Society & Culture - Friday, March 12, 2010 12:06 - 0 Comments

Using math to formulate sex offender laws


neighbors

A mathematical model is designed to help communities and policymakers focus on the spatial management of sex offenders and not mere punitive measures. “A lot of local policies are knee-jerk reactions,” Tony Grubesic says. “As a result, communities may actually expose themselves to a net-greater risk than in the absence of a law.” (Courtesy: iStockphoto)

INDIANA U. (US)—A new mathematical model could help communities that are in the midst of passing or reforming sex offender laws quantify risk and address issues of special concern. Continue…


Society & Culture - Mar 11, 2010 18:07 - 0 Comments

Knowing their family history helps kids cope

three_generations

Using a “Do You Know” scale researchers measured knowledge of family history. Teens who knew more stories about their extended family showed “higher levels of emotional well-being, and also higher levels of identity achievement, even when controlling for general level of family functioning,” the researchers report. “There is something powerful about actually knowing these stories.” (Courtesy: iStockphoto)

EMORY (US)—Children show higher levels of emotional well-being if they know stories about relatives who came before them. Continue…

Society & Culture - Mar 11, 2010 12:40 - 0 Comments

Moms don’t need moola to be successful

happy_mom

“Results showed that those mums who became ‘happier in themselves’ compared to their own rating from two years earlier were also caring for their toddlers in ways which are more beneficial for children’s well-being and development,” says Sarah Stewart-Brown. “What strengthens this finding is that we also found the converse; when mum’s reported that their well-being had declined their parenting had also taken a turn for the worse.”

U. WARWICK (UK)—New research shows that while money can’t buy happiness, a mother who is happy in herself does a better job of parenting, regardless of financial circumstances. Continue…

Society & Culture - Mar 8, 2010 16:44 - 0 Comments

Is your computer calling the shots?

Young man with laptop sits on floor

“Many problems in how we make decisions have been attributed to limitations in how we memorise and process information, and computers are often used to overcome these restrictions,” John Maule says. “But because many computer systems have been developed without a full understanding of how people actually think, computers can lead people to make bad decisions. (Courtesy: iStockphoto)

U. LEEDS (UK)—People who use computers to help them make good decisions are often unwittingly being led by technology into making bad ones. Continue…

More Articles from Society & Culture

Sign Up: Futurity Today

Subscribe to receive a daily digest of Futurity's best stories.


Browse By School

Browse By Month

Futurity’s on Alltop

Alltop logo Futurity's stories are now featured on one of the Web's top news aggregators, Alltop.com. Find select Futurity highlights on the related blog Holy Kaw and on the well-followed Twitter page of Alltop cofounder Guy Kawasaki.
Powered by: ScienceBlogs