Conférences "Sommes-nous tous des Monstres?"

Conférence gratuite et ouverte à tous. Il suffit de s'inscrire! Informations ici:

https://www.ulb.ac.be/facs/psycho/monstres.html

Tell me who you pet, I’ll tell you who you are: The Social Psychology of cat, dog (and turtle) persons

Source: http://blog.mindjet.com/2012/06/why-cats-rule-dogs-drool-qa-with-buzzfeeds-beastmaster/

Let's start with a small (but arguably, life-changing) quizz: Which one of the descriptions below applies best to you?

(1) You prefer spending time on your own rather than with others

(2) You’re often ready to explore new things or ideas 

(3) People often say you’re easy to get along with 

(4) You absolutely love energy-consuming, outdoor activities. 

Information, misinformation and memory formation

 

“We are our memories” it is often said. Remembering is something each of us does on a daily basis in several ways and for several reasons. We can “remember” things we have to do on a particular day. Or we can remember past events that either involve us or not. 

All about Mardi Gras!

Lundi svelte, mardi gras, mercredi mince, jeudi bouffi, vendredi maigre, samedi arrondi et dimanche dodu.

When you hear someone talk about “Mardi Gras” what are the first things that come to mind? Most people would probably imagine scenes of Mardi Gras celebrations with plastic beads, parades, loud music, and crowded parties. However, Mardi Gras is much more than a simple street party. It stems from a tradition that signaled the start forty-day fast. So where maybe, at first, you thought of beads, parties and lots of food when thinking of Mardi Gras, it is actually all about fasting. The roots of this event and the forty-day fast go back to Europe during the Middle Ages, and the tradition we know as ‘Carnival’.

Image from: http://fox43.com/2013/02/12/sneak-peek-into-the-mardi-gras-celebration-in-new-orleans/

Is it possible to feel on behalf of groups?

We are usually happy and proud of ourselves when we have positive feedback from our boss. Still, we tend to feel ashamed when we fall on the street and people are looking or we usually feel guilty when we misbehave towards a friend.

These are all common emotions that we can feel whenever we succeed or fail important goals or standards we have.

But why would we feel sad when our football team loses a match or feel ashamed and/or guilty for something we did not do? Why would we simply feel “emotions by association”, or in different words, why would we feel certain emotions when confronted with the actions of social groups that we may or may not belong to?

Source: http://www.freefantasyfootballpicks.com/2012/01/40-photos-of-saddest-fans-in-sports.html

Conflict resolution 2.0: Can Internet-based intergroup contact reduce prejudices?

More than 60 years ago, Gordon W. Allport published his renowned book “The Nature of Prejudice“ (1954)  in which he discussed why individuals hold negative opinions about, for instance, African Americans or Catholics and how contact between social groups (i.e., intergroup contact) may reduce such prejudices.  The latter proposition—also known as the contact hypothesis—inspired an ever-growing literature on intergroup relations.

Source: http://psychologie.fernuni-hagen.de/Lernportal/Lernumgebung/Html/GruppeInter.html

"Greed is good" ("La cupidité est une bonne chose")

Gordon Gekko (Wall Street, O.Stone, 1987)

Le Loup de Wall Street, Martin Scorsese, 2013

A la fin du 19^ème siècle, les sciences humaines se sont focalisées sur l’analyse des problèmes sociaux avec pour finalité de les réduire. Or, les recherches sur la délinquance se sont majoritairement focalisées sur l’idée que la criminalité était le fait des classes laborieuses réputées « dangereuses ». La délinquance des élites ou encore, le « White Collar Crime », sont donc largement restés en dehors du radar des sciences humaines.  Cependant, l’actualité, ponctuée par quelques « affaires » et « scandales », ou encore le cinéma avec par exemple, « Le loup de Wall Street » sorti en décembre 2013, semblent nous prouver le contraire en laissant croire que ces élites ne sont au final pas à l’abri de la justice.