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Mathematic Models and Human Learning
Thomas Griffiths developed mathematical models of higher level cognition. He focuses on the abstract computational problems that underlie inductive human cognition, such as probabilistic reasoning, learning causal relationships, acquiring and using language, and inferring the structure of categories. He researches the ideal solutions to those problems using ideas from probability theory and Bayesian statistics, used to calculate the likelihood of a hypothesis. These statistical tools allow him to analyze human learning and link computer science research to artificial intelligence and machine learning.
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Evaluating Emotional Responses
Evaluation is something people do every day, whether they are assessing their to-do list or forming opinions about a book they’re reading. William Cunningham is investigating how evaluating other people or objects leads to emotional responses. Through a combination of social psychological and cognitive neuroscience techniques, Cunningham has found that affective states (in other words, emotional states) are built moment to moment by multiple processes that link together relevant information about the person’s environment with their own personal attitudes.
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Spoiling The Ending Makes For A Better Story
Scientific American: Old Yeller dies, Darth Vader is Luke's dad, Little Red Riding Hood lives. Did I spoil it? Yes I did. But maybe I did you a favor. Spoilers enhance the enjoyment of a story, according to findings to be published in the journal Psychological Science. Researchers presented three versions of classic stories to 30 subjects. Each story had an ironic twist, or a solved-mystery, or a dramatic end. One version was the original—no spoiler–another had the spoiler woven into the story and the third gave the spoiler right off the bat. Turned out the subjects significantly preferred a spoiled version of the ironic twist stories best. The literary stories were the least preferred.
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Why some stay-at-home mothers choose to opt out of the workplace
Journal and Courier - Lafayette: Valerie Wininger recently left her full-time job as a Web master in the entomology department at Purdue University to become a stay-at-home mom. Now, she is caring for her three children, Brianna, 8, Eli, 5, and 11-month-old Fiona. "Financially, it was almost not even worth it for me to work with day care costs and everything," the 30-year-old said. "I got so few hours in the day with them, and it was always so stressful and chaotic." Wininger felt like her decision to leave work and stay at home full-time was her choice, she said. "I'm very happy," she said. "There are days that are hard, but mostly I just love it.
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Saber el final no arruina la historia
BBC Mundo: Saber el final de un libro, o de una narración (spoilers, en inglés), no sólo no arruina el placer de la historia, sino que puede contribuir a intensificarlo, afirma un estudio llevado a cabo en la Universidad de California San Diego, Estados Unidos. No hay lector de novela policial que no tema que el lugar común de "el asesino es el mayordomo" le venga a echar a perder las horas consagradas a Mickey Spillaine o Agatha Christie. Read more: BBC Mundo
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Deconstructing Decision Making
We make decisions all the time and often in uncertain circumstances. Elke Webers research focuses on how we judge those choices, the decisions we end up making, and individual and cultural differences in risk-taking. Specifically, her research examines behavioral models of decision making and how to measure and model risk-taking behavior. Her work has tied together psychology and economics, by examining risky financial decision making. Additionally, she studies environmental decision making, for example, how people respond to climate change and ways in which policymakers can present programs to the public to make them most effective.
