Decision Research

Applied Research

Genocide

Darfur

Psychic Numbing and the Ongoing Genocide in Darfur
Dr. Paul Slovic, Research Scientist
Dr. Ellen Peters, Research Scientist

Publications and Presentations

• National Science Foundation Press Release "Why Nations Fail to Act" May 15, 2008.  Coverage of Paul Slovic's work and video interview in which Paul discuses Psychic Numbing: why people feel for one person, but feel less for many people. (direct link to video)

• Paul Slovic was interviewed for an article that appeared on page 236 of the September, 2007 issue of O Magazine entitled "Why We Don't Care About Darfur."
  
  
• Paul Slovic is interviewed by Ci Holmgren on November 19, 2007 on Swedish Sveriges Radio P4 (mostly in Swedish)
  
  
• Slovic, P. (2007, November) Psychic numbing and genocide. APA Psychological Science Agenda, 21. Retrieved November 15, 2007 from http://www.apa.org/science/psa/slovic.html

• Slovic, P. (2007, October 9). Another Century of Genocide? continues Dr. Slovic's series of posts at The Situationist, The Project on Law and Mind Sciences at Harvard Law School.
  
  
• Paul Slovic participated in a panel entitled "The Ethics of Witnessing in the Public Domain," with Jerry Fowler, Nicholas Kristof, and Barbie Zelizer, as part of the University of Oregon's Symposium Witnessing Genocide: Representation and Responsibility, April 30, 2007. Watch streaming video of the panel and the rest of the Symposium here.
  
  
• Slovic, P. (2007, April). If I look at the mass I will never act: Psychic numbing and genocide. Presented at The 2007 Princeton Colloquium on Public and International Affairs, Princeton, NJ. Voice and video recordings available at Princeton's University Channel.
  
  
• Slovic, P. (2007) If I look at the mass I will never act: Psychic numbing and genocide. Judgment and Decision Making, 2, 1-17. Retrieved April 24, 2007 from http://journal.sjdm.org/vol2.2.htm
  
  
• Slovic, P. (2007, April 11). Too Many To Care. Message posted to The Situationist, The Project on Law and Mind Sciences at Harvard Law School
  http://thesituationist.wordpress.com/2007/04/11/too-many-to-care
  
  
• Slovic, P. (2007, April 7). When Compassion Fails, [article preview] New Scientist, p. 18.
  
  
• Slovic, P. (2007, March). Numbed by numbers. Foreign Policy. Retrieved April 4, 2007 from http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=3751
  
  
• Slovic, P. (2006, May 15). Has Anything Changed in Darfur? [Letter to the editor] The Register Guard.
  
  
• Wright, Jeff. (2005, November 28). Researcher says carnage too easy to ignore. The Register Guard.
  
  
• Slovic, P. (2005, September 12). Katrina moved us to act, so why not Darfur? The Register Guard.

Media Coverage

• Six minute documentary overview of Dr. Slovic's research on psychic numbing and genocide. Produced in the Spring of 2008 by Desiree Afleje, Emese Foss, and Jon Palfreman.

  The player will show in this paragraph

• Ellen Peters is interviewed on National Public Radio's Talk of the Nation "Numbed by the Numbers: Tragedies in the News" piece, July 17, 2007.
  
  
• Richard Downes interviewed Dr. Slovic on Morning Ireland in a story entitled "Bush announces fresh sanctions against Sudan," May 30, 2007.
  
  
• Paul was interviewed for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's "Voices on Genocide Prevention" podcast. Listen to "Mass Murder versus Individual Tragedy," which aired May 24, 2007.
  
  
• Andrew Dilnot interviews Paul Slovic and reports on his research on BBC News' More or Less, May 14, 2007. Listen to the program entitled "The science of giving."
  
  
• "Save the Darfur Puppy" is Nicholas Kristof's editorial about Dr. Slovic's research, published in the New York Times, May 10, 2007.
  
  
• Dr. Slovic is featured on WNYC's The Leonard Lopate Show, April 26, 2007. Listen to the interview, "Underreported: Too Many To Care."
  
  
• Marco Werman interviews Paul Slovic for PRI's The World, April 11, 2007
  Listen to the Death of thousands interview
  
  
• Bill Radke interviews Paul Slovic for Weekend America, April 7, 2007, in a segment entitled "What Makes a Person Care About Someone Else?"
  
  
• Can Google Maps Make People Care About Genocide?, Appscout, April, 2007.
  
  
• Paul Slovic is a guest on the the Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC, January 3rd, 2006. Listen to an archived version of the show here.

Links

• Sudan Research, Analysis, and Advocacy, Eric Reeves.
• United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
• Genocide Intervention Network
• Mennonite Central Committee
• Save Darfur Coalition
• Lane County Darfur Coalition
• Refugees International has produced the best video we have seen so far on Darfur.
  
  Watch it now: