Harsh parenting strategies undermine learning
August 13, 2015
ANN ARBOR—Before the new school year begins, here’s a pop quiz for parents of middle-school children: What do you do when your child brings home a bad report card?A. Lecture the child. B. Restrict her activities, such as participating in sports or clubs. C. Create a home environment...
Leaders who can read the crowd do better
April 22, 2015
Ann Arbor—Performers call it “reading the crowd” or “sizing up the audience.”However you put it, new research from University of Michigan professor Jeffrey Sanchez-Burks shows this skill, which he calls emotional aperture, isn’t just important for performers. It...
Simple equation: Moms talking math to preschoolers equals knowledgeable kids
March 19, 2015
Photo credit: ThinkstockANN ARBOR—Preschool children improve their math skills when their mothers talk to them about math during meal times.The new study by researchers at the University of Michigan and Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile offers insight for parents on fostering their...
Passive Facebook use undermines how a person feels
February 27, 2015
ANN ARBOR—Using Facebook only to scroll through your news feed or browse other people’s profiles can have a negative impact on your well-being, says a University of Michigan researcher.Ethan Kross, U-M associate professor of psychology, and colleague Philippe Verduyn of the University...
Richard Gonzalez directs ISR Research Center for Group Dynamics
February 11, 2015
ANN ARBOR—Richard Gonzalez was appointed Director of the Research Center for Group Dynamics at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research (ISR), effective Jan. 1, 2015. Gonzalez will serve a five-year term. Richard Gonzalez, Director of RCGD. Photo by Philip Dattilo He succeeds...
Mothers’ education significant to children’s academic success
November 10, 2014
Photo by ThinkstockANN ARBOR—A mother knows best—and the amount of education she attains can predict her children’s success in reading and math. In fact, that success is greater if she had her child later in life, according to a new University of Michigan study.Sandra Tang, a U-M...
U-M’s James Jackson to serve on NSF National Science Board
June 23, 2014
James Jackson, photo by Steve Kuzma. ANN ARBOR—President Obama announced his intention to appoint University of Michigan social psychologist James Jackson to the National Science Board of the National Science Foundation. Jackson, director of the U-M Institute for Social Research, was one of...
Program for Black Americans holds its first official reunion
June 23, 2014
Family reunions play an important role in the Black community, so it was fitting that the University of Michigan Program for Research on Black Americans called its June 20 event a family reunion rather than an academic conference. In fact, it was a bit of both.Established in 1976 at...
How to give ourselves advice as good as we give others
June 9, 2014
ANN ARBOR—Most of us find it easier to be wise about other people’s problems than our own. But a new study identifies a simple way to close this gap.Photo by ThinkstockThe research, conducted by social psychologists Igor Grossmann at the University of Waterloo in Ontario and Ethan Kross...
State of the nation’s egotism: On the rise for a century
May 6, 2014
ANN ARBOR—Forget the “me” generation. A new analysis of long-term trends in egotism shows there’s been a “me” century in America.The analysis, conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan, shows that characteristics related to self-interest, compared to...
