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Poverty Dampens Genetic Influence on IQ, in the US
An analysis of data gathered from 14 independent studies indicates that the influence of genes on intelligence varies according to people’s social class in the US, but not in Western Europe or Australia. The findings are published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. Research suggests that genes and environment both play a critical role in shaping a person’s intelligence. A longstanding hypothesis in the field of behavioral genetics holds that our potential intelligence, as set by our genes, is more fully expressed in environments that are supportive and nurturing, but is suppressed in conditions of poverty and disadvantages.
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The Look of Leadership
How much a leader earns may depend, at least in part, on whether she or he looks the part.
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Understanding and Training Attention and the Conscious Mind
00:12 - Why Are You Not Paying Attention? Attention Capacity Limits, Individual Differences and Their Neural Basis - Nilli Lavie, University College London 24:12 - The Power of Consciousness: Hypnosis, Placebo, and Suggestion - Axel N. Cleeremans, Université Libre de Bruxelles 47:03 - Pushing the Limits of Cognitive and Neuroplasticity: Assessing a Six-Week Comprehensive Training Program - Jonathan W.
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Distractibility Trait Predisposes Some to Attentional Lapses
People vary according to different personality traits, such as extraversion or conscientiousness, and new research suggests that they also vary according to a particular cognitive trait: distractibility. The findings are published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. “We all know from personal experience that some people appear to be more prone to lapses of attention than others. At the same time, we know that inattention and distractibility characterize people with a clinical diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD),” says study author Nilli Lavie of University College London.
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We Infer a Speaker’s Social Identity from Subtle Linguistic Cues
When we speak, we “leak” information about our social identity through the nuanced language that we use to describe others, according to new research in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. This research shows that people can infer a speaker’s social identity (e.g., political party affiliation) from how the speaker uses abstract or concrete terms to describe someone else’s behavior. “Our findings show that language is a powerful tool for communication, not just in the traditional sense, but also in this more implicit, subtle manner,” explains lead researcher Shanette Porter of the University of Chicago.
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Summer Institute in Social Science–Genomics
From the evening of Sunday, June 19, to the morning of Friday, July 1, 2016, the Russell Sage Foundation will sponsor a new Summer Institute in Social-Science Genomics, to be held at the Rutgers University Inn and Conference Center in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The purpose of this two-week workshop is to introduce graduate students and beginning faculty in economics, sociology, psychology, statistics, genetics, and other disciplines to the methods of social-science genomics — the analysis of genomic data in social science research. More information can be found on the institute website.
