Stanford Report, March 15, 2006

In Print and On the Air

California's governor has a chance to fix the state's prison system, but experts say he must bring in an outsider with political clout, the San Francisco Chronicle reported March 6. JOAN PETERSILIA, a visiting law professor, worked for two years as a special adviser to the outgoing corrections secretary, Roderick Hickman, trying to recruit experts for high-level jobs. Petersilia always failed, she said, not because of the depth of the problems but because the candidates complained that the department was too politicized. "What I kept hearing was they always questioned the sincerity of the people at the top," she said. "They just didn't feel this was a very professionally run organization. They said it was too political, and you were too much at risk of being replaced if you upset anybody." Petersilia said she would choose someone like former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell—an elder statesman with nothing to lose, and who is not used to being told "no."

Communication Professor CLIFFORD NASS said humans want robots to exhibit the same emotions found in humans, the New York Times reported March 5. "People respond to robots in precisely the same way they respond to people," he said. In some cases, however, researchers have found that a cranky or sad robot might be more effective than a happy or neutral one. In a simulation, Nass found, drivers in a bad mood had far fewer accidents when they were listening to a subdued voice making comments about the drive. "When you're sad, you do much better working with a sad voice," he said. "You don't feel like hanging around with somebody who says, 'Hi! How are you!'"

While it's true that cancer causes stress, neuroscience Professor ROBERT SAPOLSKY says that stress does not cause cancer, ABC News reported March 8. "I think it's disastrous that people are led to believe this," he said. "The right supportive setting can decrease stress and will indeed enhance the biology of how your body can deal with the disease. But cancer, I think, does not fall into that category." In a study of women with breast cancer, DAVID SPIEGEL, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, noted that women who were randomly assigned to a year of supportive group therapy lived longer than control patients. However, among subsequent trials, only half showed an increase in survival. As to whether group therapy helps cancer patients live longer, Spiegel said, "I think it's still an open question. I think it helps emotionally, and it's possible that it helps physically." The take-home message, Spiegel said, is that "it's important to acknowledge and deal with stress, whether or not it has any affect on the incidence or progression of cancer."