UT Dallas Magazine - Winter 2012 - (Page 9)

Never accuse UT Dallas students of being “undiplomatic,” at least not the Model U.N. team members who captured the Outstanding Delegation Award at the national conference, which included 5,000 student participants. Dr. Ross J. Roeser, professor in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, received the Northern Illinois University’s 2011 College of Health and Human Sciences Outstanding Alumni Award. Chemistry major Catherine Eckert won first place in the 2011 Undergraduate Research Poster Competition proposing a technique on separating gases on the molecular level according to size. Dr. Ken Balkus, professor of chemistry, was named a 2011 American Chemistry Society Fellow in recognition of his excellence in chemistry research and service to the community. From the Lab Rodney Dangerfield Effect: Leadership Linked to Status For the experiment, the researchers recruited 80 participants and observed the individuals’ contributions in a repeated publicgoods game. They found that players more frequently copied the actions of a leader they believed was “high status” among peers. They tended to ignore potential leaders who were seen as lower status and sometimes punished these individuals for actions perceived as inappropriate or disappointing. “Leaders who are seen as having higher status are more likely to be followed, and do not have to use sanctions or punishment to get followers to cooperate. Low-status leaders have a harder time getting others to follow, and frequently resort to sanctions to try to get the followers to cooperate,” Eckel said. “We call it the ‘Rodney Dangerfield effect’―they get no respect.” -EM to a research team that included UT Dallas faculty members. Dr. Catherine Eckel, director of the Center for Behavioral and Experimental Economic Science in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences, was part of the team that conducted experiments aimed at better understanding economic and social decisionmaking. Dr. Catherine Eckel P eople tend to follow leaders they perceive as high-status individuals and typically reject the take-charge efforts of people considered lower-status or misfits, according Researcher Hopes to Protect Kids from Deceptive Ads of problem solving, such as the ability to ask good questions and use new information. Another part of the research will consider how 7- to 9-year-old children develop the ability to critically evaluate the information they encounter. The studies also will observe how parents and children interact when discussing questionable sources because parentchild interaction is considered vital to learning. “By examining these issues, we can gain important insight into how to nurture the development of critical-thinking skills as children grow into adults,” Mills said. -EM Dr. Candice Mills aimed at young people. Dr. Candice Mills, assistant professor in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences and a researcher in the Center for Children and Families, is studying ways to help preschool-age children determine what sources are most helpful in answering their questions. Mills and her team also are looking at other aspects A UT Dallas researcher is examining how children evaluate information to solve problems and learn how to think critically, with the aim of combating misleading advertising The University of Texas at Dallas Winter 2012 9

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of UT Dallas Magazine - Winter 2012

UT Dallas Magazine - Winter 2012
Contents
On Campus
From the Lab
Arts and Culture
Courtside Success
Athletics
Research Is Teaching
Town and Gown
In Your Footsteps: An Alumni Perspective
Alumni Notes
In Memoriam
Hindsight

UT Dallas Magazine - Winter 2012