-
Rethinking the Colorful Kindergarten Classroom
The New York Times: Imagine a kindergarten classroom. Picture the vividly colored scalloped borders on the walls, the dancing letters, maybe some charming cartoon barnyard animals holding up “Welcome to School!” signs. That bright, cheery look has become a familiar sight in classrooms across the country, one that has only grown over the last few decades, fed by the proliferation of educational supply stores. But to what effect? A new study looked at whether such classrooms encourage, or actually distract from, learning.
-
It’s the Last Bite That Keeps You Coming Back for More
Your memory for that last bite of a steak or chocolate cake may be more influential than memory for the first bite in determining when you want to eat it again, according to research published
-
Der letzte Eindruck zählt (The Last Impression Counts)
Sueddeutsche Zeitung: Achtung, Binsenweisheit: Das Finale entscheidet. Tatsächlich gilt das nicht nur für Fußballmeisterschaften, Tennisturniere und andere Wettkämpfe, es scheint auch ein grundsätzlicher Umstand des Lebens zu sein. Der letzte Eindruck prägt das Urteil über Erlebtes besonders stark. Auf das Ende kommt es an: Ein Katastrophentag kurz vor Abreise ruiniert einen sonst großartigen Urlaub, eine seltsame Verabschiedung versaut ein eigentlich wunderbares Treffen. Und der letzte Bissen einer Speise, so zeigen Psychologen um Emily Garbinsky von der Universität Stanford in einer aktuellen Studie, kann das Urteil über ein Gericht oder sogar ein komplettes Menü prägen.
-
African American Success Stories Have a Downside
Ken Frazier grew up in inner-city Philadelphia. His father was a janitor, and his mother passed away when he was 12. As a child, he idolized Thurgood Marshall. He received scholarships to both Penn State and Harvard Law School. At the acme of his distinguished career in law and business, Frazier in 2011 became Chief Executive Officer of Merck & Co.—standing as the first African American to lead a pharmaceutical company.
-
Sports Teams May Lose Out From Having ‘Too Much Talent’
As the FIFA World Cup kicks off and the NBA finals “heat” up, new research suggests that there is such a thing as having “too much talent” on a sports team. The research indicates that
-
Wrapping a Present for the Future
I am the family documentarian, and have been since I got my first box camera back in childhood. As long as I can remember, I have taken snapshots, not just of birthdays and weddings and 4th of July picnics but also of siblings brushing their teeth and kids wrestling and grandparents cooking dinner. Really mundane stuff. I also write anecdotes and fragments of family memoir because . . . well, I don’t really know why. I just do. I’m not alone in this. And now, of course, everyone carries a camera and everyone is connected through social media, so our lives are more documented than ever before. Is this a good thing, or not?