Read more sociology stories on Newserhttp://www.newser.com/taggrid/12605/sociology.html2009 - Newseren-usNewser Feed GeneratorTue, 24 Nov 2009 5:41:11 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/44786/racial-identity-shifts-with-social-status.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagRacial identity isn't set at birth—it's a malleable perception that changes with one's social status, a university study has found. Over 23 years, 12,700 people were asked to identify themselves and others as black or white. One-fifth switched their answers over time, often deeming people black if they...http://www.newser.com/story/44786/racial-identity-shifts-with-social-status.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagTue, 09 Dec 2008 11:33:00 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/24060/texas-polygamists-sect-or-cult.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagWhile much of the media is calling the polygamous group raided in Texas a “sect,” some experts say it’s better defined as a cult, LiveScience reports. One scientist points out that the word “cult” is often avoided in academia for its negative connotations. But “if you've got a group that's...http://www.newser.com/story/24060/texas-polygamists-sect-or-cult.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagThu, 10 Apr 2008 14:12:00 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/21200/americans-get-more-liberal-with-age.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagThe older a person gets, the more conservative he or she is likely to be, right? Wrong, say scientists who studied more than 46,000 people who responded to a US government survey from 1972 to 2004. In fact, a lead researcher tells LiveScience, "More people are changing in a...http://www.newser.com/story/21200/americans-get-more-liberal-with-age.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagMon, 10 Mar 2008 13:00:00 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/19223/police-piece-together-shooters-trail.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagBefore his shooting rampage at NIU, Steven Kazmierczak spent two days in a motel, taking cold medicine and drinking Red Bull, the Chicago Tribune reports. He left behind no note, only a sealed duffel bag filled with gun ammo. Kazmierczak, who had stopped taking medication for anxiety, also sent his...http://www.newser.com/story/19223/police-piece-together-shooters-trail.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagSat, 16 Feb 2008 10:43:21 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/15363/stop-picking-on-nerds.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagAmericans mock nerds ad nauseum , and psych prof David Anderegg says it's time to lay off. In his new book, Nerds: Who They Are and Why We Need More of Them , Andregg breezily but thoroughly critiques a cultural prejudice that he claims dates back to Ralph Waldo Emerson, the Washington...http://www.newser.com/story/15363/stop-picking-on-nerds.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagTue, 01 Jan 2008 18:25:55 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/14528/your-phone-knows-where-you-sleep.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagYour cell phone knows more than it lets on. Most can tell where they are, for starters, and how close other phones are. Since most of us tote them everywhere, our phones could track or analyze movement patterns for huge populations. “This is obviously sort of useful,” says MIT researcher...http://www.newser.com/story/14528/your-phone-knows-where-you-sleep.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagThu, 20 Dec 2007 12:17:41 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/7509/science-makes-great-strides-in-gaydar.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagThe way people walk apparently broadcasts their sexual orientation, researchers have discovered. Participants in a new study were able to correctly identify gay men based only on their gait, a sign that “gaydar” might be real. “We can pick these signals up; we can tell who’s gay,” said one researcher....http://www.newser.com/story/7509/science-makes-great-strides-in-gaydar.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagFri, 14 Sep 2007 2:56:38 CDT