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By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: Going to trial is a lot like going to Disneyland! But only in the sense that it is very expensive, and you will spend a lot of your time waiting. The expense and the delays of the trial process are a common focus for criticism and a big part of

By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: The earliest days of the Trump presidency, the Trump campaign, and Trump himself have all posed quite a bit of a quandary for social scientists. The reason for that is, while all politicians select, exaggerate, and sometimes tell an outright lie, Donald Trump seems to have a relationship to the

By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: If the panoply of strategies to persuade were a dating pool, then the fear appeal would definitely be the “bad boy,” or “bad girl.” By that I mean, attractive, a little shady, and potentially dangerous. The tactic of motivating your target audience by instilling and then alleviating some kind of

By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: In the law, the ability to mentally focus is prized. We expect it of our partners and advocates, look for it in selecting our teams, and encourage our jurors to practice it. Following the story, understanding the details, comprehending the legal standards, all of that can require mental concentration. At

By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: Well, it has been yet another fascinating week for people like me who are interested in political communication. This week, Congress kicked off hearings dealing with some explosive charges regarding a foreign country’s influence on our election, and possible coordination with a political campaign. On Monday, Adam B. Schiff, who represents California’s

By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: I have this theory, and because it is mine, I believe it. That, in a nutshell, is the explanation of a new and unique bias that has recently been demonstrated by social science researchers. The bias is called, “Spontaneous Preference for Own Theories,” or SPOT for short, and the explanation is

By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: Have you ever found yourself in an argument where the other side just keeps digging in deeper? Instead of conceding, agreeing, or even just softening their stance, they’re becoming even more committed to a position that (you think) you have shown to be incorrect? The more facts and reasons you

By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: At a time when we are surrounded by keyboards and tablets, the act of handwriting notes with actual pen and paper can seem like an anachronism. Even the writing-intensive field of law is moving away from handwriting, at least as measured by the newer generations of lawyers. For example, I

By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: Take the Reptile seriously, but don’t fear it. The en vogue strategic choice of the plaintiffs’ bar, the idea that trial persuasion can be leveraged by careful and targeted attention to the fear impulse of the so-called “reptilian brain,” (Keenan & Ball, 2009) is an idea that, regardless of its scientific foundation,

By Dr. Ken Broda Bahm: From the frame of mind of the company attorney, a whistle-blower can signal the risk of litigation, high verdicts, or costly fines. From the frame of mind of the executives and CEOs, the whistle-blower can signal disloyalty, a person who is out, not for justice, but for some kind of revenge. To maintain