QUICK STUDIES
ITEM: Being black and gay can work to a job seeker’s advantage.
STUDY: “The Positive Consequences of Negative Stereotypes: Race, Sexual Orientation, and the Job Application Process,” Social Psychology Quarterly, March 2014
AUTHOR: David Pedulla, Department of Sociology, Princeton University
OUTSIDE FUNDING: National Science Foundation
HAZARDS AHEAD
ITEM: Most trauma survivors don’t develop PTSD.
STUDY: “The Stressor Criterion in DSM-IV Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: An Empirical Investigation,” Biological Psychiatry, November 2001
AUTHOR: Naomi Breslau, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University
OUTSIDE FUNDING: National Institutes of Health
ITEM: PTSD isn’t uncommon among survivors of sexual assault.
STUDY: “Influence of Predispositions on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Does It Vary by Trauma Severity?” Psychological Medicine, February 2013
AUTHOR: Naomi Breslau, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University
OUTSIDE FUNDING: National Institutes of Health
ITEM: Many rape survivors recover within months of their trauma.
STUDY: “A Prospective Examination of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Rape Victims,” Journal of Traumatic Stress, July 1992
AUTHOR: Barbara Rothbaum, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University
OUTSIDE FUNDING: National Institutes of Mental Health
ITEM: Having trauma as central to one’s identity bodes poorly for survivors.
STUDY: “Trauma Centrality and PTSD Symptom Severity in Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse,” Journal of Traumatic Stress, August 2011
AUTHOR: Richard McNally, Department of Psychology, Harvard University
OUTSIDE FUNDING: The Milton Fund
THROUGH A CT SCAN, DARKLY
ITEM: Physical exam skills have atrophied in recent generations of doctors.
STUDY: “Pulmonary Auscultatory Skills During Training in Internal Medicine and Family Practice,” American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, April 1999
AUTHOR: Salvatore Mangione, Center for Research in Medical Education and Health Care, Jefferson Medical College
OUTSIDE FUNDING: American Academy of Family Physicians
CAN’T RENT ME LOVE
ITEM: Studies suggest that humans are hardwired to go jelly-kneed around creatures with kinderschema—infant traits like big eyes, big head, and a small body.
STUDY: “Baby Schema in Infant Faces Induces Cuteness Perception and Motivation for Caretaking in Adults,” Ethology, March 2009
AUTHOR: Melanie L. Glocker, Department of Behavioral Biology, University of Muenster
OUTSIDE FUNDING: German National Academic Foundation and the National Institutes of Mental Health
HOW THE OTHER HALF LIFTS
ITEM: Lifting weights increases bone density and muscle fiber.
STUDY: “The Paradox of Social Class and Sports Involvement: The Roles of Cultural and Economic Capital,” International Review for the Sociology of Sport, March 2002
AUTHOR: Thomas C. Wilson, Department of Sociology, Florida Atlantic University
OUTSIDE FUNDING: National Institutes of Health, The Gerontological Society of America, Canadian Institute for Health Research
CAN YOU SPOT THE HEALTH PROPAGANDA?
ITEM: Story lines featuring rare illnesses and diseases appeared more than four times as often as those featuring heart disease, five times as often as those featuring cancer, and 20 times as often as those about diabetes.
STUDY: “How Healthy Is Prime Time? An Analysis of Health Content in Popular Prime Time Television Programs,” September 2008
AUTHOR: Sheila T. Murphy, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Southern California
OUTSIDE FUNDING: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Cancer Institute
BLOODY NICE
ITEM: A novel training module for improving stress management in surgeons.
STUDY: “The Effects of Stress and Coping on Surgical Performance During Simulations,” Annals of Surgery, January 2010
AUTHOR: Maria Woloshynowych, Department of Biosurgery and Surgical Technology, Imperial College London
OUTSIDE FUNDING: Bupa Health Foundation of Australia and the Association for Surgical Education
This post originally appeared in the July/August 2014 print issue ofPacific Standardas “Who Funded That?” Subscribe to our bimonthly magazine for more coverage of the science of society.
