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Parenting :: Working parents concerned about after-school care

Millions of working fathers and mothers are less productive at work due to concerns about what their children are doing in the after-school hours, according to a new study released today by Catalyst, the leading nonprofit research and advisory organization working to build inclusive environments and expand opportunities for women at work. The report, entitled “After-School Worries: Tough on Parents, Bad for Business,” was conducted in cooperation with the Women’s Studies Research Center at Brandeis University.

Nanotechnology :: Consumers neutral on risks, benefits of nano – nanotechnology

The largest, most comprehensive survey of public perceptions of nanotechnology products finds US consumers are willing to use specific nano-containing products — even if there are health and safety risks — when the potential benefits are high. The study also finds US consumers rate nanotechnology as less risky than everyday technologies like herbicides, chemical disinfectants, handguns and food preservatives. The findings appear in December’s issue of Nature Nanotechnology.

Consumer :: Why we buy bad gifts for the ones we love most

This holiday season, another woman who loves the rock band No Doubt will receive a plaid skirt that only the band’s singer, Gwen Stefani, could pull off. Another athletic guy will receive an oversize sports jersey — even though off the field he prefers Brooks Brothers. Why are we so terrible at predicting the tastes of the ones we love? A new study explains why familiarity with another person actually makes predicting their tastes more difficult.

Consumer :: Feeling sad about Iraq, it won’t keep you from buying American products

The United States’ involvement in Iraq has generated a lot of debate about the potential impact on American businesses abroad. Yet, very little systematic research has addressed the effect of geo-political conflicts on consumer decision-making. Now, a new study explores how our range of reactions to political events may affect purchasing. Notably, the researchers found that not all negative feelings towards a country will lead to product evaluations based on country of origin.

Consumer :: Caring sentiments can affect business sense

Imagine you are selling a used car on eBay. You will demand a higher price for the car if your toddler is sitting on your lap, says surprising new research from the December issue of the Journal of Consumer Research. Researchers from the University of Toronto found that simply thinking about a personal relationship causes sellers to set a higher price, even if the relationship is not directly related to the transaction.

Consumer :: Buyer’s remorse? How about not-buying remorse?

A groundbreaking new study in the December issue of the Journal of Consumer Research finds that now-or-never buying situations (most commonly experienced at destination retailers) create a notable exception to buyer’s remorse. Instead, consumers are more likely to experience immediate regret for not making the purchase.

Memory :: Virtual reality can improve memory

A new study tested how well people used a camera after learning about its functions two different ways: Either through an interactive virtual rendition or through text and static pictures. It found that though virtual experiences improved people’s memories of the camera’s functions, it also increased false positives — that is, more people believed it could do things that it couldn’t do.

Auction :: Carnegie Mellon researchers uncover online auction fraud

Computer scientists at Carnegie Mellon University are using data mining techniques to identify perpetrators of fraud among online auction users as well as their otherwise unknown accomplices.The new method analyzes publicly available histories of transactions posted by online auction sites such as eBay and identifies suspicious online behaviors and dubious associations among users.

Geology :: January-February 2007 GSA BULLETIN media highlights

Geology topics of interest include: Two New Zealand supervolcanoes that erupted only days or weeks apart; remarkably detailed K-T boundary evidence from the tropical Atlantic’s Demerara Rise supporting a single impact event; and human impact on continental erosion and sedimentation.

Immigrant :: Adolescent Asian immigrants improve their good health habits over time

The good health habits of adolescent Asian immigrants improve with each generation born in the United States, but health habits among adolescent Latino immigrants generally remain poor or become worse in succeeding generations, according to a RAND Corporation study issued today.