Prison Pell Grants, Child Abuse Study, Happy Meal Effect

Prison Pell Grants (1:05) Guest: Robert Bozick, Ph.D., Sociologist at the Research and Development Corporation  The Obama Administration is moving to reverse a 20-year-old policy prohibiting prison inmates from receiving federal Pell Grants to pursue college degrees behind bars. Technically, such a change requires Congressional approval, so the US Department of Education is initially embarking only on a pilot program.  In announcing the plan, Education Secretary Arne Duncan called America “a nation of second chances.” He said helping inmates get a degree will reduce their chances of landing back in prison and ultimately save taxpayers money.  Child Abuse Study (22:09) Guest: David Finkelhor, Ph.D., Director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire  One of the challenges in preventing violence against children is data. Without accurate numbers it’s been difficult for public health professionals to really know, for example, whether physical abuse of children in the US is increasing or decreasing and whether bullying is an epidemic or on the decline. That’s the justification for a comprehensive new survey of thousands of households across the country.  Happy Meal Effect (38:28) Guest:  Martin Reimann, Ph.D., Professor of Consumer Psychology at the University of Arizona  McDonald’s can spiff up the edibles in a Happy Meal all day long, but you and I both know what kids are really after is the toy. Well, guess what? Prizes are apparently a good motive for adults, too. Recent studies have shown that grown-ups consistently chose a smaller food portion when it came with a prize.