© University of Rochester 1996-2012
“We are born with some very rudimentary sense of empathy hard-wired in.” —Judi Smetana, a professor of clinical and social psychology, on National Public Radio discussing the age at which a sense of morality begins to develop in humans.
“You tend to discover more things like Ponzi schemes when stock market prices decline. One of the oldest sayings is, ‘You don’t know what’s going to be left up on the beach until the tide runs out.’”—Joel Seligman, University president and an expert on securities law, responding to news that the Securities and Exchange Commission had stopped a Ponzi scheme targeting deaf investors in the United States and Japan.
“A good parent doesn’t try to be their child’s best friend. A good parent says, It is time to put away ‘childish things,’ or, It’s time to ‘pick ourselves up’ and ‘dust ourselves off,’ instead of handing you the credit card and telling you to go shopping.”—Hannah Solky, a clinical associate professor of psychiatry, commenting on President Barack Obama and comparisons between good governing and good parenting.
“One criticism of the FAA is that they move at a glacial pace at everything they do, from modernizing air traffic control to giving due consideration to the NTSB’s recommendations. We would be much better served as a country in terms of regulations if the FAA would simply make decisions.”—David Primo, an associate professor of political science, remarking on a disagreement between the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board on airplane safety and icing conditions.
“In some ways, kids benefit from seeing their parents disagreeing, and even being mildly angry. It gives them a lesson on how you can come to a mutually acceptable solution through compromise.”—Patrick Davies, an associate professor of psychology, describing the findings of a study he coauthored, suggesting that children may profit from witnessing some disputes between their parents.
“We know the placebo effect exists; the problem is that we don’t know how to measure it very well.”—Joseph Roscoe, a research associate professor of radiation oncology, commenting on his study showing that acupressure wristbands reduces nausea beyond a mere placebo effect.
“All you can say is a trip to the emergency department for patients who had any kind of headache was perhaps related to a small rise in temperature and lower barometric pressure.”—Deborah Friedman, a professor of ophthalmology, taking issue with the methodology of a study suggesting that there is a link between weather and headaches.
© University of Rochester 1996-2012