-
Cognitive Skills Peak at Different Ages Across Adulthood
Overall fluid intelligence — the ability to analyze information, engage in critical thinking, and solve problems — is thought to peak in early adulthood, but a new study suggests that different aspects of fluid intelligence peak at
-
New Research in Psychological Science
Read about the latest research published in Psychological Science: Anticipatory Control Through Associative Learning of Subliminal Relations: Invisible May Be Better Than Visible Ausaf A. Farooqui and Tom Manly In this study, the researchers examined whether information presented in subliminal cues could be used to proactively enhance goal-directed cognitive control. In a series of 10 experiments, the researchers had participants perform two different tasks. The task that participants were asked to perform could change from one trial to the next.
-
Want to Grab Drivers’ Attention? Use Road Signs Showing More Action
On average, car crashes kill an American pedestrian every 2 hours and injure one every 7 minutes, according to statistics from the CDC. A new study suggests changing road signs to depict more motion—a pedestrian running instead of walking—may be one simple way to help prevent potentially dangerous accidents. Across five studies, University of Michigan psychological scientist Luca Cian—along with co-authors Aradhna Krishna and Ryan Elder—found that signs that depicted motion resulted in faster reaction times and increased vigilance among would-be drivers, which could ultimately lead to faster stopping times.
-
38th Annual National Institute on the Teaching of Psychology
January 3–6, 2016 TradeWinds Island Grand Resort, St. Pete Beach, Florida Co-sponsored by: Association for Psychological Science University of South Florida Department of Psychology Registration is limited to 375 participants; early registration is highly recommended. Poster session proposals should be received by October 1, 2015 to guarantee space in the program, although later submissions will be considered if poster space remains available.
-
Too Much Workplace Positivity Might Dampen Employee Motivation
Workers in Google’s offices enjoy an impressive array of perks: subsidized massages, scooters, putting greens, and office video game consoles. In an interview with The New York Times, a Google spokesman explained that the company provides these unusual perks as a way "to create the happiest, most productive workplace in the world." But new research suggests that when it climbs too high, a positive mood in the office can actually hurt employee motivation. Happy employees are more likely to engage in the kind of proactive above-and-beyond behaviors that organizations need to succeed.
-
Commitment and Forgiveness in Relationships Focus of APS Registered Replication Report Project
APS is pleased to announce the launch of a new Registered Replication Report (RRR) aimed at replicating a 2002 experiment investigating commitment and forgiveness in close relationships. Drawing on the framework of interdependence theory, psychological scientists Eli Finkel, Caryl E. Rusbult, Madoka Kumashiro, and Peggy A. Hannon hypothesized that commitment, as a fundamental property of relationships, would promote “positive mental events, pro-relationship motives, and forgiveness.” The researchers designed an experiment to test this hypothesis, recruiting 89 undergraduate student participants who were in dating relationships at the time of the study.
