Study: Brilliant white male characters more believable, some viewers say
December 9, 2024
By SHARITA FORREST Brilliant characters often play key roles in movies and TV shows. However, when these characters are played by women and people of color, some audience members dismiss them as unrealistic, even if they portray real people and events, a recent study found. University of Illinois...
Family matters: Living near relatives makes us heroic and harsh
November 25, 2024
ANN ARBOR—Many of us will soak in the merriment and drama that family gatherings bring during Thanksgiving. But beyond the Thanksgiving dinner table, new research suggests that living and being around family more often affects our psychology in some surprising ways. Are you willing to go to war...
Gun deaths reach alarming high, sparking debate over media’s role
November 25, 2024
EXPERT Q&A ANN ARBOR—Gun violence claimed 46,728 lives in the United States last year—the third-highest number of firearm-related deaths ever recorded—including a record-high 27,300 suicides by using a gun. The data marks a significant escalation over the past decade, according to the...
PRBA Names Myles Durkee 2025 James S. Jackson Emerging Scholar
November 18, 2024
Myles Durkee, Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Michigan, has been named the next James S. Jackson Emerging Scholar by the Program for Research on Black Americans (PRBA) at the Institute for Social Research (ISR). Dr. Durkee is a PRBA affiliate whose research examines the...
Friends act as family surrogates for unmarried African Americans
November 7, 2024
ANN ARBOR—Friends play an essential role in everyone’s life, offering companionship and a safe space to share personal thoughts and feelings. A recent University of Michigan study reveals important information about the patterns and supportive functions of friendships...
Coping with election anxiety: Focus on other activities
October 21, 2024
EXPERT Q&A ANN ARBOR—Endless streams of political commercials flooding TV screens. Spirited social media sparring between friends and families over candidates and key issues. Less than three weeks remain until Election Day, and many people still feel stressed. But people can lower their...
Nick Camp, on Trust in the Criminal Justice System
October 1, 2024
Racism and bias are often thought to stem from an individual’s personal prejudice against a certain group, but social psychologist Nick Camp notes that isn’t the way many inequities are perpetuated in the criminal justice system. In a new Social Science Bites podcast, interviewer David Edmonds...
Police body cams can measure effects of officer communication training
September 17, 2024
ANN ARBOR – A new study based on body-worn camera footage capturing police-community interactions in Oakland, Calif., provides empirical evidence that police officer trainings can improve their interactions with the communities they serve. Findings published today in PNAS Nexus showed that...
Robert Sellers to Give James S. Jackson Distinguished Lecture
September 4, 2024
The National Center for Institutional Diversity (NCID) and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI) will recognize Dr. Robert Sellers, the Charles D. Moody Collegiate Professor of Psychology, as the 2023 recipient of the James S. Jackson Distinguished Career Award for Diversity...
Remembering Shirley Hatchett, Shaper of the First National Survey of Black Americans
August 22, 2024
Shirley Jean Hatchett, a survey researcher whose work yielded new insights about Black American attitudes and the sociology of race, died August 9, at 77. An early faculty member at the Program for Research on Black Americans (PRBA) at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research, Dr....
