Quote:
Originally Posted by DrPhil
I'm a social scientist so this is "obvious" to me but this is news to the average layperson that I talk to and my average student. There will be a "wow" factor for some, some will be angered because they think this study is telling them they aren't as nice or as progressive as they thought they were, and the rest will be like "DUH."
That's what I find amusing. 
These types of studies are to keep the dialogue going and to use updated methods to either debunk or reinforce the things that many consider to be "conventional wisdom." Conventional wisdom is rarely so and we need qual and quant studies to tell us whether we're completely wrong about our assumptions. |
I guess my reaction to the study, as well as my reactions to other similar studies, show why it's a good thing I pursued the law, and not the social sciences, as a career path.
ETA: Although I would be missing something if I didn't acknowledge that this type of study can be used in a number of legal avenues, from jury selection to scholarly writing on the law.