News from Comm Scholars
What Role Does Partisanship Play Outside of the Polls?, Science Friday
Shanto Iyengar discusses PCL study showing that the biggest social divide might not be race or religion, but rather political affiliation.
What’s the Voters’ Problem? That’s a Lot Harder to Determine than You Might Suspect., HNN
James Fishkin believes that we can make democracy function if we just get the facts into voters’ hands.
“Political identity is fair game for hatred”: how Republicans and Democrats discriminate, Vox
Shanto Iyengar’s research shows that even as American voters remain relatively centrist, they seem to be getting angrier and more fearful of the other side.
Stanford researchers uncover patterns in how scientists lie about their data, Stanford Report
Prof. Jeff Hancock and graduate student David Markowitz have cracked the writing patterns of scientists who attempt to pass along falsified data.
These political scientists are discovering even more reasons U.S. politics are a disaster, The Washington Post
Shanto Iyengar’s research shows that partisan distaste extends beyond presidential candidates in the other party to their supporters.
Democrats Agreed to Have Their Debate Broadcast Live in Virtual Reality, Slate
Used properly, virtual reality is poised to transform the way we engage with our world and with each other. Jeremy Bailenson says a political debate is not one of those scenarios.
Media, Activists Divided On What Details To Report In School Shootings, The Huffington Post
Unless stronger evidence emerges linking to news coverage to mass killings, journalists should continue digging into backgrounds of perpetrators says Theodore Glasser.
Carly Fiorina’s rise in polls fueled by buzz, not facts, San Jose Mercury News
Shanto Iyengar says the factual validity of debate statements make almost no difference to the trajectory of the polls.
How might virtual reality change the world? Stanford lab peers into future, CBS News
Jeremy Bailenson studies how very intense experience in the virtual world changes you in the real world and shows how virtual reality can be a tool to teach you about yourself and to teach you empathy.
It’s Not A Come-On From A Satanic Cult. It’s A New Kind Of Poll!, NPR
NPR’s Morning Edition reports on the unique challenges of James Fishkin’s Deliberative Polling® in Tanzania
Is Apple Evil? This Silicon Valley Honeymoon Must End, Worldcrunch
Fred Turner: “All technologies are entry gates that tie us to a corporation, and when I use an iPhone or an iPad, I am nurturing a relationship with Apple. They’re using my data.”
Stanford’s Jon Krosnick: On climate change, most Americans want action, Los Angeles Times
Jon Krosnick’s two decades of asking Americans about climate change has turned up consistent support for action to rein in global warming.
VR Watch: Can Stanford’s approach work for film?, Los Angeles Times
Jeremy Bailenson is skeptical of a broad use of virtual reality in film: How do you tell someone a story that you’re in the middle of?
Happy Earth Day! Unless You’re Running for President in the GOP , Bloomberg
A Republican who accepted the scientific consensus that the buildup of greenhouse gases is causing the climate to change, and said government must act to reduce those emissions, could get an electoral windfall in a general election, says Jon Krosnick.
‘Data Driven’ conference drives discussions on transportation data
James T. Hamilton and the Stanford Journalism program brought together data journalists and car technologists to discuss the future of transportation data.
Climate Is Big Issue for Hispanics, and Personal, The New York Times
Jon Krosnick’s recent climate change survey found that Hispanics are more likely than non-Hispanic whites to view global warming as a problem that affects them personally.
NBA commissioner visits Stanford for lesson in virtual reality, Stanford Report
Jeremy Bailenson’s research show that virtual reality training can improve athletic performance.
Most Republicans Say They Back Climate Action, Poll Finds, The New York Times
The most powerful finding in Jon Krosnick’s survey is that among Republicans, 48% say they are more likely to vote for a candidate who supports fighting climate change.
How Did Politics Get So Personal?,
Shanto Iyengar’s research suggests that the sources of dispute in contemporary life go far beyond ideological differences. They have become elemental, almost tribal.
Keystone XL Pipeline May Force Republicans to Embrace Climate Change, Scientific American
Jon Krosnick’s research shows that many voters prefer candidates who agree with scientists’ findings about climbing temperatures.
‘Partyism’ Now Trumps Racism, Bloomberg View
Shanto Iyengar and PCL graduate student Sean Westwood conducted a large-scale implicit association test and found people’s political bias to be much larger than their racial bias.
Virtual reality could make real difference in environment, The San Francisco Chronicle
Jeremy Bailenson describes how virtual reality can bring people inside of a degraded ocean ecosystem and show how their personal carbon footprint contributes to ocean acidification.
Be an Ideologue, Not a Partisan, Bloomberg View
Shanto Iyengar proposes a definition of polarization based not on ideology but on “social distance.”
Changing world temperatures influence views on global warming, Stanford Report
The year after temperatures rise, people are more likely to believe in global warming, says Jon Krosnick.
Seeing The Future (Through $40,000 Goggles) At Stanford’s Virtual Reality Lab, Forbes
The Forbes team experienced a number of simulations at Jeremy Bailenson’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab designed to demonstrate how people experience virtual environments and how VR can be a tool for improving lives.
How El Niño Might Alter the Political Climate, The New York Times
Jon Krosnick says one-third of Americans don’t trust climate scientists and make their decisions about climate change based on very recent trends in warming.
Virtual reality: It’s not just for video games, Fortune
Jeremy Bailenson’s research has shown that making a cause and effect relationship perceptual, as opposed to theoretical, changes consumer and other behaviors more than other interventions.
Obama hopes to win over voters with renewed focus on climate change , Los Angeles Times
Jon Krosnick’s research on the 2008 and 2010 congressional elections showed clear evidence that candidates who publicized their support for tackling climate change gained an advantage with voters.
Two Faculty Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Shanto Iyengar and James Fishkin join Professor Jon Krosnick who was elected in 2009.
If You Like Immersion, You’ll Love This Reality, The New York Times
Jeremy Bailenson says virtual reality technology is advancing so quickly that it is certain to infuse just about every corner of our lives.
The VR Experience That May Have Convinced Mark Zuckerberg to Buy Oculus, Mashable
Weeks before Facebook announced that it had acquired virtual reality gaming headset manufacturer Oculus Rift, Mark Zuckerberg made a private visit to Jeremy Bailenson’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab.
Public misunderstanding, “birtherism” and flawed survey wording, Journalist’s Resource
Jon Krosnick and colleague find that different survey results were partly attributable to the use of leading introductory sentences in questions about President Obama’s birthplace.
In elections, even veteran incumbents pressured to debate, The San Francisco Chronicle
The conventional wisdom has always been that the candidate in the lead has fewer reasons to participate in a debate, however Shanto Iyengar says that may not be practical in the age of social media.
Is San Francisco losing its soul?, The Guardian
Fred Turner argues that gentrification driven by white, middle-class newcomers to the city is nothing new, and has even underpinned its famous counter-culture movements.
That’s Just Like ‘Her': Could We Ever Love A Computer?, NPR All Tech Considered
Byron Reeves says what research shows is that humans have an amazing ability to respond to machines, as if the machine were human.
Stanford professor traces roots of the psychedelic ’60s to postwar America, Stanford Report
Fred Turner reveals how changing ideals about American democracy in the 1940s and ’50s planted the seeds of rebellion that flowered in the counterculture of the 1960s.
How Silicon Valley Became The Man, Harvard Business Review
Fred Turner discusses the development of Silicon Valley culture.
City turns to Scrabble tiles to help set election ballots, Anchorage Daily News
Jon Krosnick says the position of candidates on a ballot can have a significant impact.
Memories of Clifford Nass
Friends and family have started a fund to support faculty or graduate students in the School of Humanities and Sciences.
Naked Launch: What’s really new about the big new tech companies?, The New Yorker
Fred Turner shows how the communal idealism of the 1960s transformed into the business-minded, new-corporate culture of today.
Majority of red-state Americans believe climate change is real, study shows, The Guardian
Jon Krosnick’s research finds far-reaching acceptance that climate change is indeed occurring and is caused by human activities.
Stanford Professor Who Sounded Alert On Multitasking Has Died, NPR All Things Considered
A discussion of Clifford Nass’ legacy.
Driverless Distraction: Will we be safe when our cars drive themselves?, KALW
Clifford Nass’s car simulator allows accurate measurement of manual, visual and cognitive distractions while driving.
Sexualized avatars affect the real world, Stanford researchers find, Stanford Report
Jeremy Bailenson’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab conducted a study that examined how becoming a sexualized avatar affected women’s perceptions of themselves.
Making Time: Can we teach kindness?, BBC News Magazine
Jeremy Bailenson utilizes virtual reality to investigate what causes us to help other people.
No One Understands The Scariest, Most Dangerous Part Of A Self-Driving Car: Us, Huffington Post
People worry about the wrong thing when it comes to the safety of autonomous cars, says Clifford Nass, director of the Revs Program.
Our Multitasking Romance, PRI Innovation Hub
Clifford Nass says there are ways to mitigate our multitasking addiction and relearn the art of focusing.
If You Know How a Cow Feels, Will You Eat Less Meat?, Scientific American
Jeremy Bailenson’s research hopes to uncover whether virtual reality can alter behaviors that tax the environment and contribute to climate change.
Why Partisans Can’t Kick The Hypocrisy Habit, NPR
Shanto Iyengar’s research shows that people are likely to see their political party as in the right, no matter what, and the other party as wrong.
There’s a Better Way to Bypass Stalled Officials, The New York Times
James Fishkin says there is a way to get voters more involved in setting the agenda, by creating a representative and thoughtful way for the people to determine whether a proposition should go on the ballot.
Public Opinion on Climate Change (Video), C-SPAN
Jon Krosnick discusses 20 years of opinion polls on climate change at the Environmental and Energy Study Institute.
Why Siri’s Voice Is Now A Man (And A Woman), Huffington Post
Clifford Nass’s research has shown people apply gender biases even to digital voices.
Can Virtual Reality Make You a Better Person?, The Wall Street Journal
Doctoral student Jakki Bailey, Masters student Shawnee Baughman and team at VHIL study the effect of virtual experiences on real world behavior.
Census’ claim that black turnout surpassed white in 2012 may be flimsy, Yahoo! News
An academic survey of civic involvement conducted by Jon Krosnick for American National Election Studies suggests that there is a bias in who chooses to participate in political surveys.
Stanford innovation center studies the auto’s past, plans for its future, Automotive News
Clifford Nass’s Revs Program ponders the auto — and its role in our future — from a variety of perspectives.
Change the World: Silicon Valley transfers its slogans — and its money — to the realm of politics, The New Yorker
Fred Turner and colleagues point out that a system of “peer production” could be less egalitarian than the scorned old bureaucracies.
Tech Burning Man Pitched By Google CEO Larry Page, Huffington Post
Fred Turner explains Burning Man’s pull for so many of the Bay Area’s tech boosters.
Why Drones Make Us Nervous, The Daily Beast
A camera merely sees, Clifford Nass says, but a drone seems to watch.
Efficiency Exchange Virtual Session: Jeremy Bailenson Keynote, conduit
Jeremy Bailenson talks about his research in immersive virtual reality and how these systems could be used to affect behavioral efficiency programs.
The Myth Of Multitasking, NPR Talk of the Nation
Clifford Nass says today’s nonstop multitasking actually wastes more time than it saves—and he says there’s evidence it may be killing our concentration and creativity too.
Stewart Brand’s Whole Earth Catalog, the book that changed the world, The Guardian
Fred Turner says the book changed the world in much the same way that Google changed the world: it made people visible to each other.
Learning analytics from MOOCs, Stanford Report
Graduate student René Kizilcec and his colleagues analyze student behavior in massive open online courses.
Public anxious on climate, to a point, Politico
Three-quarters of the public believe that global temperatures have “probably” slowly increased during the past century — a finding that Jon Krosnick says has been consistent throughout 15 years of surveys he has conducted on the topic.
Superhero or Supervillain?, Slate
Jeremy Bailenson’s experiment shows how virtual superpowers can influence moral decisions.
Automotive Big Ideas, Stanford Report
Stanford communication students propose innovative driving technologies at the first Big Idea Festival for Automotive Interfaces.
Most People Are Rationally Ignorant, The European
What decisions would we make if we deliberated carefully about public policy? An interview with James Fishkin.
The Final Presidential Debate, KQED Forum
Shanto Iyengar and panel analyze the impact of the debate and parse the candidates’ positions.