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Seeing the Trees and Missing the Forest
The phenomenon known as holistic processing is best known in faces. Most people see faces as a whole, not as two eyes a nose, and a mouth. But holistic processing happens in other cases, too, and can even be taught. One possible explanation is that holistic processing emerges from expertise, but the truth is much more nuanced, according to the authors of a new review published in Current Directions in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. "Holistic processing has been measured for years and years in different ways," says Isabel Gauthier of Vanderbilt University, who co wrote the paper with Jennifer J. Richler, also of Vanderbilt, and Yetta K.
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Playing football games on computers ‘makes you more aggressive’
Daily Mail: Computer games about football make players more aggressive than violent ones, psychologists claim. While participants remain ‘numb’ when they see someone being ‘killed’ on screen, apparently harmless games that mirror real life can have a far greater effect. The study shows a complex link between the way viewers interpret violent and hostile events on the screen and their personal reactions. There has been a huge debate about whether watching violent video games can desensitise young people’s responses. Governments around the world have introduced laws to control the sale of games, along with rating systems to alert parents and consumers to the scale of violence.
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Robisz karierę? Jesteś hipokrytą i zaliczysz „skok w bok”
Telewizja Polska Spółka Akcyjna: Nie tylko mężczyźni na wysokich stanowiskach częściej zdradzają. Większą skłonność do oszukiwania swych partnerów wykazują też kobiety, które pną się po szczeblach kariery zawodowej – wykazały badania opublikowane w „Psychological Science”. Dr Joris Lammers, psycholog z uniwersytetu w Tilburg w Holandii, twierdzi, że prawdopodobieństwo dopuszczenia się zdrady zwiększa się wraz z zajmowanym przez daną osobę stanowiskiem. Bez względu na to, czy jest to mężczyzna, czy też kobieta. Uważa on, że jeśli osoba na wysokim stanowisku jeszcze nie zaliczyła „skoku w bok”, to jest wielce prawdopodobne, że to wkrótce to zrobi.
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Dependent people aren’t always passive
The Times of India: The moment you think of a dependent person, an image of someone who's needy, high-maintenance, and passive comes in front. But dependent people aren't always passive, according to a study. "In fact, many psychologists and therapists also thought in the similar way; passivity is the key. But dependency is actually more complex and can even have active, positive aspects," said study author Robert Bornstein of Adelphi University. Bornstein was sent towards a different concept of dependency by a series of experiments he did in graduate school. He paired a dependent person with a less dependent person and set them to debate an issue they disagreed on.
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Dependency and Passivity-You Can Have One without the Other
Think of a dependent person and you think of someone who's needy, high-maintenance, and passive. That's how many psychologists and therapists think of them, too; passivity is key. But dependency is actually more complex and can even have active, positive aspects, writes Robert Bornstein of Adelphi University, the author of a new article published in Current Directions in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. Bornstein was sent towards a different concept of dependency by a series of experiments he did in graduate school. He paired a dependent person with a less dependent person and set them to debate an issue they disagreed on.
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The Joy of Researching the Health Benefits of Sex
The Wall Street Journal: Is sex good for your health—or is that just a fantasy? A flurry of small studies suggest that sex is as good for your health as vitamin D and broccoli. It not only relieves stress, improves sleep and burns calories, it can also reduce pain, ease depression, strengthen blood vessels, boost the immune system and lower the risk of prostate and breast cancer. But many of those studies rely on people to remember and report their sexual activity honestly and many can't distinguish between cause and effect. That is, does sex make people healthier or do healthier people have more sex? Read the whole story: The Wall Street Journal
