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It’s A Duel: How Do Violent Video Games Affect Kids?
NPR: Scientists have long clashed over whether violent video games have an adverse effect on young people. Indeed, the conclusions of different groups of researchers are so contradictory they could give a tennis umpire whiplash. The Supreme Court recently overturned a California ban on violent video games. The court said that video games, even offensive ones, were protected by the First Amendment, and that there wasn't clear evidence that playing games such as Grand Theft Auto and Postal really harmed people. So what explains the vehement disagreements among scientists about the effects of these games?
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Landau named vice provost for faculty affairs
The Gazette: Barbara Landau, the Dick and Lydia Todd Professor and chair of the Department of Cognitive Science in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, has been appointed vice provost for faculty affairs. She succeeds Michela Gallagher, former chair of Psychological and Brain Sciences in the Krieger School, who stepped down as vice provost for academic affairs to return to her research. Read more: The Gazette
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7 Reasons Your Brain Can’t Spot A Liar
The Huffington Post: Think you're adept at calling someone's bluff? Convinced you can spot a liar from halfway across the room? You're probably wrong, says a recent study published in the journal Psychological Science in the Public Interest. According to the research, led by psychologist Aldert Vrij of the University of Portsmouth in the UK, several factors contribute to our inability to tell when we're being deceived. Have you fallen victim to one (or more) of them? Find out all 7 reasons here: The Huffington Post
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Chicks Dig Certain Types of Music
Newly hatched chicks appear to prefer certain sounds over others, just like human infants, suggesting that this musical preference may be innate.
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Some People May Be Bad to the Bone
Discovery News: Men who have wider faces relative to their facial height are more likely to engage in unethical behavior, according to a new study in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the Royal Society B. The finding adds to the growing body of evidence that an individual's genes and hormonal development can influence that person's behavior. The research also supports that certain static physical characteristics — in this case, a man's facial bone structure — may serve as reliable visual cues to behavior. "Other researchers have found that differences in facial width-to-height ratio (WHR) emerge around puberty," co-author Michael Haselhuhn told Discovery News.
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In Defense of Wishful Thinking
Scientific American: In my most recent post and others—and in chats with George Johnson and Robert Wright on Bloggingheads.tv—I rail against biological determinism and defend free will. Some critics accuse me of letting wishful thinking cloud my judgment when it comes to these issues. They say that objective reality is objective reality, regardless of our subjective attitudes toward it.
