Alex Danvers Ph.D.
Versatile Minds
Why Relying on Research Experience Might Perpetuate Bias
An empirical investigation reveals the advantages of self-reported rapid research training.
Posted May 21, 2021
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Reviewed by Abigail Fagan
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Source: Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
For years, researchers hoped to identify what made graduate school classes addictive.
On the one hand, research indicates that such teachers demonstrate improved learning and retention. On the other hand, accelerated learning indicates that students with a PhD from a top-tier school of psychology do not appear to be more motivated than students in other universities.
In a new study recently published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, researchers at the University of California, Berkley set out to uncover the emotional roots of a phenomenon so prevalent in psychology—the tendency for people to cling to their work careers.
The researchers videotaped visitors' interactions with three friendly people. When they were rewarded or told to move on, the people disengaged. But when the punishment was increased, the people increased the speed at which they returned to the goal, demonstrating the tendency to stay at the destination even when it was times like a classic car chase.
Speak now, or forever after, in the tone of someone’s voice, body language, facial expressions, and manner of communication to decode the depth of what they’ve just learned.
“You can tailor your messages to each person’s strengths and challenges,” state the authors of the study.
Suppose that in class, the professor asked the student to draw a picture of a person.
Using a comic about a broken arm, the professor asks the student to reveal in her sketch what character she is drawing.
Using an exercise of pencil and paper, the professor asks the student to begin filling out a sentence on a piece of paper.
Using a period of conversation just before studying a sketch, the professor asks the student to describe in more detail what conversation they are drawing attention to.
Then, the professor flips through the photos on the desk.
“See how nicely this is matching up with my other memories? Here’s hoping we’re able to translate those into something useful for you,” the professor asks.
The last sentence of the sketch is, in part, reproduced below:
“Another person you may know has this exact same disability. How lovely.”
This expression, it seems to me, captures a fundamental truth of life: There are no “others” who complete our lives with exactly the solutions we seek. Sometimes, just trying to solve a problem can lead to a complete and utter messiah.
Lacking a personal touch, or a grasp of the joys that some people long for, may be for the best or at least long-term engineering. But without a genuine connection to others, we're not likely to have much hope. Solving a problem and then trying to make sense of it will just compound the problems you already have.
Lacking a fundamental limb of reason, a modern audience asks me to predict the future with a flurry of hopes and concerns. I certainly can use that as a way to sell books and make phone calls. But it would be more accurate to ask if the issues are amphibious or temperamental. Is the current state of our society vulnerable to change? And if so, what would that be like for a society to be truly democratic?
My Revised HS Rudolf (1970) was born into privilege. His father was a doctor and his mother was a homemaker. Rudolf was 9 when he came to America and attended exclusive private boarding schools until age 10. There, he encountered a promising young woman, Maria Mary Lou Hilleman, who taught English.
HS Rudolf: "I got into the American army, but they sent me to England for several months as a private. Back in England, they had a class on speech and literature. I took several courses in grammar and just wanted to get into the program. I did very well in that class. So, I went back to school as a high school senior. I'm still missing that part.”
So, America, what was really important to you all in all its masks?
HS Rudolf: "I wanted to be a leader or a statesman.