People in the U.S. have a constitutional right to a jury trial. Yet, more than 95% of criminal convictions result from guilty pleas rather than jury verdicts. The bulk of these guilty pleas come from plea bargaining. This occurs when prosecutors offer reduced sentences to defendants. In return, they waive their right to a trial. Even those who are innocent can plead guilty. … [Read more...] about Did the pandemic increase guilty pleas?

How do kids build friendships and navigate bullying in schools? Dr. Leslie Echols, Missouri State University associate professor of psychology, is trying to find out with her latest research project. Echols and her co-researcher, Dr. Sandra Graham from University of California – Los Angeles, received a grant of about half a million dollars from the National Science Foundation. … [Read more...] about Tackling bullying and promoting friendships in middle schools

Hip-hop is its own unique culture, complete with music, fashion and art. Dr. Ashley Payne, assistant professor of psychology at Missouri State University, studies how hip-hop plays a role forming racial, gender, sexual and academic identities. She also looks at a major player in U.S. culture: social media. “How are hip-hop artists presenting themselves on social media? … [Read more...] about How hip-hop influences identity development

Runway models, social media influencers, pageant queens, celebrities and even Barbie support troubling body image ideals. They are almost unequivocally identified as beautiful, as evidenced by the money we spend and who we choose to idolize. Dr. Brooke Whisenhunt has studied media influences on body image for more than 20 years. As a professor of psychology at Missouri State … [Read more...] about Body image ideals become more unattainable