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Shocking “prison” study 40 years later: What happened at Stanford?
CBS News: It's considered one of the most notorious psychology experiments ever conducted - and for good reason. The "Stanford prison experiment" - conducted in Palo Alto, Calif. 40 years ago - was conceived by Dr. Philip G. Zimbardo as a way to use ordinary college students to explore the often volatile dynamic that exists between prisoners and prison guards - and as a means of encouraging reforms in the way real-life prison guards are trained. But what started out as make-believe quickly devolved into an all-too-real prison situation. Some student "guards" became sadistic overlords who eagerly abused the "prisoners," many of whom began to see themselves as real prisoners.
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How is Spanish soccer like GOP economics?
USA Today: The past year has been a triumphant one for Spanish soccer. The national team won the World Cup. Barcelona, whose players largely stocked the national team, took the Union of European Football Associations Cup, the most prestigious competition in club soccer. The Spanish under-19 team won the 2011 World Cup for the fifth time. And everywhere in the world, Spanish-style soccer was admired for its emphasis on teamwork, passing the ball and talented players working seamlessly together. There's just one problem: This year Spain's professional soccer league almost closed down.
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What Do Infants Remember When They Forget?
Six-month-old babies are severely limited in what they can remember about the objects they see in the world; if you hide several objects from an infant, they will only remember one of those objects with any detail. But a new study, which will be published in an upcoming issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, finds that when babies “forget” about an object, not all is lost.
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Troy Davis Execution Fuels Eyewitness ID Debate
NPR: Before he was executed in Georgia last week, Troy Davis brought worldwide attention to his case by challenging the trustworthiness of bystanders who said they saw him shoot a police officer. Davis lost the battle to spare his life, but experts say his case adds fuel to an already-simmering debate over how much weight courts should give to eyewitness testimony. Last month, New Jersey's top court made it easier for criminal defendants to challenge the credibility of eyewitnesses, while the U.S. Supreme Court is set in November to hear its first case dealing with eyewitness evidence in 34 years.
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Mehr Sprache, mehr Gehirn
Berliner Morgenpost: Der im Jahr 1960 in Brügge geborene Belgier lernte in der Grundschule Französisch. Im Gymnasium kamen Deutsch und Englisch, später Griechisch und Latein hinzu. Im Alter von 13 Jahren reiste Vandewalle mit seiner Familie nach Istanbul. Dort lernte er die ersten Brocken Türkisch. Das ist bis heute seine liebste Sprache. "Sie ist so mathematisch. Es gibt keine Ausnahmen", sagt er. Ob sein Gehirn besonders ist, hat er nie untersuchen lassen. Doch das Lernen fiel ihm mit jeder neuen Sprache leichter. Fremdsprachen sind zu seinem Lebensinhalt geworden. An der Universität Gent leitet Vandewalle den Fachbereich für türkische Linguistik. Vandewalle ist ein Extrem.
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Learning-Styles Theory Questioned By Researchers
Huffington Post: For years, the conventional wisdom has been that everyone has a different dominant way of learning. Some are visual learners who prefer studying pictures or graphics. Some say they are auditory learners, absorbing information best through lectures and conversation. Others consider themselves kinesthetic learners who benefit from hands-on activities. A robust industry has formed, marketing materials to educators for dozens of learning-style models. There are tools based on a learner’s personality type. Others are based on how analytical or creative individuals are. Some even delve into the optimal lighting and seating for workspaces.
