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Blame Your Brain: The Fault Lies Somewhere Within
NPR: Science doesn't just further technology and help us predict and control our environment. It also changes the way we understand ourselves and our place in the natural world. This understanding can inspire awe and a sense of grandeur. But it can also be unsettling, especially when it calls into question our basic assumptions about the kinds of creatures we are and the universe we inhabit. Current developments in neuroscience seem to be triggering precisely this jumble of reactions: wonder alongside disquiet, hope alongside alarm. Read the whole story: NPR
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Job Insecurity: It’s Not Just the Economy, Stupid
The economic instability that has swept the globe over the last six years has largely snuffed people’s confidence in their job security. And that wariness does nothing to improve organizations’ financial success. A 2008 study showed that job insecurity erodes commitment and performance, not to mention health. The pessimism in the workforce could therefore create a vicious cycle of lackluster economic growth; as workers worry about getting pink slips, their productivity declines and profits drop. And as profits drop, workers fret even more about their jobs.
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Social Networks May Guide Parents to Particular Autism Interventions
A study at Michigan State University shows that parents of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder are more likely to access evidence-based interventions if they have large social networks.
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Thanks to Casey Kasem (and psychology), Here’s Why People Love Radio Countdowns
The Washington Post: From “Total Request Live” to a radio station with the “Top 9 at 9″ on any given night, it’s been proven time and again: People love a good pop culture countdown. On paper it seems incredibly simple — and yet it took until Casey Kasem pioneered the concept in 1970 to take off. News of Kasem’s death on Sunday prompted an outpouring of remembrances from fans, many of whom reminisced about listening to “American Top 40.” The Post’s Marc Fisher wrote about how Kasem brought a splintered music culture together every week with his mainstream list of popular songs. The idea gained steam, and ever since countdowns have been a mainstay of pop culture.
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Post-Doctoral Fellowships for American Researchers in All Academic Disciplines
The United States–Israel Educational Foundation (USIEF), the Fulbright commission for Israel, offers fellowships to American post-doctoral researchers in support of work to be carried out at Israeli universities during the course of the 2015/2016–2016/2017 academic years. Application Deadline 1 August 2014. For Full announcement visit http://j.mp/Fulbright_AssPsychological_Science.
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Why We Pass Some Cars, Follow Others
Cars are the ultimate status symbol. They also generate some remarkable forms of discrimination. A Maserati gets more respect than a Volkswagen Bug. Classic psychological studies have demonstrated that a drivers extend more patience and courtesy to motorists driving expensive cars than those in older, cheaper vehicles. In their seminal 1968 experiment, for example, Anthony N. Doob and Alan E. Gross found that drivers waited longer to honk at a high-priced car than when blocked by an old model. This builds on a wide body of research showing that people act more aggressively toward others of low social status.