Psychology in Action

Category: Political Psychology

  • Fake News! A Cognitive Perspective on the Spread of Misinformation Among Older Adults

    Fake News! A Cognitive Perspective on the Spread of Misinformation Among Older Adults

    Social media has increased the spread of news–some truthful, and others less so–in recent years. Is this information consumed differently across different age groups? And how does its persuasiveness change across the lifespan?

  • 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…

  • 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.

  • Batman vs Superman: The One Where I Tie In Trump and Sanders for Maximum Clickbait

    Batman vs Superman: The One Where I Tie In Trump and Sanders for Maximum Clickbait

    Many saw Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice this last week (420+ million box office), a story about Bruce Wayne, a single man backed by wealth, angry determination and personal fortitude, taking on Superman, a very non-figurative manifestation of limitless power. It’s a story about a man so brilliantly competent, so grimly prepared, so unrelentingly…

  • “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…

  • Interview Tips for Students Applying to PhD Programs in Psychology

    Interview Tips for Students Applying to PhD Programs in Psychology

    Preparing for interviews for a PhD program in psychology can be very stressful as well as very exciting. This is likely the first time that you will be interacting face to face with multiple professors and graduate students from the program you are applying for, and it is important to make a good impression. It…

  • Why are attitudes so hard to change?

    Attitude change has been the subject of decades of research, yet examples of dramatic alterations in attitude outside of the lab remain few and far between.

  • Biased About Biases: The Origins and Growth of Human Conflict

    Biased About Biases: The Origins and Growth of Human Conflict

    People are increasingly capable of pursuing their disagreements with calm, rational discussion, civil debate, understanding, and efforts to reach acceptable compromises.

  • Scientific Support for Same-Sex Parents

    An article was published today in the Huffington Post, titled “Romney: ‘Some Gays Are Actually Having Children. It’s Not Right on Paper. It’s Not Right in Fact.’”The article reviews a Boston Globe piece from yesterday in which some of Romney’s actions as governor of Massachusetts indicate his antipathy towards gay marriage. In particular, the article…

  • Bayes’ Rule and Bomb Threats

    Earlier today, I read an article published on Washington’s Blog titled “Fear of Terror Makes People Stupid.”  The central claim of the post was that the government purposefully induces fear of a terrorist attack in order to get Americans to relinquish more of their civil liberties (see: Patriot Act), but this fear is silly (so…