Lady Astor: If you were my husband, I’d poison your tea. PM Churchill: Madame, if you were my wife, I’d drink it. This jest was published in November 1899. The excerpt below from an Oswego, New York newspaper acknowledged a source called the “Listener”. Neither participant was identified. Boldface has been added to excerpts: The […]
Art of Communication Read Post »
During the 1960s, Albert Bandura conducted a series of experiments on observational learning, collectively known as the Bobo doll experiments. In 1961 Bandura conducted a controlled experiment study to investigate if social behaviors (i.e., aggression) can be acquired by observation and imitation. They tested 36 boys and 36 girls, aged between 3 to 6 years
Bobo Doll Experiments Read Post »
Eugenics is the practice or advocacy of improving the human species by selectively mating people with specific desirable hereditary traits. It aims to reduce human suffering by “breeding out” disease, disabilities and so-called undesirable characteristics from the human population. Early supporters of eugenics believed people inherited mental illness, criminal tendencies and even poverty, and that
Jose Menendez moved from Cuba to the United States where he met Kitty Andersen, former pageant queen. They were married in 1963 and moved to New York City where José earned an accounting degree from Queens College. The couple’s first son Lyle was born in 1968. Erik was born in 1970. Jose Menendez became an
The Menendez brothers – Did the Jury Get it right? Read Post »
The term “mental deficiency” served as a more general term encompassing various levels of mental disability, which were ranked in accordance with an intelligence scale. Such designations as “idiot,” “imbecile,” and “moron” were introduced into the psychological community as scientific descriptors denoting various levels of mental deficiency. The ranking of mental deficiencies depended on the
Mental Deficiency – Idiot, Imbecile, Moron Read Post »
Immunity is an exemption from a legal requirement, prosecution, or penalty granted by statute or government authorities. The main types of immunity are witness immunity, public officials immunity from liability, sovereign immunity, and diplomatic immunity. Factors considered when granting immunity from prosecution for witnesses include the seriousness of the offense, reliability, and Involvement in criminal
Immunity from prosecution is a legal protection granted to a person that shields them from criminal prosecution for a particular offense or set of offenses. This protection is typically granted by a prosecutor or a court and prevents the government from using any testimony or evidence obtained from the person who was granted immunity against them in a criminal prosecution. The Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution provides
Immunity from Prosecution Read Post »
Dan Markel was a Canadian-born attorney and a FSU law professor. He dropped off his two sons at school and then had a quick workout before heading back to his home in Tallahassee, Florida. Markel was heading up the driveway when he got a call on his cellphone. He told the man on the phone
The Murder of Professor Dan Markel Read Post »
Paraphilias are persistent and recurrent sexual interests, urges, fantasies, or behaviors of marked intensity involving objects, activities, or even situations that are atypical in nature. Although not innately pathological, a paraphilic disorder can evolve if paraphilia invokes harm, distress, or functional impairment on the lives of the affected individual or others. A total of eight
Somnophilia is an under-researched paraphilia. Somnophilia, coined by John Money in 1986, generally refers to a sexual interest in engaging in sexual activity with a sleeping person. Subsequent definitions were broadened to encompass ‘unconscious’ people (e.g., Griffiths, 2014). The definitional waters become further muddied by the terms ‘Sleeping Beauty syndrome’ and ‘sleepysex’. ‘Sleeping Beauty syndrome’