Shankar Vedantam

The release of U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl prompted a firestorm of debate. We step away from that debate to look at what's been learned about the psychological effects of being captured in wartime

Research from the University of Chicago indicates that at least 50 percent of Americans believe in at least one conspiracy theory.

A new analysis suggests unconscious sexism causes people to take hurricanes with female names less seriously than hurricanes with male names.

New research suggests that different cultures do not hear the same emotions when they hear the same sounds. The "emotional grammar" of language is instead shaped by culture and local circumstances.

It's been suspected that judges are swayed by their personal beliefs and affiliations. An analysis found that judges become more likely to rule in "pro-feminist" ways if the judges have daughters.

Social science research suggests risky behavior such as braving heights or swimming in deep waters increases your sex appeal. Driving without a seat belt? Not so much.

The pressure to publish original research can mean scientists are neglecting to verify the work of others. In its current issue, the journal Social Psychology is trying a different approach.

Firstborn kids often do better in school and, on average, go on to earn more money than their younger siblings. A new theory tries to explain why.

Surgeons need rest days, weekends and vacations. But when they come back to work after a break, do they come back refreshed — or rusty?

Research found faculty in academic departments linked to more lucrative professions are more likely to discriminate against women and minorities than faculty in fields linked to less lucrative jobs.

A new idea is making the rounds in education circles. Under the plan, states would allow students to go to college for free then they would pay back a percentage of their salaries after they graduate.

Analysis of innovation at private companies in the U.S. and across the world finds an inverse relationship correlation between disruptive innovation and the age of managers at those companies.

Social scientists have learned you can't always believe what people tell you. An analysis of 3 places in the Muslim world examines whether peoples' reports of religious behavior match what they do.

New research explores gender disparities in business school enrollment by the different ways men and women appear to process ethical compromise.

Parents and educators have assumed that peers matter. An unusual social engineering experiment tried to apply what's known about peer effects to the real world.

As science becomes more diverse, scientific collaborators are growing more diverse, too. New research exploring the effect of this change suggests the diversity of the teams that prod...

Can a behavioral economics theory explain military standoffs such as the one in Crimea? Research on military conflicts shows that weakness, not strength, often leads to aggression.

The public health community has been trying for years to debunk the spurious connection people have been making between vaccines and autism. Have the messages been backfiring?

The American Bar Association ranks nominees to the federal bench, with low rankings making confirmation difficult. A new study finds that these rankings systematically underrate women and minorities.

In crowdsourcing, a big challenge is not with coming up with creative ideas, but identifying creative ideas. A bias makes us bad at spotting creative ideas when they come from those working around us.