Research

Conventional wisdom has long assumed that talking about people in dehumanizing terms — as dogs or pigs or pests — was simply an extreme expression of dislike for them. But according to new research, dehumanization and dislike are processed by two completely separate regions of the brain, which suggests that they may be two different psychological processes.

The term “latte liberal” has been a popular way to disparage American progressives as uppity and out of touch, but does a person’s coffee preference really say something about their political ideology?

According to a new study, it does.

When organizations turn a blind eye to sexual harassment in the workplace, how many people need to take a stand before the behavior is no longer seen as normal?

According to a new paper to be published tomorrow in Science, there is a quantifiable answer: roughly 25% of people need to take a stand before large-scale social change occurs. This idea of a social tipping point applies to standards in the workplace, and any type of movement or initiative.

Eleven Annenberg faculty, students, and postdoctoral fellows will present at the International Association for Media and Communication Research’s 2018 Conference, to be held June 20-24 in Eugene, Oregon.

The presentations are listed below, and include room location in parentheses. All events are at the University of Oregon. For the full program, visit IAMCR’s conference website.

Thursday, June 21

8:30

Audience Measurement and Economy (Fenton Hall 110)

Parents are more willing to let their children see intense gun violence in PG-13 movies when the violence appears to be “justified,” used in defense of a loved one or for self-protection, than when it has no socially redeeming purpose, a new study finds.

This year, 16 Penn seniors wrote an honors thesis and/or a Communication and Public Service Capstone Thesis as a required part of their ComPS concentration. All will graduate with honors at Annenberg’s Communication major graduation ceremony this month.

On April 27, these students presented the culmination of their year of work on their Communication theses at a poster session held in the Annenberg School Plaza Lobby. The students had previously presented their theses to a panel of faculty and fellow students.

Today, the Annenberg School for Communication released a report entitled "Divided We Feel: Partisan Politics Drive Americans' Emotions Regarding Surveillance of Low-Income Populations." It is the first national survey that examines Americans’ emotional responses to surveillance practices that disproportionately affect low-income populations. In the US, low-income individuals and people of color are more likely than others to experience commonplace monitoring by government and business.

A new report from Panoptykon Foundation and Annenberg's Internet Policy Observatory (IPO), "Digital Propaganda or 'Normal' Political Polarization? Case Study of Political Debate on Polish Twitter," examines the polarization of public debate, the rise of populism, and digital propaganda.

Despite the persistent notion in Hollywood that films starring people of color aren’t marketable to a broad audience, the success of Black Panther — a Marvel movie starring a Black superhero and with an almost entirely Black cast — provides a clear counterexample, having grossed $1.3 billion worldwide.

Research by Professor Diana Mutz shows that fear of losing their privileged status in America and the world motivated many 2016 voters. The study also debunks the oft-cited idea that voters were driven by economic grievances.