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This group is a forum for students and faculty interested in using psychology to
explain current social, political, and world events, to evaluate commonly held
assumptions about human behavior, and to explore why and how we act, think,
and feel the way we do. This is a meeting where psychology faculty and students
can share thoughts about popular topics as understood through the lens of
psychology. Is this some stuffy, formal academic discussion of research? NO!
This is an informal get together where we share our ideas, a few laughs, and
our thoughts and insights about psychology and the current events. Whether
you're a declared psych major, considering the major, or just want to understand
people better, this group is for you. Although the discussion is better when
most participants have read the article, you're still welcome if you just didn't have
the time. Meeting are held the first Friday of each month, 12:15-1:00 pm in the Psychology Commons, the area outside Noyce-1515.
- May 2, 2008: Please join us for our last discussion of the year! We will be discussing the effects of weather on both mood and cognition. The article we will be discussing is "A warm heart and a clear head: The contingent effects of weather on mood and cognition." Pizza and light refreshments will be provided!
Reference: Keller, M. C., Fredrickson, B. L., Ybarra, O., Côté, S., Johnson, K., Mikels, J., et al. (2005). A warm heart and a clear head: The contingent effects of weather on mood and cognition. Psychological Science, 16(9), 724-731.
- April 4, 2008: At this month's journal discussion club, we will be discussing when people take pleasure from others misfortunes. The article is entitled "When people fall from grace: Reconsidering the role of envy in Schadenfreude." Light refreshments will be provided!
Reference: van Dijk, W. W., Ouwerkerk, J. W., Goslinga, S., Nieweg, M., & Gallucci, M. (2006). When people fall from grace: Reconsidering the role of envy in schadenfreude. Emotion, 6(1), 156-160.
- March 7, 2008: The article under discussion is titled "The Best Men Are (Not Always) Already Taken: Female Preference for Single Versus Attached Males Depends on Conception Risk." The article discusses how women's partner preference changes with shifts in levels of fertility. It can be found at http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02060.x. Light refreshments will be provided!
- February 1, 2008: The article under discussion is titled "Is Optimism Always Best?: Future Outlooks and Preparedness." The article discusses "how both optimism and shifts from optimism serve the common goal of preparedness." It can be found at http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-8721.2006.00457.x.
- December 7, 2007: Join us for a discussion of the role that environment plays in shaping the influencing of genes. Our reading is a brief article about the influence of parent-child interactions on the expression of a serotonin-related gene. The article is available at the following link, which can be reached from any on-campus computer -- Fox, N., Hane, A. A., & Pine, D. S. (2007). Plasticity for affective neurocircuitry: How the environment affects gene expression. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 16, 1 - 5.
- November 2, 2007: This month's article discusses how the use of the terms red states and blue states intensifies political conflict and polarizes the divides between people who are otherwise similar. The article draws on a number of interesting social psychology studies to understand the impact that the red-blue dichotomy has on our perceptions of others and ourselves. We'd love to hear your thoughts about red vs. blue America. Seyle, C. D., & Newman, M. L. (2006). A house divided? The psychology of red and blue America. American Psychologist, 61, 571 - 580.
- October 5, 2007: This is a full text link to the article, Marshall, R. D., Bryant, R. A., Amsel, L., Suh, E. J., Cook, J. M., & Neria, Y. (2007). The psychology of ongoing threat: Relative risk appraisal, the September 11 attacks, and terrorism-related fears. American Psychologist, 62, 304 – 316.
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