-
Slimmer door sneller brein
Metro Nieuws: Waarom neemt de intelligentie in onze tienerjaren eigenlijk toe? Wetenschappers komen met een antwoord. In de puberteit krijgt niet alleen ons lichaam een radicale make-over, maar verandert ook ons brein. Zo hebben wetenschappers al eerder aangetoond dat adolescenten intelligenter worden, maar was tot op heden onduidelijk waarom. Het vermoeden was dat het iets te maken heeft met de mentale verwerkingssnelheid, die ook een spurt neemt tijdens de tienerjaren. En jawel: dit blijkt inderdaad te kloppen.
-
Easily Embarrassed? Others Trust You More, Study Shows
LiveScience: The next time you blush after tripping over your own feet in public, don't try to hide it — a new study finds that showing your embarrassment actually makes other people view you as more trustworthy. "Embarrassment is one emotional signature of a person to whom you can entrust valuable resources," study researcher Robb Willer, a social psychologist at the University of California, Berkeley, said in a statement.
-
Doubts raised over dyslexia diagnoses
The Telegraph: Dyslexia is defined as reading achievement "substantially below that expected" for a person's age, intelligence and education level, according to a widely used guide, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Consequently 'dyslexics' - poor readers with an average or high IQ - have tended to be treated differently from those who are consistently bottom of the class. The basis for this approach has been the assumption that something particular impedes the brains of dyslexics, specifically their reading and writing ability.
-
Rich less empathetic than poor, study says
Deseret News: Rich people are less empathetic, less altruistic and more selfish than those of the lower classes, according to new research from University of California at Berkeley and at San Francisco. In an article published by the Association for Psychological Science, co-authors Michael W. Kraus of UC-San Francisco and Dacher Keltner and Paul K. Piff of the UC-Berkely found people from lower classes were better at reading other people's emotions, which is one scientific measure of empathy. If you can't recognize what someone is going through, they argue, it's hard to respond to their needs.
-
Spoiling the Ending Doesn’t Spoil the Story
People hate to know the ending before they’ve read the story or watched the movie. At least that’s what they think. A study in the September issue of Psychological Science reveals that contrary to this popular belief, knowing the ending actually enhances readers’ enjoyment of a story.
-
Michael Smith Dances His PhD
If you’re a PhD student with mad dancing skills, Science and TEDxBrussels have the contest for you. Dance Your PhD is again offering $1,000 for the best video. This example may provide just the inspiration you need to create your own masterpiece. Michael Smith dances Guarding and Robbing Behavior in Social Insect. According to Goldenberg, her dance and public wikis both utilize textuality, dialogue, and a participatory process. If you find Goldenberg’s wiki dance intriguing, you may consider writing a wiki on your own area of expertise as part of APS’s Wikipedia Initiative.
