As the US federal government shifts toward harsher and more restrictive immigration policies, local authorities are pushing back with the “sanctuary cities” movement.
Our neural circuits lead us to find comfort in those like us and unease with those who differ, resulting in a battle between reward and distrust. But these brain connections aren’t the end of the story.
Prejudice and stereotypes are part of why social inequality persists. Social scientists use tests to measure the implicit biases people harbor and see how much they relate to actions.
Racial bias is associated with dehumanizing social groups different from your own. Psychologists trained kids to differentiate individuals of another race – with lasting effects on their biases.
Brian Levin, California State University, San Bernardino
FBI data show that in 2015 anti-Muslim hate crimes spiked to the highest level since 2001. A scholar finds political rhetoric correlates to both sharp increases and decreases in hate crime.
A mostly white community in Alabama is being allowed to secede from its mostly black school district. Parents are claiming school quality is at stake, but is it really just segregation in disguise?
American psychologists Nour Kteily and Emile Bruneaushow how some politicians appeal to those who demonise marginalised groups, and how those groups respond with intensified hostility.
Disparagement humor makes a punchline out of a marginalized group. Racist or sexist jokes, for instance, aren’t just harmless fun – psychologists find they can foster discrimination.