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Unconscious Teacher Bias Harms Black College Students
Pacific Standard: Racial tension has recently erupted into bitter conflict at several major universities, including Yale and the University of Missouri. While specific grievances vary, the protests are rooted in the deeply held belief that black students are not treated respectfully or fairly. Recently published research reveals one type of unjust interaction that is both commonplace and consequential. It finds African Americans' academic achievement suffers when a white instructor unconsciously harbors racist beliefs. Read the whole story: Pacific Standard
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Teens’ Cellphone Use Mirrors Their Offline Lives
Researchers find that teenagers’ online lives closely resemble their offline experiences, but bullying is one area where the digital age may be introducing new risks.
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A “Council of Psychological Science Advisers” Tackles Pressing Policy Issues
Some of the most urgent issues that American society faces today -- including obesity, consumer debt, risk of terrorism, and climate change -- are fundamentally influenced by decision making and behavior at both the individual and institutional levels. Despite this, policymakers have only recently begun to capitalize on insights from research in the behavioral sciences in developing policies that address these issues. A special section in Perspectives on Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, underscores how findings from behavioral science can provide actionable solutions to societal problems. The special section, edited by Bethany A.
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Beating Cancer, But Battling Hiring Discrimination
Job applicants who disclose their status as cancer survivors may be less likely to get a job offer, according to new research. "Managers and employees should be mindful of the fact that although societal attitudes toward cancer survivors are generally quite positive, with people often viewing them as champions who have successfully overcome a traumatic experience, we nonetheless might perceive them as being less desirable employees simply because of their history with cancer," said lead author Larry Martinez, assistant professor of hospitality management at Pennsylvania State University.
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DO HEAD START’S MIXED-AGE CLASSES STUNT LEARNING?
Futurity: It’s common practice in Head Start classrooms to teach 3- and 4-year-old children together, but a new study finds older children make significantly smaller academic gains on average when taught with younger preschoolers. In the classrooms where the two age groups were evenly split, 4-year-olds in the study were an average of nearly five months of academic development behind their 4-year-old peers who were in classrooms without 3-year-olds. Read the whole story: Futurity
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Taking the (Often Imprecise) Measure of Stress
The New York Times: Research has long shown that stress is bad for you, but many people are not even aware when they are feeling stressed. Now, a number of new devices are sold as stress trackers, measuring signs of stress the way fitness tracking devices monitor steps and movement. The gadgets track the biological symptoms of stress — changes in skin perspiration, breathing patterns and heart rate — in hopes of helping people become aware of their stress levels. ... Most apps and devices that claim to track or reduce stress lack scientific rigor, said Dr.
