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Rethinking the Colorful Kindergarten Classroom
The New York Times: Imagine a kindergarten classroom. Picture the vividly colored scalloped borders on the walls, the dancing letters, maybe some charming cartoon barnyard animals holding up “Welcome to School!” signs. That bright, cheery look has become a familiar sight in classrooms across the country, one that has only grown over the last few decades, fed by the proliferation of educational supply stores. But to what effect? A new study looked at whether such classrooms encourage, or actually distract from, learning.
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It’s the Last Bite That Keeps You Coming Back for More
Your memory for that last bite of a steak or chocolate cake may be more influential than memory for the first bite in determining when you want to eat it again, according to research published
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Der letzte Eindruck zählt (The Last Impression Counts)
Sueddeutsche Zeitung: Achtung, Binsenweisheit: Das Finale entscheidet. Tatsächlich gilt das nicht nur für Fußballmeisterschaften, Tennisturniere und andere Wettkämpfe, es scheint auch ein grundsätzlicher Umstand des Lebens zu sein. Der letzte Eindruck prägt das Urteil über Erlebtes besonders stark. Auf das Ende kommt es an: Ein Katastrophentag kurz vor Abreise ruiniert einen sonst großartigen Urlaub, eine seltsame Verabschiedung versaut ein eigentlich wunderbares Treffen. Und der letzte Bissen einer Speise, so zeigen Psychologen um Emily Garbinsky von der Universität Stanford in einer aktuellen Studie, kann das Urteil über ein Gericht oder sogar ein komplettes Menü prägen.
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African American Success Stories Have a Downside
Ken Frazier grew up in inner-city Philadelphia. His father was a janitor, and his mother passed away when he was 12. As a child, he idolized Thurgood Marshall. He received scholarships to both Penn State and Harvard Law School. At the acme of his distinguished career in law and business, Frazier in 2011 became Chief Executive Officer of Merck & Co.—standing as the first African American to lead a pharmaceutical company.
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Sports Teams May Lose Out From Having ‘Too Much Talent’
As the FIFA World Cup kicks off and the NBA finals “heat” up, new research suggests that there is such a thing as having “too much talent” on a sports team. The research indicates that
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Science Behind Driving Behavior, Aptitude Explored in New Blog
For every law-abiding motorist, there is another driver who is breaking the speed limit and cutting off other drivers in traffic. For every person who easily follows driving directions to reach a destination, there are others who always seem to get lost. Psychological scientists have been studying these sorts of driving behaviors for decades, and have made many discoveries about the decisions, risks, and mistakes that occur behind the wheel. This line of research is the focus of Minds On The Road, a new blog devoted exclusively to the scientific study of behaviors, emotions, skills, and errors that we display when driving.
