Video: Computerized Tests Evaluate People’s Risk of Attempting Suicide

Learn about computerized tests that evaluate whether someone is at risk of attempting suicide. Plus, related links and an article from the magazine archives.

Professor of psychology Matthew Nock studies suicide: what causes people to take their own lives; how to predict who will try; and how to prevent it from happening. Nock adapted the Stroop test and the Implicit Association Test—two computerized tests used for other purposes in psychology—to assess suicide risk. Watch the video below to see how these tests work. Read more about Nock's work—and find other relevant links, such as a tool for assessing self-injurious behavior such as cutting—in "A Tragedy and a Mystery," from the January-February 2011 issue (and the sidebar, "Studying Self-Injury"). See also "The Enigma of Suicide," a 1983 Harvard Magazine feature by George Howe Colt.

You might also like

How AI Is Reshaping Supply Chains

Harvard Kennedy School lecturer on using AI to strengthen supply chains

This Astronomer Is Sounding a Warning On 'Space Junk'

As debris accumulates in low Earth orbit, the danger of destructive collisions continues to rise.

Understanding AI Vulnerabilities

As artificial intelligence capabilities evolve, so too will the tactics used to exploit them. 

Most popular

What Trump Means for John Roberts’s Legacy

Executive power is on the docket at the Supreme Court.

Harvard Layoffs Continue, with More to Come

In the wake of federal government actions, several Harvard schools and institutes are cutting costs.

This Harvard Scientist Is Changing the Future of Genetic Diseases

David Liu has pioneered breakthroughs in gene editing, creating new therapies that may lead to cures.

Explore More From Current Issue

Catherine Zipf smiling, wearing striped shirt and dark sweater outdoors.

Preserving the History of Jim Crow Era Safe Havens

Architectural historian Catherine Zipf is building a database of Green Book sites.  

Johnston Gate

Your Views On Harvard’s Standoff, Antisemitism, and More

Readers comment on the controversial July-August cover, authoritarianism, and scientific research.

Karla Cornejo Villavicencio smiling beside the pink cover of her novel "Catalina" featuring a jeweled star and eye.

Being Undocumented In America

Karla Cornejo Villavicencio’s writing aims to challenge assumptions.