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AAAS, George Mason Seek Diverse Scientists to Test Crowdsourcing Accuracy
The AAAS Center for Science, Technology, and Security Policy is helping George Mason University recruit scientists with a diverse set of expertise to assist in a science and technology forecasting project called SciCast. The purpose of this project, which is funded by the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA), is to determine whether crowdsourcing can be used to accurately predict the future of science and technology questions. These questions vary by discipline and focus area, and range from the more applied science and engineering advancements to the highly technical, basic science achievements.
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Eye Movements May Reveal Difference Between Love and Lust
Soul singer Betty Everett once proclaimed, “If you want to know if he loves you so, it’s in his kiss.” But a study by University of Chicago researchers suggests the difference between love and lust might be in the eyes after all. Specifically, where your date looks at you could indicate whether love or lust is in the cards. The new study found that eye patterns concentrate on a stranger’s face if the viewer sees that person as a potential partner in romantic love, but the viewer gazes more at the other person’s body if he or she is feeling sexual desire. That automatic judgment can occur in as little as half a second, producing different gaze patterns.
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Abusive Supervision – Who’s to Blame?
It seems self-evident that abusive supervision encourages deviant behavior among subordinates. Boss yells at employee, and employee can’t shout back without the risk of getting fired or suspended. So employee vents anger and frustration on the organization — stealing company property or abusing an expense account. But could it be that such deviant behaviors are what cause bosses to treat employees abusively, rather than the other way around? A newly published behavioral study suggests that possibility. An international team of researchers theorized that abusive supervision will lead to organizational deviance, and vice versa.
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Investigating the Siren Song of Mobile Devices in the Car
The vast majority of U.S. states ban motorists from texting while driving, and at least a dozen bar even voice conversations over a handheld device. Similar prohibitions are being enacted around the world. But so far they haven’t made a substantial dent in distracted driving. At any given moment during the day in the United States, approximately 660,000 drivers are using a handheld communications device instead of concentrating on the road, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. So why do so many of us ignore the dangers of texting or chatting on the phone when we’re behind the wheel?
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Seeing the Glass as Half Full: Taking a New Look at Cognition and Aging
From a cognitive perspective, aging is typically associated with decline. As we age, it may get harder to remember names and dates, and it may take us longer to come up with the right answer to a question. But the news isn’t all bad when it comes to cognitive aging, according to a set of three articles in the July 2014 issue of Perspectives in Psychological Science. Plumbing the depths of the available scientific literature, the authors of the three articles show how several factors -- including motivation and crystallized knowledge -- can play important roles in supporting and maintaining cognitive function in the decades past middle age.
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Applications Invited for Inaugural TANG Prize for Achievements in Psychology
The Department of Psychology at the University of Toronto is pleased to announce the call for nominations for the 2014 inaugural TANG Prize for Achievements in Psychology. As a department at a public university, we believe in furthering the science of psychology in service of enhancing human wellbeing. Applications are encouraged from internationally-recognized scholars in psychology or a closely-related field who have shown creativity and rigor in their approach and whose record of achievement has left an indelible mark on the field. This award has been made possible through generous support from the TANG Foundation.
