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You do the math — because that pigeon over there can
msnbc: Pigeons may not be so bird-brained after all, as scientists have found the birds' ability to understand numbers is on par with that of primates. Previous studies have shown that various animals, from honeybees to chimpanzees, can learn to count when trained with food rewards. In 1998, researchers discovered that rhesus monkeys can not only learn to count to four, but can also pick up on numerical rules and apply them to numbers they haven't seen before, allowing them to count up to nine without further training.
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Psychological need drives prejudice in humans: Study
Yahoo India: A deep psychological need drives prejudice, linked to a particular way of thinking, says a study. People who want to make quick and firm decisions, shorn of ambiguity, also generalise about others, said Arne Roets and Alain Van Hiel from the Ghent University, Belgium. 'Of course, everyone has to make decisions, but some people really hate uncertainty and therefore quickly rely on the most obvious information,' said Roets, who led the study. That is also why they favour authorities and social norms which make it easier to make decisions and stick to them, the journal Current Directions in Psychological Science reports. Read the whole story: Yahoo India
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Baby niet te onderschatten
De Standaard: Baby's onthouden meer dan gedacht. Bijvoorbeeld dat ze zonet iets gezien hebben, ook al zijn ze compleet vergeten wat het precies was. Niet zo lang geleden stond het nog in alle handboeken: baby's van minder dan pakweg een half jaar oud vergeten bijna meteen elk object dat ze niet meer kunnen zien. Als de bal uit baby's gezichtsveld verdwenen is, dan bestaat de bal niet meer, wat baby betreft. De kleinste kinderen hebben nog geen objectpermanentie, heette het in het jargon. Maar de werkelijkheid is ingewikkelder, zo blijkt de jongste jaren steeds duidelijker uit experimenten. Zuigelingen hebben soms onvermoede talenten.
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Baby brain is real, and it makes you a better mum
New Zealand Herald: Pregnant women have long complained that their baby bump makes them forgetful. Now a researcher has claimed there may be scientific truth in this 'baby brain' syndrome - and that there is a very good reason why expectant mothers develop short-term memory loss. The suggestion is that women's brains change during pregnancy so that they will be better able to concentrate on their newborn's needs after the birth, with the result that they become less focused on other things, such as where the car keys might be.
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The Origins of Positive-Constructive Daydreaming
Scientific American: Once accused of being absent-minded, the founder of American Psychology, William James, quipped that he was really just present-minded to his own thoughts. William James didn’t just live in his own head, but he also studied the phenomenon, coining the term “stream of thought” in 1890. In his famous textbook Principles of Psychology, he opened an early chapter with the following: “We now begin our study of the mind from within”. He clearly saw the internal stream of consciousness as an important topic within psychology. Daydreaming may be regarded as a feature of William James’ stream of thought.
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America Needs More Geeks: How to Make Science Cool
TIME: A white lab coat. An unsmiling expression. Thick glasses and unkempt hair. In one hand, a device replete with dials and gauges; in the other, a beaker bubbling over with a toxic-looking liquid. This image, which owes more to the movies than to the laboratory, is nevertheless what many students think of when they hear the word “scientist.” It shows up with striking regularity, for example, in the drawings made by a class of seventh graders from Illinois who were asked their impressions of the scientific profession. The captions underneath their pictures tell the same story: “When I think of a scientist I think of brainy and very weird people,” wrote a boy named James.
