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How the science of human behavior is beginning to reshape the US government
The Conversation: Back in September, President Barack Obama signed an executive order that marked a major turning point in the role that behavioral science plays in helping the federal government achieve policy goals. The order, which directs federal agencies to incorporate insights from behavioral science into their programs, may turn out to be one of the most important acts of his second term. That’s certainly the view of Cass Sunstein, a Harvard legal scholar and coauthor of the bestselling book on behavioral economics, Nudge. ...
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Scientists say this ridiculously simple strategy can help you learn anything
Business Insider: Testing yourself on the material you’re trying to learn is more effective than studying and re-studying that material. In his book "Fluent Forever," opera singer Gabriel Wyner suggests that one of the best ways to learn a new language is to practice remembering it. In other words, instead of reading and re-reading a list of vocabulary words, you should read it once and then test yourself repeatedly. The same strategy works for pretty much anything you’re hoping to commit to memory, and there’s a growing body of research behind it. Psychologists call this phenomenon the "testing effect." A 2003 study, cited in a meta-analysis by Henry L. Roediger, III and Jeffrey D.
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Why Monday is the Best Day for Setting New Goals
People are more motivated to pursue a new goal, like hitting the gym or saving for retirement, on specific dates.
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Mixed-Age Classes Hinder Kids’ Academic Progress in Head Start
Most Head Start classrooms serve children of mixed ages and that may limit the academic growth of older children, according to new research to be published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. Researchers found that 4-year-olds in Head Start classrooms that included higher concentrations of 3-year-olds were up to five months behind in academic development compared with their peers in classrooms that had fewer younger children. As of 2009, about 75 percent of all Head Start classrooms were mixed-age. Head Start is a federal preschool program that promotes the school readiness of children in low-income families from age 3 to age 5.
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Fatal Fat Shaming? How Weight Discrimination May Lead To Premature Death
Wbur: As soon as the chair broke under the weight of his 533 pounds, Jeff Newell knew he wouldn’t get the job. With a background in customer service and a culinary arts degree, Newell, of Taunton, Massachusetts, had been searching fruitlessly for work for several years. Finally, a great job near his home opened up that seemed a perfect fit with his credentials. But then came the chair-breaking incident. Humiliating, yes, but even more infuriating because the interviewer, offering neither help nor an apology, simply shook her head and made a face. “I knew what she was thinking: ‘This person is overweight and he’s going to be lazy and why should I hire him?’ ” Newell said.
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What Does Success Mean for Long-Suffering Sports Fans? An Identity Crisis, Researchers Say
Scientific American: In August 1987, in the midst of one of the darkest periods in English soccer history, a countercultural movement sprung into existence in the stadium of the Manchester City Football Club when a man named Frank Newton brought a five-foot inflatable banana to a game for a laugh. Laughs being rare in the stands at that time, other fans embraced the idea of inflatable bananas and a trend bloomed. Vendors started selling them. Newton himself soon switched to a six-foot inflatable crocodile, according to a definitive account at the Manchester City fan newsletter MCIVTA. Other fans hoisted inflatable sharks, airplanes, and wading pools.
