Bringing the debt ceiling down to our level

Much ado about the debt ceiling the past couple months. As the issue plays on (and on and on) in the news cycle, a reset is in order. Let's get to the nuts and bolts of an issue that — believe it or don't — can be understood even by...

Stepped-up U.S. military aid doesn't equal U.S.-Russia war

Images that circulated recently depict drones blowing up over Red Square in Moscow. As part of its response, a Russian official said, “decisions about such actions and such terrorist acts are made not in Kyiv, but in Washington,” leading many to ask what the Russian retaliation will look like. The...

Older adults may achieve same cognition as undergrads

A set of recent studies demonstrates for the first time that learning multiple new tasks carries benefits for cognition long after the learning has been completed. The finding affirms a long-held assertion of the lead researcher, Rachel Wu, who is an associate professor of psychology at UC Riverside. That is...

By J.D. Warren | | Social Science / Education

UC Riverside is No. 1 for retaining Pell Grant freshmen

A report from The Chronicle of Higher Education gives UC Riverside a No. 1 ranking in freshmen retention rates. UCR is ranked alongside 24 other campuses nationwide that lead the charge in serving low-income students. Like other rankings that have meaningful underpinnings, the list is nuanced. The ranking is found...

By J.D. Warren | | University, Students

UCR among system leaders in applications increase

UC Riverside registered the second largest year-to-year increase in freshmen applications for fall 2023 among University of California campuses, setting a new campus record for applications. Numbers released Friday by the UC system show that overall applications were down 2.2%, while UCR showed a 3.7% increase, with 2,097 additional applicants...

By J.D. Warren | | University

Does Bing's angsty chatbot foretell the future?

Several weeks ago, UCR News published a faculty Q&A about the text-generating capabilities of ChatGPT, and its potential impact on academic essay writing and education. In the ensuing weeks, concerns have been raised about an artificial intelligence-powered chatbot created by OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, that has been incorporated on...

By J.D. Warren | | Science / Technology

Gas stoves: Suddenly, the pariah du jour

One-third of U.S. households — more than 40 million homes — cook with gas. There has been much consternation about the danger of gas stoves in the news lately and talk of banning them since a Consumer Product Safety commissioner recently suggested the move. Environmental Protection Agency data show gas...

By J.D. Warren | | Science / Technology, Health

Who'll stop the rain? California's got nowhere to put it

After several weeks of rain, Southern California remains under advisories for flooding, high winds, and high surf. Early this week, 90% of California was under a flood watch. L.A. County — which has received 2 to 6 inches of rain along the coast and in coastal valleys and about 8...

By J.D. Warren | | Science / Technology

Elon Musk: An 'arbitrary' town hall moderator

In October, Elon Musk took control of Twitter in a $44 billion deal, saying he hoped to enhance Twitter’s mission as “a digital town square." His changes to moderation practices have since led civil rights groups to allege his actions will increase hate speech and misinformation. This week, Musk’s Twitter...

By J.D. Warren | | Social Science / Education

'Rockonomics' professor: Ticketmaster gets a bad rap

A chaotic rollout of tickets for Taylor Swift’s upcoming tour has drawn renewed scrutiny of whether Ticketmaster unfairly dominates the ticketing industry. We asked Carolyn Sloane, a UC Riverside economics professor, whether Ticketmaster has outsized influence on ticket prices. Sloane teaches a "Rockonomics" course and is a "Swiftie" — a...

By J.D. Warren | | Social Science / Education, Business

Is Swift retribution in the offing for Ticketmaster?

A chaotic rollout of tickets for Taylor Swift’s upcoming tour has drawn renewed scrutiny of whether Ticketmaster unfairly dominates the ticketing industry, a charge that first surfaced in earnest in a 1990s skirmish with the grunge band Pearl Jam. We asked UCR experts whether Ticketmaster is a monopoly and should...

By J.D. Warren | | Social Science / Education

Cruising past 'good' and setting their sights on 'great'

Coming off its two most successful seasons ever, UC Riverside Men’s Basketball Coach Mike Magpayo said the team was looking to make the jump “from good to great.” The needle is trending toward Magpayo’s goal. Following a win against Idaho on Dec. 11, the men’s team has won five of...

By J.D. Warren | | Athletics

Skip the angry-letter-never-sent; try a grateful one

It’s long been said that writing an angry letter – but not mailing it —– is an effective way of venting without backlash. UC Riverside researchers say the converse — penning letters-never-sent expressing gratitude — carries a benefit, as well. There is an entire area of study in psychology devoted...

By J.D. Warren | | Social Science / Education

China response is less visible, not less dangerous

In wake of a renewed COVID-19 lockdown, Chinese citizens protested openly in the streets the past several days. It's a rare display in China, where civil unrest is historically greeted with harsh government recriminations. We asked UCR professors Perry Link and Rich Carpiano to weigh in. Link co-translated The Tiananmen...

By J.D. Warren | | Social Science / Education

Author revisits lessons of prison yoga

The narrative surrounding the virtues of yoga instruction inside prisons is incomplete, according to a UC Riverside professor who taught yoga in prisons for several years and has written a book about the experience. “There is a false narrative, which is ‘if you improve yourself, you won’t get incarcerated,’” said...

By J.D. Warren | | Social Science / Education

Apple TV+ series features UCR professor as 'gratitude expert'

The lessons in today’s preschool animated series are a moonshot from the anvil-dropping antics of their parents’-parents’ generation. Case in point: UC Riverside psychology researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky is the “gratitude expert” for a new preschool animated series from Apple TV+, “Sago Mini Friends.” The concept of gratitude is writ large...

By J.D. Warren | | Social Science / Education

Prop 30: A lift for rideshare companies, at the expense of the uber-rich?

Proposition 30 would call for Californians earning more than $2 million per year to help fund zero-emission vehicle purchases and infrastructure, and — to a lesser extent — to fund wildfire response and prevention. It would generate between $3.5 to $5 billion annually by taxing the personal incomes of 35,000...

By J.D. Warren | | Social Science / Education

UCR pundits predict Democrats will take the Senate

Most political scientists and prognosticators predict a GOP win in the U.S. House of Representativeson Nov. 8, and so much of the media’s focus has turned to a tighter suite of contests – those for U.S. Senate seats. UC Riverside political scientists and other social scientists were polled recently on...

By J.D. Warren | | Social Science / Education

Taking photos of slides helps students remember

Students often take camera-phone photos of slides during an instructor’s presentation. But the question has lingered whether this practice helps students remember information. A first-of-its-kind study answers the question, finding that taking pictures of PowerPoint slides during an online presentation helped students remember the slide content better than for slides...

Liking another group doesn't mean you dislike your own

More than 70 years ago, a pair of psychologists conducted a study in which they asked young Black girls to choose between Black and white dolls. The girls overwhelmingly chose white dolls, ascribing positive attributes to them. The Black girls’ choices and reasoning were interpreted by study authors to indicate...

By J.D. Warren | | Social Science / Education