It is really disappointing to me how some of you view these things as hobbies...
Do you ever notice how there is differential treatment of people on a daily basis? How minorities get crappy service at restaurants, for example? Well, servers have developed a stereotype of "minorities are poor tippers; poor tippers are a waste of time; why bother in the first place to try to give good service if it'll be a bad tip automatically". Ever notice how society responds to different races, genders, ethnicities, creed, and social classes? We study these areas to try to make a better world to live in.
For the kids that shoot their classmates. I'm not denying the option that their parents could be at fault... but what about their peers? Bullying is a HUGE problem. If they are constantly being rejected and/or humiliated by their peers it can greatly affect how that individual responds. During the 13-17 age span, we are desperately seeking our own identity. We achieve a sense of identity largely by how other's respond to/perceive us. (see Cooley's "the looking-glass self").
Erving Goffman, a famous sociologist, did a study on stigmatization. If/when a person is labeled (ex-con, delinquent, trouble-maker, etc) it is with that person for the rest of his/her life. People no longer see the person for WHO they are, but more for WHAT they are (the label). If an "ex-con" tried to obtain a legitimate lifestyle after jail, they would be judged as dangerous or high-risk and would not get the opportunities they deserve simply because of their negative stigma. Think about the people who have been incarcerated wrongfully, and did not commit the crime. Their chances of a normal life has been stripped form them simply because they have a label.
Studies also dive into the realm of effects of going to war overseas on soldiers. Soldiers are taught and drilled to conform to the military lifestyle/culture of being strong and part of a unit. If they do happen to have post traumatic stress and cannot handle it on their own, they are scared to seek help, simply because they will let down their unit and be called as p*ssy. Many soldiers return home and do not receive the help they need and end up taking their own lives as a result (literally, or figuratively through self-medication with drugs/alcohol).
On a lighter note, and an area of personal interest, is how we interact with our children and help in their learning. Studies have shown that sign language with infants can increase their IQ up to 14 points and eliminate stress between parent and child. Utilizing sign language along with spoken language, a child can respond back as early as 6 months (well before their vocal chords have fully developed). Imagine the relief of having your child sign to you and tell you what they are crying about instead of having to guess.
Ever notice when we learn certain math concepts? Without Piaget's studies we wouldn't know when to teach these things so the child could fully understand it. The conservation concept (a cup of liquid is still a cup of liquid even if your pour it into a different shaped container) is something that 4 and 5 year olds cannot understand because they neural pathways are not yet developed in the brain. (Perfect vid that shows two children on this subject:
YouTube - Piagetian Conservation Tasks )
Ever wonder why a baby is SO surprised EVERY time you play peek-a-boo? To them, they have not yet established object permanence, the concept that things exist even when they are out of sight. To them, out of sight really is out of mind/existence.
A thing that can help everyone/anyone in an emergency situation:
Pretend you have a loved one/child with you and you are walking through the mall. They experience a seizure. What do you do? Do you just call out for help? "Someone call 911!" I hope that's not all you do.
From studies, we are able to learn about diffusion of responsibility. Do you call 911 when you see a car accident, or assume someone else did? In crowd situations people do not feel that urgent sense of responsibility and everyone assumes someone else is doing it, so they don't have to. If you are ever in a situation like the mall scenario (hopefully not), you need to single out one person, make eye contact, and tell them specifically to call 911/get help.
We study these things to help everyday life and society as a whole. We can learn how to better educate children at different ages/stages of their lives and techniques that can help improve society.
These are NOT hobbies. I hope that you are all thankful that there are people like this out there trying to make your world a more livable place.