Life News (Social & Behavioral Sciences)

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The legendary weight gain sometimes experienced by college freshmen didn't occur for students who took a course in nutritional science.

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Having a second child may have an even greater impact than the first baby on the carefully balanced lives of dual-career, middle-class couples, according to a University of Michigan study.

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New research at Adelaide University in Australia has found that the cost of marijuana -- not the legal punishment for marijuana offences -- is the real key to reducing the amount of the drug used.

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New research shows that a 'tip of the tongue' experience, that frustrating experience when the word you are looking for is right on the tip of your tongue but you just can't seem to get it out, has to do with weak connections among word sounds represented in memory. (Journal of Experimental Psychology, 11-00)

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A Univ. of Arkansas psychologist says that finding closure and putting problems to rest can ease people's minds, boost self-confidence, even benefit their physical health. She presents her research at the Memory and the Self Symposium.

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1) Election 2000 provides a wake-up call for apathetic voters. 2) American public is losing patience with the electoral college. 3) Uncertain election count leading to definite anxiousness among voters.

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A North Carolina State University information design researcher says the controversial Palm Beach County, Fla., presidential election ballot violates several well-researched principles of sound document design.

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The fact that George W. Bush's name was listed first on all ballots in Florida probably was enough of an advantage to give him a win in that state's presidential election, Ohio State research from 1998 suggests. (Public Opinion Quarterly, 1998)

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The dating strategy known as "playing hard to get" may be economically sound, according to current research by Centre College professor and University of Kobe economist. The strategy succeeds by setting a high social price for oneself as a mate. (Japan and the World Economy)

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The country is now waiting for the results of the closest presidential election in 40 years.

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An Iowa District Court judge ruled in favor of the American Dental Association motion for a summary judgment, dismissing a lawsuit against the ADA in which an Iowa woman alleged that the ADA's Seal of Acceptance misrepresented a tooth-whitening product.

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Exploiting the "six degrees of separation" concept, a Cornell University sociologist has developed "respondent-driven" sampling to find scientifically valid, representative samples of "hidden populations" from drug injectors to jazz musicians. (Poetics, 11-00)

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Fifty-seven percent of the women who participated in a recent study at the University at Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions (RIA) reported experiencing at least one incident of verbal or physical aggression while drinking in a bar.

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The strong association between exposure to violence and the use of violence by young adolescents illustrates that violence is a learned behavior, according to a new study, published by researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. (Journal of Pediatrics, 11-00)

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With 95 percent of votes counted, CNN and CNNfyi.com report that millions of K-12 students across the country have "elected" George W. Bush president of the United States in the National Student/Parent Mock Election held Nov. 2.

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1) Why certain exercises can help fight the winter blahs; 2) Ralph Nader could tip the scales at election time; 3) Bush ups the optimism; 4) Conference helps bridge gap between young and old.

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Five high-profile Smith College graduates will assess the status of women -- their achievements, influence and satisfaction -- at the new millennium.

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Campaigning season is coming to a close and many candidates are feeling the effects of incessant hand shaking with the American public. A Clinical Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy at BU's Sargent College offers the following tips as we near the end of the campaign trail.

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As Election Day nears, voters are being inundated by pollsters purporting to assess the outcome of races -- from the battle for the White House, to the struggle to wrest control of Congress, to state contests, and even regional races. Have you been called? Probably not.

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Professor of sociology at Williams College, chronicles the rise of advertising and public relations in his new book "Image Makers: Advertising, Public Relations, and the Ethos of Advocacy." The book was co-written with his wife, an independent anthropologist.

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Two scholar/authors in religious studies at Rhodes College in Memphis take a look at Election 2000 and show that what may be remarkable about the religion factor in this race is that it is a rather unremarkable factor...so far.

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While most Americans enjoyed extraordinary economic well-being in the past decade, the nearly 10 percent of the working-age population who have disabilities suffered an unprecedented decline in employment during this time, researchers at Cornell University and the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco report.

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No matter who wins the presidential race next Tuesday, don't expect to see dramatic changes regarding the U.S. policy toward China, said University of Alabama at Birmingham historian and expert on East Asia.

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The presidential candidates' debate over social security is about more than fuzzy math and lock boxes, say two economists at the University of Missouri-Rolla.

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Most parents and children dread the time when they sit down and have "the talks." You know the one about the birds and the bees. But uneasiness does not have to be part of the conversation, according to the authors of a new book "Ten Talks Parents Must Have with Their Children About Sex and Character."

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Television news, much maligned for its lack of content, may actually help less-educated people learn about political candidates, according to a new study co-authored by an Ohio State professor. (Political Communication)

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1- Getting psyched for Halloween; 2- The mix of politics and school choice; 3- Could the winner of the popular vote lose the presidency?

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Ignorant. Apathetic. Slackers. Many commentators use these words to describe the political attitude of young Americans. But more than three-quarters of young people, ages 18-24, will vote in the presidential election.

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The National Rifle Association recently spent nearly $1M in key battleground states to support presidential candidate George W. Bush, who calls for enforcing current gun laws instead of new gun control legislation.

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Media has an unseen, widespread influence on American culture. A professor of education and media literacy expert has decoded some of the tricks of the trade in a new book, "MediaSpeak: Three American Voices," which describes three voices that media use to manipulate receivers.

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Too much attention is being given to "overnight polls" as if they are valid indicators of public opinion in the 2000 presidential race, according to a political scientist.

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Americans use the Internet extensively without sacrificing their personal and social lives, although users and non-users alike have strong concerns about privacy.

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Professors from Sarah Lawrence College, Agnes Scott College, Centre College, and Webster University available to offer comment on the presidential race, candidates, and issues.

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According to researchers at Cornell University and Ohio State University, daily newspapers, not television news, motivate highly educated people into civic participation, creating a civic-participation gap between people with high and low education levels. (Political Communication, 9-00)

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Speech pathologists who are unaware of social differences in Hispanic culture may misdiagnose Hispanic children with communications disorders. A new program at the U of A will train speech pathologists and interpreters to work together.

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A wife's marital satisfaction doesn't inevitably have to plummet after the arrival of a first baby, say University of Washington researchers who have uncovered a "prescription" for maintaining and even enhancing marital happiness. (Journal of Family Psychology)

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Throughout the United States, people are moving in great numbers to rural areas just outside urban centers. An economist at NC State University has found -- in North Carolina at least -- that trend could be more of a drain than a benefit to rural counties.

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With the UCLA "Digital Future" study released Wednesday morning, the importance of the Internet is again under the microscope. Research analyst Howard Fienberg is available to provide information and insight on the UCLA study in particular and the Internet in general.

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It's all so boring. The party conventions were boring. The presidential debates were boring and the presidential race is boring.

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Streets laid out in grids, rather than with curves and cul-de-sacs, as well as mixed commercial/residential land uses, are among "new urbanism" proposals to make communities more livable by reducing traffic congestion and air pollution.

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While handcuffs were never designed for comfort, many arrests leave suspects with permanent, severe damage to nerves in their hands and wrists, regardless of the suspects' legal outcome.

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A conflict resolution training program that former family law attorney Marco Turk first developed for use in domestic violence cases has evolved into an international peacekeeping effort.

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Camille & Bill Anthony, co-authors of The Art of Napping at Work, have declared the Sunday marking the end of daylight savings time to be National Napping Day for Women.

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An Arkansas researcher says more than a million people may be banned from voting booths this November. Their crime: to suffer from mental disabilities that place them under psychological guardianship.

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Maurice Isserman, professor of history at Hamilton College says "Apart from Kim Il-Sung and Fidel Castro, no Communist leader in the world ruled his own party as long as Gus Hall ruled over American Communists."

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Re-release of "The Exorcist" and a new TV documentary will trigger a new wave of requests for exorcisms, according to a researcher whose work shows some people can be convinced they witnessed a demonic possession even though they said such an event is not plausible. (The Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied)

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Purdue University political science experts.

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Dual-earner couples might seem to have new-millennium marriages. But their strategies to manage work and family turn out to be a variant of the traditional breadwinner/homemaker division. It's still the husbands' career that gets priority, says a study at Cornell University. (Social Problems, 8-00)

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The ongoing eruption of violence in the Middle East is the result of a flawed peace process that must be reinvigorated by putting Palestinians and Israelis on equal footing, says Dr. Akram Khater of North Carolina State University.

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1) Bush needs to consider public health issues of foreign policy. 2) Inaugural picnic highlights homecoming week. 3) U.S. fails as Middle East broker.