Mike Milburn
Dr. Milburn's research in political psychology focuses on the determinants of political attitudes, the role of emotion in public opinion, and the effects of the mass media on political attitudes and social behavior.
Working in the context of affect displacement theory (i.e., that emotions from childhood can be displaced onto adult political attitudes), his research has demonstrated a relationship between experiences of harsh childhood punishment and support for punitive public policies such as the death penalty and the use of military force. His most recent book, "The Politics of Denial" (written with Dr. Sheree Conrad), explores the implications of these research findings for public opinion in the United States. His research on the effects of the mass media has established that emotionally arousing, dramatic images in television news stories can decrease viewers' capacity to process and recall the information in the stories.
Dr. Milburn is also currently conducting a research study to investigate the effectiveness of homeopathy for the treatment of depression. This study is funded in part by a grant from the Council for Homeopathic Research and Education.
Primary Interests:
- Applied Social Psychology
- Emotion, Mood, Affect
- Gender Psychology
- Health Psychology
- Internet and Virtual Psychology
- Interpersonal Processes
- Persuasion, Social Influence
- Political Psychology
- Prejudice and Stereotyping
- Social Cognition
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How to Assess Impairment
Description
Interview with Michael Millburn, Founder and Chief Science Officer at Impairment Science, Inc., and creator of the DRUID impairment measurement app.
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27:43 How to Assess Impairment
Length: 27:43
Interview with Michael Millburn, Founder and Chief Science Officer at Impairment Science, Inc., and creator of the DRUID impairment measurement app.
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1:24:10 Get High and Drive?
Length: 1:24:10
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1:09:25 Impairment, Employment, and the Law
Length: 1:09:25
Books:
- Conrad, S. D., & Milburn, M. A. (2000). Sexual intelligence: Boost your sex IQ and get exactly what you want in bed. New York: Crown.
- Milburn, M. A. (1991). Persuasion and politics: The social psychology of public opinion. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks-Cole/Wadsworth.
- Milburn, M. A., & Conrad, S. D. (1996). The politics of denial. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
- Milburn, M. A., & Conrad, S. D. (2016). Raised to rage: The politics of anger and the roots of authoritarianism. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Journal Articles:
- Jussim, L., Milburn, M. A., & Nelson, W. (1991). Emotional openness: Sex-role stereotypes and self-perceptions. Representative Research in Social Psychology, 19, 3-20.
- Kelley-Milburn, D., & Milburn, M. A. (1995). CYBERPSYCH: Resources for psychologists on the Internet. Psychological Science, 6, 203-211.
- Krosnick, J. A., & Milburn, M. A. (1990). The psychological determinants of political opinionation. Social Cognition, 8, 49-72.
- Milburn, M. A., & McGrail, A. B. (1992). The dramatic presentation of news and its effects on cognitive complexity. Political Psychology, 13, 613-632.
- Milburn, M. A., Conrad, S. D., Sala, F., & Carberry, S. (1995). Childhood punishment, denial, and political attitudes. Political Psychology, 16, 447-478.
Courses Taught:
- Advanced Statistics
- Interpersonal and Mass Communication
- Quantitative Reasoning: Using and Abusing Data
- Social Attitudes and Public Opinion
- Social Psychology
Mike Milburn
Department of Psychology
University of Massachusetts Boston
100 Morrissey Boulevard
Boston, Massachusetts 02125-3393
United States of America
- Phone: (617) 287-6355
- Fax: (617) 287-6336