DISTINGUISHING THREAT FROM STEREOTYPE:
Do Black Faces Facilitate Categorical Judgments in White Subjects?
by Timothy J. Bono
If we want to eradicate behavior based in racial prejudice and bias, we need to know more about what goes on in
peoples' minds as they react to racial cues. When white participants in a study mistake tools for guns after seeing
a black face, is this because Whites stereotypically associate Blacks and guns? That is, does exposure to certain
groups activate cognitive beliefs or associations about them? Timothy Bono's ongoing work suggests that such
reactions are not, as commonly thought, based solely in stereotypes, but also in the automatic activation of threat,
for which eradication should take a different approach. -Ed.
unedited paper (web-only)
Coatings on Hawaiian Basalts: A Suggested Formation Mechanism and Applications for Mars
by Steven Chemtob
Most of our knowledge about Mars comes from remote sensing instruments. Like Earth, Mars is a volcanically
active planet of rocks. Surface coatings on rocks can make it difficult for the sensing instruments to "see" the rock;
these coatings limit what we might otherwise learn. Volcanoes on Earth leave coatings on rocks that may be similar
to the coatings on Martian rocks. Steven Chemtob reports on investigations into how coatings are formed on
volcanic rock in Hawaii. This work will help us to understand what instruments pick up from rocks on Mars. -Ed.
unedited paper (web-only)
EVALUATING RISK IN SEQUENTIAL EVENTS:
Violations in Expected Utility Theory
by Zachary G. Friedman
Gamblers, test-takers, and indeed all of us are faced with making decisions about a sequence of events in which
the outcome is uncertain at each stage. One classic example is betting on the outcome of a tournament; another
is Texas Hold?em, where players must decide how likely they think it is that certain cards will show up as additional
cards are flipped over. Central to economics is a principle that explains how we evaluate these situations.
Specifically, we multiply these probabilities together-if there is a 20% chance of a six being turned and a 20%
chance of a seven being turned after the six, then we should believe that there is a 4% chance that the six and
seven will be flipped in that order (perhaps completing a straight) and base our actions on this final probability
(albeit this example is greatly simplified). Economics assumes that individuals simply multiply out probabilities in
sequential events to come up with a final probability that explains the series of events. In his study, however, Zach
Friedman found that this wasn?t necessarily the case. -Ed.
unedited paper (web-only)
FEMINIST APPROACHES TO ORGANIZATIONAL DEMOCRACY:
Can the Master's Tools Dismantle the Master's House?
by Erika Sabbath
Many activist groups that work for social change often adopt non-traditional structures and decision-making
processes because conventional organizational practices seem inappropriate to them. Feminist organizations in
the 60s and 70s, among others, struggled with the seeming inconsistency between their philosophies and traditional
organizational philosophy. What kind of an influence can political philosophy have on an organization? What
difference does it make to goal accomplishment? Erika Sabbath investigates the interplay between organizational
attributes and long-term group survival in two feminist organizations. She concludes that hierarchy itself is not an
insurmountable obstacle to feminist ideals, process, or outcome. -Ed.
unedited paper (web-only)
EDUCATING GIRLS MAY DECREASE HIV/AIDS:
The Case of Uganda's Decreased Infection Rate
by Melissa Ulan
Uganda alone of all the African nations has experienced substantial declines in HIV prevalence over the past two
decades. Many studies of African nations have shown increases in the prevalence of AIDS accompanying increases
in girls? education: quantitative data for these factors show a positivecorrelation. One would hope, if not expect,
the opposite to be true. Melissa Ulan investigated those counterintuitive results by using female literacy as a
measure of education instead of enrollment. She found that the number of new AIDS cases decreases as female
literacy rates rise. While her results do not definitely overturn previous findings, they are inconsistent with those
earlier studies in which more education seemed to lead to more AIDS. Her results indicate especially high returns
to girls? literacy and imply that more resources should be devoted to increasing successful educational performance,
especially in young girls, to help control the epidemic elsewhere. -Ed.
unedited paper (web-only)
The following articles are summaries or a brief synopsis of ongoing or completed work.
We think of these as "abstracts made readable," or abstracts for the general audience.
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