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Piecing Together the Flight 370 Narrative
It’s been 13 days since the Malaysia Airlines flight vanished. In that time, there have been hundreds of news reports positing different theories about its whereabouts and its fate. But by virtue of the fact that the plane is still missing, each of those stories is based on circumstantial evidence -- no one truly knows what happened, and the leads and hypotheses that seemed plausible for Flight 370 a week ago have since changed. This is an especially trying situation for those with family or friends on board -- people who want nothing more than to hear a clear-cut story about the fate of their loved ones.
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How Science and Technology Can Help Each Other Flourish
Psychological science and technology stand side by side as two of the fastest-growing areas of interest in the world, yet they rarely intersect or interact to mutually benefit one another. This Presidential Cross-Cutting Theme program at the 2014 APS Annual Convention, May 22–25 in San Francisco, will feature three subpanels on behavioral genetics, mobile sensing, and social networks.
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Half a Century Later, Psychology Researchers Remember Kitty Genovese
Fifty years ago today, a young woman was killed walking home from work in a quiet neighborhood of Queens, New York. Over the span of an excruciating half hour, she cried out for help as her killer maimed and stabbed her. And though there were people around who heard her calls, no one came to her aid and the police weren’t notified until it was too late. This is the story of Kitty Genovese’s death, perhaps the most well-known parable in psychology to emerge in the last century.
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Work Engagement: Ironing Out the Details
Disaffected workers are so common in television and movies that they’ve become something of an archetype. Almost every show about working life includes at least one member of the team who would, quite frankly, rather be doing something else. The fact that audiences empathize — or identify — with these characters so much seems to suggest that disengagement is widespread. This problem hasn’t been lost on the business community — or on psychologists. The field of engagement study is still relatively new, but over the past decade, research on the topic has increased exponentially. In 2011, APS Fellow Arnold A. Bakker, Simon L. Albrecht, and Michael P.
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Psychology Sneak Peek for Underrepresented Students
The Psychology Sneak Peek is a great opportunity for traditionally underrepresented students considering a PhD in psychology to attend a preview weekend at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. Participating students will have the opportunity to visit Northwestern’s Department of Psychology, interact with faculty member and graduate students, and meet peers interested in pursuing graduate education in psychology. This years sneak peek will take place Friday, June 6th and Saturday, June 7th. Applications are due April 14th at 5:00pm CT. To apply, please click here. Expenses Visit expenses, including travel, lodging, and meals, will be provided.
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Money and Morality: Lack of Resources May Lead to Harsher Moral Judgments
Material resources, specifically income, have a sustaining impact on our lives. They dictate fundamental aspects of life, like where we live, and more peripheral aspects, such as whether we can go to the office happy hour. But research reveals that material resources can also influence how we judge other people. The findings, published in Psychological Science, suggest that individuals with lower incomes are more likely to issue harsher judgments of harmful behavior, like lying or physically attacking someone. Global factors, like the economy, as well as individual factors, such as mood, influence this effect.
