Psychology in Action

Category: Government and Policy

  • Same-Sex Marriage in the United States: 20 Years of Research

    Same-Sex Marriage in the United States: 20 Years of Research

    This article summarizes the effects of same-sex marriage policy in the United States. Legal same-sex marriage benefited the mental and physical health of LGBTQ+ people. Rates of marriage in the general population increased, divorce rates did not change, and attitudes about marriage have improved.

  • The Psychology of Climate Change

    The Psychology of Climate Change

    This article explores the psychological and social challenges in addressing climate change, emphasizing how evolutionary and cognitive biases hinder our responses to this global crisis. It delves into the complexities of human behavior and societal structures that make it difficult to enact effective climate action and considers how these obstacles might be overcome through increased…

  • Obedience, Power, and Violence

    Obedience, Power, and Violence

    Is an ordinary person capable of committing heinous acts? After the Holocaust (1941-45), many questioned how Nazi soldiers were capable of such senseless murder. Did it take a certain type of person, or did there exist situational factors that enabled their behavior? This historical moment inspired a series of influential psychological studies. Milgram’s Electric Shock…

  • The Debate on Simultaneous and Sequential Lineups

    The Debate on Simultaneous and Sequential Lineups

    Incorrect eyewitness identifications are a serious problem for the justice system. In this post, I describe simultaneous and sequential lineup formats and the ongoing debate over whether one of these formats results in more accurate witness identifications.

  • A look behind a changing mind

    A look behind a changing mind

    What’s going on in the brain when someone does change their mind? Understanding neural systems underlying belief maintenance can bring scientists closer to communicating new research in a way that makes people more amenable to updating their beliefs.

  • The benefits of multilingual education

    The benefits of multilingual education

    How would multilingual education benefit English-language learning (ELL) students?

  • A New Direction in Autism Research: Google Cloud

    A New Direction in Autism Research: Google Cloud

      Autism is everywhere and it is great! I’m not referring to the recent CDC estimate that 1 in 68 children in the U. S. are diagnosed with the disorder. Instead, I’m talking about its presence in the news. Most recently, I’ve read that the Vatican is holding an inaugural conference on autism, “The Person…

  • New research: From Screen to Green: What happens to kids social skills when they go cold turkey on all media?

    New research: From Screen to Green: What happens to kids social skills when they go cold turkey on all media?

    The fact is we all stare at screens more than we would like and many of us rely on these tools to communicate with others, even during times when we should be spending quality time with our families and friends. So does all this time staring at screens, which may take time away from looking…

  • “Criminally Minded: The Psychology and Law of Culpability” Symposium – May 16, 4pm

    “Criminally Minded: The Psychology and Law of Culpability” Symposium – May 16, 4pm

    Criminally Minded: The Psychology and Law of Culpability Psychology in Action is proud to announce the third annual Psychology Interdisciplinary Events symposium, Criminally Minded: The Psychology and Law of Culpability, to be held Friday, May 16th, 2014, from 4 to 6pm in UCLA’s CNSI Auditorium.  The discussion will focus on legal and psychological issues regarding mens rea.  The…

  • How to Change the World

    If you enter the world of research, there will come a time when you’re talking about your studies at a party and you suddenly realize that no one cares. If you’re lucky, this will happen before you’ve been in academia for 10 years and published 30 papers that 5 of your closest friends have read.…