioral Sciences)

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Released: 17-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Some women's workplace inequality grows
Cornell University

A new study by a Cornell University labor economist found that women have made "substantial progress" in gender equality over the past 25 years, increasing their presence in the labor market and narrowing the wage gap with men, but provides dramatic evidence that the economic status of less-educated women is deteriorating.

Released: 14-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Depression in Older Women is Often a Hidden Problem
Brandeis University

Older women are at greater risk for depression than men or younger women, yet often the condition goes unnoticed or untreated, according to the National Policy and Resource Center on Women and Aging at the Heller Graduate School, Brandeis University.

Released: 14-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Conviction or Acquittal? An Attorney's Presentation of DNA evidence may make the difference
University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business

Depending on how an attorney describes DNA evidence at a trial, jurors will believe the evidence is either irrefutable or unpersuasive, finds Dr. Jonathan J. Koehler, consultant for the defense in the O.J. Simpson criminal trial, and a professor of behavioral decision making at the University of Texas at Austin.

   
Released: 13-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Babies are born with language
Cornell University

Cornell studies of American and Chinese children provide new compelling evidence that human babies from any culture are born to grasp the complex rules of word order and sentence structure by age 3, says Barbara Lust, Ph.D., a developmental cognitive psycholinguist.

Released: 13-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
$1.76 Million Grant Helps Food Stamp Recipients Make Smart Food Choices
Virginia Tech

For a family that relies on food stamps to make ends meet, wise food choices can be the difference between being able to pay the rent or to afford child care or medical expenses.

Released: 13-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Purdue Expert Advises on Preparing Children for War
Purdue University

As the threat of a U.S. attack on Iraq looms, parents may want to add the evening news to the list of violent TV programs they don't want their children to see. But she says screening news broadcasts doesn't mean that parents should avoid discussing the topic of war with their children.

Released: 13-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Vanderbilt Divinity School Professor says Couples Must "Share it All"
Vanderbilt University

Women have gone from the "have it all" culture of the 1970s to the "do it all" of today, but what they really need to embrace is the concept of "share it all," says a Vanderbilt Divinity School professor.

Released: 11-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Media advisory: expert on Arab view of Israel, Iraq
 Johns Hopkins University

A Johns Hopkins anthropologist regarded as one of the leading experts on Islamic movements in the Middle East and Europe is available as a source on the Arab view of the Middle East peace process and the confrontation with Iraq.

Released: 11-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Life Inside a Women's Prison
Fairfield University

While covering a story on battered women for The New York Times, journalist Andi Rieden became intrigued by the stories officials told her. Given extraordinary access, she spent three-and-a-half-years with inmates and correction officers researching the material for her recent book, "The Farm, Life Inside a Women's Prison."

Released: 11-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Media Advisory: Source on Iraq
 Johns Hopkins University

Advisory on Johns Hopkins political scientist Steven David, an expert on military strategy and defense issues available as a source on the Iraq crisis.

Released: 10-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Birth of The Bomb: Creating America's 'atomic culture'
University of Illinois Chicago

A new book by a University of Illinois at Chicago art historian tells how the atomic bomb came to occupy its spot at the center of postwar American culture and psychology. Peter Bacon Hales's "Atomic Spaces: Living on the Manhattan Project" draws on de-classified government files, plus medical records, letters, and photos. Creating the bomb, concludes Hales, "created a new form of American cultural landscape."

Released: 10-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Teapot Dome Scandal, Clinton's Crisis And Reputational Entrepreneurs
Northwestern University

What do the 1923 Teapot Dome Scandal and the current White House crisis have in common? Plenty, according to Gary Fine, a professor of sociology at Northwestern University who is writing a book on reputation politics.

Released: 7-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Audio of Clinton V Jones Can Be Heard On Web
Northwestern University

Audio recordings of arguments in Clinton v. Jones before the U.S. Supreme Courts can now be heard on the Supreme Court Web site developed by Jerry Goldman, associate professor of political science at Northwestern University.

Released: 7-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
African American Girls' Fitness Levels Lower Than Whites
Michigan State University

A study by a Michigan State University exercise physiologist has found that the aerobic fitness levels of young African American girls tend to be lwoer than those of white girls.

Released: 6-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
New Books from the American Psychiatric Association Press, Inc.
American Psychiatric Association (APA)

The American Psychiatric Association Press has just released seven new books. Review copies are available for journalists.

Released: 6-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
McCaughey Book Pulls No Punches in Women's Self Defense
Virginia Tech

Society tends to assume that men are dangerous and women are helpless, and Martha McCaughey wants to change that image -- especially when it comes to women's defending themselves from male violence

Released: 5-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Choose a Puppy Based on its Breeder, Veterinarian Advises
Purdue University

When selecting a puppy for a pet, choosing the breeder may be more important than choosing the breed, suggests a Purdue University animal behaviorist.

Released: 4-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
Positive attitude on illness may help the elderly ward off depression
University of Utah

Older adults who have a positive attitude about their physical health may be at a lower risk for becoming depressed.

4-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
More Education, More Headaches
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Women get more tension headaches than men and people with advanced degrees suffer more often from tension headaches than the less educated, according to a recent study of tension headache prevalence conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health.

Released: 3-Feb-1998 12:00 AM EST
It doesn't add up: First study of talented youg mathematicians shows boys out-perform girls
University of Washington

In the first long-term study of mathematically precocious young children, University of Washington researchers have found significantly more boys than girls with very high levels of math talents, and discovered that even when children are given an enrichment program math-talented girls don't catch up with boys in the first two years of school.

Released: 31-Jan-1998 12:00 AM EST
Vanderbilt study finds female prisoners protrayed as "moral keepers"
Vanderbilt University

The mass media's depiction of female prisoners as family-centered and easily reformed is driving the national concern over the Karla Faye Tucker case, according to John Sloop, an expert in television critism and mass media theory at Vanderbilt University.

Released: 31-Jan-1998 12:00 AM EST
How do I love thee? Instead of counting the ways, 'The Love Test' offers couples 32 scientific quizzes to measure their relationship
University of Washington

If Paul Simon had been a social scientist instead of a song writer he might have stopped counting those "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" and focused on finding ways to keep his lover around. The result might have been like "The Love Test," a new book filled with 32 romance and relationship-oriented quizzes that has been compiled by two University of Washington sociologists.

Released: 31-Jan-1998 12:00 AM EST
University of Arizona professor's research shows root motivation for killing may be same for murders and executions
University of Arizona

New research relates executions to parental models of care and compassion, says a psychology professor at The University of Arizona in Tucson. Following the release earlier this week of a study on clemency issues surrounding capital murder cases, Professor Gary Schwartz says he has found evidence that correlates public willingness to execute certain condemned prisoners as a function of personal and parental justice and compassion.

Released: 30-Jan-1998 12:00 AM EST
The Color of Crime: Racial Hoaxes, White Fear, Black Protectionism, Police Harassment and Other Macroaggressions
University of Maryland, College Park

Why do Black and White Americans perceive police actions so differently? Is White fear of Black crime justified? Do African Americans really "protect their own?" Should they? These and other hard-hitting questions are explored in "The Color of Crime," a bold new book by University of Maryland criminology professor Katheryn Russell.

Released: 29-Jan-1998 12:00 AM EST
Inmates At Iowa Correctional Facility Participate In Extension'S Master Gardener Program
Iowa State University

A dozen inmates at an Iowa correctional facility are learning about horticulture side-by-side with area citizens in a new "Master Gardener Behind Bars" program sponsored by Iowa State University Extension.

Released: 29-Jan-1998 12:00 AM EST
Study Links First Time Criminal Activity With Legal Purchase Of Handguns
UC Davis Health (Defunct)

Young adults who legally buy small, inexpensive handguns are more likely to commit a crime after the purchase of the gun even if they had no criminal record, say investigators at UC Davis Violence Prevention Research Program.

Released: 28-Jan-1998 12:00 AM EST
More Practice Doesn't Stop Stage Fright
Gettysburg College

Stage fright is a common and often disabling health problem among performing artists. Sharon Davis Gratto, assistant professor of music at Gettysburg College, researches stage fright and audition anxiety and recently authored a paper on the topic.

Released: 24-Jan-1998 12:00 AM EST
Which Smokers Use Cigarettes To "Self-Medicate" For Depression May Depend On Their Genetic Make-Up
American Psychological Association (APA)

New research published by the American Psychological Association (APA), suggests that depressed people --and nondepressed people -- who smoke to improve their mood may do so because of differences in their genetic make-up, differences that may be important to the effectiveness of future treatments for depression and nicotine dependency.

Released: 24-Jan-1998 12:00 AM EST
The U.S. Presidency: Pres. Clinton's New Crisis
Fairfield University

Dr. John Orman, an expert on the U.S. presidency and a professor of politics at Fairifeld University, has written about the behavior and style of U.S. presidents and why some presidents seem to be held to a stricter accountability than others.

Released: 24-Jan-1998 12:00 AM EST
Successful, ambitious women score more responses to internet personal ads
University of Utah

Single females looking for love through Internet personal ads are more successful if they avoid mentioning good looks and instead mention their successful careers

Released: 23-Jan-1998 12:00 AM EST
Incremental reform expected to continue "new Democrat" strategy in State of Union address
Vanderbilt University

In his Jan. 27 State of the Union address, President Clinton is likely to stick with the moderate stance that won him re-election in 1996, says Vanderbilt presidential scholar Erwin Hargrove.

Released: 23-Jan-1998 12:00 AM EST
Purdue Researcher Suggests Convents Learn From Communes
Purdue University

When reforms following the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) gave many Catholic nuns the freedom to live outside the convent and dress like the laity, the efforts were seen as a way to help save religious orders from extinction. In fact, they may have done just the opposite, suggests a Purdue University sociologist. Roger Finke believes the explanation can be found not only i the spiiua wl,u nmxm that dictate survival in the business world - costs and benefits.

Released: 22-Jan-1998 12:00 AM EST
Northwestern Professors on Roe v Wade
Northwestern University

Northwestern University professors who held opposing positions arguing an abortion case before the Supreme Court are available to offer perspective on Roe v Wade and a Northwestern website offers oral arguments from the historical case.

Released: 22-Jan-1998 12:00 AM EST
Violent, Non-Violent Boys Oppose Violence For Different Reasons
University of Michigan

Although their reasons may differ, violent boys are no more likely than non-violent boys to approve of hitting others, even when sometimes provoked, according to this study. Violent children unanimously condemned unprovoked situations based on moral reasoning, rather than social rules, consensus, authority or egocentric personal needs.

Released: 22-Jan-1998 12:00 AM EST
Bright Light And Company May Be Best Rx For Females With SAD
University of Michigan

Researchers have discovered striking sex differences in how quickly rodents called degus re-set their biological clocks in response to changes in light and social contact. The discovery could lead to different ways of helping people who suffer from SAD, jet lag, shift work problems and other disruptions in circadian rhythms.

Released: 22-Jan-1998 12:00 AM EST
Jan. 30 marks anniversary of battle that turned the tide against LBJ
Vanderbilt University

This month's 30-year-anniversary of the Tet offensive commemorates a milestone in the demise of the Lyndon Johnson presidency, according to Vanderbilt University historian Thomas Schwartz, who is researching a book on Johnson's foreign policy.

Released: 22-Jan-1998 12:00 AM EST
Study Of Worldwide Rates Of Religiosity, Church Attendance
University of Michigan

According to the World Values survey, weekly church attendance is higher in the United States than in any other nation at a similar level of development. In addition, religious attitudes and behaviors among nations are compared as well as how religious beliefs of each society have changed over the years.

Released: 21-Jan-1998 12:00 AM EST
Cuba and the Pope
Fairfield University

A professor of history at Fairfield University, who specializes in Latin America and Cuba in particular, has been in Cuba for the last two summers with the Center for Cuban Studies, which is based in New York City. Now with its own native clergy and even an archbishop who is Cuban, the time had come to address the situation of the Church in Cuba.

Released: 21-Jan-1998 12:00 AM EST
Volunteerism forum
Cornell University

Research and trends in volunteering will be the subject of the National Forum on Life Cycles and Volunteering: The Impact of Work, Family, and Mid-Life Issues, held April 30 and May 1, 1998 at Cornell University.

Released: 20-Jan-1998 12:00 AM EST
National (sleep) debt is killing Americans
Cornell University

One hundred thousand traffic accidents caused by drivers falling asleep claim some 1,500 lives each year in the United States, while sleep deprivation and sleep disorders cost the American economy at least $150 billion a year, according to Cornell University psychologist James Maas, author of a new book, "Power Sleep."

Released: 16-Jan-1998 12:00 AM EST
Base closings, a new beginning for welfare recipients?
University of Delaware

New idea: Convert closed military bases into "renewal communities"-- tightly regulated small towns giving thousands of Americans on welfare a fresh start in life.

   
Released: 16-Jan-1998 12:00 AM EST
UC Santa Cruz Teams Up With Oregon School to Help Deaf Children
University of California, Santa Cruz

After years of working in a dark, windowless laboratory to understand speech perception and how speech can be communicated by machines, UC Santa Cruz psychology professor Dominic Massaro is realizing his dream of using advanced technology to help deaf children learn to speak.

   
Released: 16-Jan-1998 12:00 AM EST
UMaine Professor Tracks Political Use of King's Legacy
University of Maine

As Martin Luther King Jr. Day approaches, a University of Maine political scientist has tracked use of King's legacy for political gain. She found in a recent study that King's status as an American hero has been used to promote disparate political views and policies, with significant omissions and distortions of his views.

Released: 15-Jan-1998 12:00 AM EST
Parents Shouldn't Spank Their Children
Nova Southeastern University

The pendulum in 'pop psychology' is swinging back to being in favor of spanking, warns Dr. Roni Leiderman, director of the Family Center at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, FL. She also is the moderator for America Online's "Parent Trap."

Released: 13-Jan-1998 12:00 AM EST
UNM's Clinical Law Clinic Provides Real World Experience to Students
University of New Mexico

The University of New Mexico School of Law pioneered clinical law in the early 1970s and over the years has become a recognized leader in the field. Every year some 110 second and third-year students rotate through the mandatory Clinical Law Program, gaining hands-on, real-life experience practicing law.

Released: 13-Jan-1998 12:00 AM EST
Super Bowl Sunday No 'Day of Dread' for Children
Washington University in St. Louis

Women's groups claim Super Bowl Sunday is the "biggest day of the year for violence against women." Brett Drake of Washington University co-authored a study which found no correlation between reported cases of child abuse and the broadcast of national playoff games for baseball, basketball or football.

Released: 10-Jan-1998 12:00 AM EST
Study reveals why refugees sell food
Cornell University

Jean-Pierre Habicht, M.D., of Cornell University has published study in Lancet that finds that when refugees sell food, it's not because they have too much but are desperate for other staples and supplies such as salt and soap.

Released: 10-Jan-1998 12:00 AM EST
Expert on Religion in Cuba Co-Chairs Commission Traveling to Cuba for Papal Visit (January 20-26, 1998)
Long Island University Post (LIU Post)

Communists generally view religion as the opium of the masses but can this "opium" save Marxism-Leninism? Yes, says Andres I. Perez y Mena, associate professor of educational anthropology at Long Island University's Brooklyn Campus. "The Catholic Church traditionally has been anti-capitalist and the revolutionary leadership now wants to claim Christianity as a substitute model for socialism," he says.

Released: 9-Jan-1998 12:00 AM EST
Purdue Study Suggests Marrying for Love and Money
Purdue University

A Purdue University study sheds new light on the old practice of marrying for money. A Purdue University study of preretirement persons showed that people who never married had only 14 percent of the financial assets that married persons had accumulated. Divorced people who did not remary had only 15 percent.

Released: 9-Jan-1998 12:00 AM EST
Martin Luther King Jr.'s international impact often overlooked
Vanderbilt University

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - As Martin Luther King Jr. Day approaches, it's time to stop praising the slain civil rights leader only for his accomplishments in the United States and to start viewing him as an international leader, says Vanderbilt University professor Lewis V. Baldwin.



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