News and Issues
While Waiting for the Tipping Point: The Impact of the Fiscal Cliff on the States
The state impact of the fiscal cliff’s expiring federal tax provisions and scheduled spending cuts is missing from the national discussion. This PEW study finds that the effects on the states vary greatly based on the extent to which states are tied to the federal tax code and federal spending. more »
New Studies: Older People and Trust; Science Faculty’s Subtle Gender Biases
A NIA study has shown that older people are less adept than younger people at discerning visual clues of dishonesty in others, helping explain why many older people are more susceptible to financial fraud and other scams. In the other study, science faculty participants rated the male applicant as significantly more competent and hireable than the (identical) female applicant. These participants also selected a higher starting salary and offered more career mentoring to the male applicant. more »
Bills Passed and Introduced: Intercountry and Domestic Adoption, Child Protection and Violence against Women
The Intercountry Adoption Universal Accreditation Act of 2012 (S. 3331) would apply universal accreditation standards to adoption service providers in all countries involved in the adoption of foreign orphans under the age of 16, regardless of whether or not the country is party to the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption. more »
Remembering Your Secret Passwords: Difficult To Be Guessed by Intruders As Well as 'Authorized Users'?
"We expected that differences in password usage would be evident across age and education level. More specifically, based on findings from extensive prior studies on memory and aging, we expected that older adults would report a higher rate of forgotten passwords, an expectation that was surprisingly unconfirmed." more »
