10.21
Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences
Why do young children pick up language easier than adults?
Why do young children pick up language easier than adults?
Why do young children pick up language easier than adults? One Penn linguist has some theories.
Crowdsourcing 10,000 years of land use
Crowdsourcing 10,000 years of land use
More than 250 archaeologists from around the world contributed their knowledge to ArchaeoGLOBE, an effort to better understand the prevalence of agriculture, pastoralism, and hunting and gathering at different points in human history.
‘Information gerrymandering’ poses a threat to democratic decision making
‘Information gerrymandering’ poses a threat to democratic decision making
Concern over fake news and online trolls is widespread and warranted, but researchers have identified another impediment to the free flow of information in social networks. The phenomenon, which they term “information gerrymandering,” arises from the structure of a social network and introduces bias into collective decisions.
No evidence that testosterone reduces cognitive empathy
No evidence that testosterone reduces cognitive empathy
In the largest study of its kind, researchers found that testosterone administration did not affect cognitive empathy, a measure of the ability to recognize another’s feelings and motivations. The finding calls into question the theory that the symptoms of autism are caused by a hyper-masculinized brain.
Polarization can happen even when rational people listen to each other
Polarization can happen even when rational people listen to each other
Using computer models, philosopher Daniel J. Singer, political scientist William Berger, and colleagues found that divides over factual issues can stem from humans’ limited memory capacity rather than from one side or the other being irrational.
Understanding why teachers discriminate against minority students
Understanding why teachers discriminate against minority students
A new study authored by research scientist Emile Bruneau found that biases people may harbor can sometimes inhibit their abilities to do their jobs, based on a study of teachers’ implicit biases towards their students.
Is it a cult, or a new religious movement?
Is it a cult, or a new religious movement?
Many religious movements started off as fringe groups, and many modern-day cults have no religious doctrine. Why are cults and new religious movements conflated, and what makes them different?
Ken Lum appointed to Marilyn Jordan Taylor Presidential Professorship
Ken Lum appointed to Marilyn Jordan Taylor Presidential Professorship
Lum, the Chair of Fine Arts at the Stuart Weitzman School of Design, is one of two Presidential Professorship appointments, which aims to diversify the faculty by attracting and retaining scholars and practitioners in endowed positions.
Two monumental sculptures arrive on campus
Two monumental sculptures arrive on campus
On loan for 99 years, one sculpture is between Franklin Field and The Palestra, the other next to the main library.
Using a matching game to study the language of conversations
Using a matching game to study the language of conversations
Penn undergrads Lilian Zhang and Kassidy Houston, and University of Chicago student Benjamin Stallworth, interned in the lab of cognitive psychologist Delphine Dahan doing work to better understand what subconsciously happens when people converse.
In the News
BuzzFeed.com
Andrew Yang injected Silicon Valley’s favorite economic idea into the Democratic debate. Silicon Valley isn’t so happy about that
Amy Castro Baker of the School of Social Policy & Practice said universal basic income is looking increasingly possible now that it’s been embraced by the tech world. However, she cautioned, “if we move forward, but without the science of knowing how to best implement, we could create other forms of inequality.”
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MarketWatch
As Democrats spar over guaranteed jobs, universal basic income and $15 minimum wage, which would best help Americans?
Ioana Marinescu of the School of Social Policy & Practice said that, in an ideal world, universal basic income would better improve the lives of Americans than a $15 hourly wage. The former is “a more ambitious plan, for sure, and therefore the rub is the cost,” she said.
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TheHill.com
Poll: Most Americans say they trust Supreme Court
A new survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center found that 68% of U.S. adults have faith in the Supreme Court, and 70% said the court has “about the right amount of power.” However, 57% of respondents said it can get too “mixed up in politics.”
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Vanity Fair
Leading neurocriminologist considers Joker “a great educational tool”
PIK Professor Adrian Raine discusses the new film “Joker” and how it might be used to teach criminology. “It’s really hard to get a true-life story that fits all of these pieces together, let alone a very dramatic and stylized movie that illustrates these factors quite strongly,” he said. “That was really a revelation.”
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MarketWatch
Lalo Alcaraz, a cultural consultant for the Oscar-winning ‘Coco,’ helps Disney and Nickelodeon avoid lazy stereotypes
Américo Mendoza-Mori of the School of Arts and Sciences consulted for Paramount Pictures on the script for “Dora and the Lost City of Gold.”
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