UChicago News

Martha Nussbaum honored with Prince of Asturias Award for Social Sciences

Meredith Heagney — Thu, 17 May 2012 12:26 -0500

Martha C. Nussbaum, the Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics in the Law School, Philosophy Department and Divinity School, has received the 2012 Prince of Asturias Award for Social Sciences. The award is given by Prince Felipe of Spain to those whose work in various disciplines “...

Bertram Cohler, psychologist and esteemed teacher, 1938-2012

William Harms — Mon, 14 May 2012 10:54 -0500

Update: A memorial service for Bert Cohler will be held at 6 p.m. June 4 in Rockefeller Memorial Chapel.

Bertram Cohler, a UChicago psychologist and celebrated teacher who was an expert on family life and transitions, died May 9. Cohler, 73, was the William Rainey Harper Professor in the College.

Cohler’s primary appointment was in Comparative Human Development, with joint appointments held in Psychology, Psychiatry and...

Harris School, Economics graduate students organize conference on early childhood

Sarah Galer — Fri, 11 May 2012 14:40 -0500

On April 20 and 21, leading thinkers on early childhood development gathered at the University of Chicago to discuss a wide range of current research and its global implications, a culmination of two years of work by a group of driven UChicago graduate students.

An inspiration for the event’s content came from a yearlong series of workshops led by Nobel laureate James Heckman, who has pioneered the economic study of...

Undocumented, young immigrants face obstacles, uncertain futures

Fri, 11 May 2012 13:41 -0500

Undocumented Latino youth who migrate to the United States face futures clouded by limited rights and the constant fear of deportation, according to a new report from the University of Chicago and the University of California, Irvine.

Many don’t fully realize the constraints of their status until they become older teenagers and young adults, the report finds.

“Rites of passage common to American youth — getting a driver’s license, traveling, working...

Mario Small appointed next dean of Social Sciences Division

Steve Kloehn — Tue, 01 May 2012 12:00 -0500

Prof. Mario L. Small has been appointed dean of the Social Sciences Division for a five-year term, President Robert J. Zimmer and Provost Thomas F. Rosenbaum announced. Small’s appointment takes effect on July 1.

Small is currently professor in sociology and the College and chair of Sociology. Recognized as a leading sociologist of his generation, Small...

Thinking in a foreign language helps economic decision-making

William Harms — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 09:00 -0500

In a study with implications for businesspeople in a global economy, researchers at the University of Chicago have found that people make more rational decisions when they think through a problem in a non-native tongue.

People are more likely to take favorable risks if they think in a foreign language, the new study showed. “We know from previous research that because people are naturally loss-averse, they often forgo attractive opportunities,” said UChicago psychologist...

Deaf children’s gesture mismatches provide clues to learning moments

William Harms — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 09:00 -0500

In a discovery that could help instructors better teach deaf children, a team of University of Chicago researchers has found that a gesture-sign mismatch made while explaining a math problem suggests that a deaf child is experiencing a teachable moment.

Through a series of experiments with 40 deaf children, ages nine through 12, all of whom were fluent in American Sign Language, researchers were able to distinguish between ASL signs and gestures that look like the gestures...

Study: Academic program helps more Chicago students attend, stay in college

Bronwyn McDaniel — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 09:07 -0500

The International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IB DP), an internationally recognized academic program, significantly increased the chances that Chicago Public Schools students would attend selective colleges, according to a new study from the University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research.

When compared to a matched comparison group, CPS students in the program were 40 percent more likely to attend a four-...

A new take on the games people play in their relationships

William Harms — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 08:58 -0500

Human nature has deep evolutionary roots and is manifested in relationships with family members, friends, romantic and business partners, competitors, and strangers more than in any other aspects of behavior or intellectual activity, contends a University of Chicago behavioral biologist.

“Social behavior is, in part, genetically controlled and evolves by natural selection,” said Dario Maestripieri,...

Puzzle play helps boost learning of important math-related skills

William Harms — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 17:48 -0500

Children who play with puzzles between ages 2 and 4 later develop better spatial skills, a study by University of Chicago researchers has found. Puzzle play was found to be a significant predictor of spatial skill after controlling for differences in parents’ income, education and the overall amount of parent language input.

In examining video recordings of parents interacting with children during everyday activities at home, researchers found children who play with...