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Jaap Denissen
Humboldt-University Berlin, Germany www.psychology.hu-berlin.de/staff/1682036 What does your research focus on? I am interested in longitudinal transactions between persons and situations. How do people change their behavior in response to situational demands, both in the short term (e.g., on a day-to-day level) and in the longer term (e.g., during an important life transition)? How do people differ in these responses? What effects do these differences have on important life outcomes, such as well-being and friendship formation? What drew you to this line of research? Why is it exciting to you? People tend to underestimate how different we are from each other.
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Neuroscience Explains Why the Grinch Stole Christmas
Forbes: “You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch.” But why? We all know Dr. Seuss’s iconic tale of the green ogre who lives on a mountain, seething while the Whos in the village below celebrate Christmas. The happier they are, the angrier he gets, until finally he can’t take it anymore and hatches a plan to crush their joy like a glass ornament. Dr. Seuss was a brilliant intuitive psychologist and I’d have loved to chat with him about the core of the Grinch’s rage, but, alas, he left us too early. So I’m turning to another impressive thinker who has taught me a great deal about the neurobiology of emotion: Dr.
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‘Baby brain’ syndrome IS real… and it makes you a better mother
Daily Mail: Pregnant women have long complained that their condition makes them forgetful. Now a researcher has claimed there may be scientific truth in this ‘baby brain’ syndrome – and that there is a very good reason why expectant mothers develop short-term memory loss. The suggestion is that women’s brains change during pregnancy so that they will be better able to concentrate on their newborn’s needs after the birth, with the result that they become less focused on other things, such as where the car keys might be.
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Be YOUR Motivation
As you draw up your list of New Year's Resolutions for 2012, remember to set goals that are really important to you. In this video from Eco-mobilite.tv, psychological scientist Maarten Vansteenkiste explains why autonomous motivation (change that is personally important) is more effective than controlled motivation (change that results from outside pressure). Vansteenkiste's APS Rising Star profile can tell you more about his research. If you want to know even more about motivation, you can read research on effective and ineffective anti-prejudice messages from Psychological Science or watch footage from APS Fellow Elke Webber’s recent chat with the Dalai Llama.
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Baby niet te onderschatten
De Standaard: Baby's onthouden meer dan gedacht. Bijvoorbeeld dat ze zonet iets gezien hebben, ook al zijn ze compleet vergeten wat het precies was. Niet zo lang geleden stond het nog in alle handboeken: baby's van minder dan pakweg een half jaar oud vergeten bijna meteen elk object dat ze niet meer kunnen zien. Als de bal uit baby's gezichtsveld verdwenen is, dan bestaat de bal niet meer, wat baby betreft. De kleinste kinderen hebben nog geen objectpermanentie, heette het in het jargon. Maar de werkelijkheid is ingewikkelder, zo blijkt de jongste jaren steeds duidelijker uit experimenten. Zuigelingen hebben soms onvermoede talenten.
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Baby brain is real, and it makes you a better mum
New Zealand Herald: Pregnant women have long complained that their baby bump makes them forgetful. Now a researcher has claimed there may be scientific truth in this 'baby brain' syndrome - and that there is a very good reason why expectant mothers develop short-term memory loss. The suggestion is that women's brains change during pregnancy so that they will be better able to concentrate on their newborn's needs after the birth, with the result that they become less focused on other things, such as where the car keys might be.