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The Power of Concentration
The New York Times: Meditation and mindfulness: the words conjure images of yoga retreats and Buddhist monks. But perhaps they should evoke a very different picture: a man in a deerstalker, puffing away at a curved pipe, Mr. Sherlock Holmes himself. The world’s greatest fictional detective is someone who knows the value of concentration, of “throwing his brain out of action,” as Dr. Watson puts it. He is the quintessential unitasker in a multitasking world. More often than not, when a new case is presented, Holmes does nothing more than sit back in his leather chair, close his eyes and put together his long-fingered hands in an attitude that begs silence.
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Let’s Make a Deal: The Psychological Science Underlying Compromise and Negotiation
Tense negotiations in Congress over the “fiscal cliff” have focused public attention on the art of compromise -- or lack thereof. From deciding who washes the dishes to figuring out how to avoid the fiscal cliff, life experience shows us that achieving compromise is rarely easy. But why is give and take so difficult even when the consequences of failure are dire? We may like to believe that we are fair and levelheaded negotiators, but science tells us that successful give and take is often more difficult than we anticipate.
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Warum Kinder zu gehen beginnen (How do you learn to walk?)
ORF Austria: Warum stehen Kleinkinder eigentlich auf, wenn sie die Welt auch krabbelnd gut erkunden können? Weil sie beim Gehen schneller vorankommen, berichten US-Forscherinnen - eine nur scheinbar banale Erkenntnis. In der bisher umfangreichsten Studie zum Thema haben sie einige erstaunliche Details entdeckt. Die Psychologin Karen Adolph vom Infant Action Lab der New York University und Kolleginnen haben das Verhalten von 150 Kleinkindern im Alter zwischen 12 und 19 Monaten intensiv untersucht. Per Videokamera dokumentierten sie die Bewegungen von zwei Gruppen in einem Spielzimmer - die einen waren "Profikrabbler", die anderen "Gehneulinge".