-
How to Ace Your Test
When it comes to predicting how well we’ll remember something in the future, research suggests we’re not so great at it. A study in an upcoming issue of Psychological Science found that our predictions of our future memory are biased by how we feel when processing the information to be learned. In a series of experiments, volunteers were asked to study some word items and predict how well they would recall them later. Some were told they would get another chance (or four) to study them while some were told this was it. In addition, the words either showed up in large or small fonts.
-
Our beliefs shape our learning: Study
MSN: If something is easy to learn, then it will be just as easy to remember - nearly everyone uses this simple rule to assess his or her own learning. But holding different belief about the nature of intelligence too can influence our learning, psychological scientists say. It has long been known that these beliefs have important bearing on people's motivation to learn, the journal Psychological Science reports. The so-called 'entity theorists' hold that each person possesses a fixed level of intelligence, which cannot be improved, says study co-author David B. Miele, of Columbia University. Meanwhile, 'incremental theorists' believe that intelligence is malleable.
-
Neuroscience in the Courtroom
Scientific American: By a strange coincidence, I was called to jury duty for my very first time shortly after I started as director of a new MacArthur Foundation project exploring the issues that neuroscience raises for the criminal justice system. Eighty of us showed up for selection in a case that involved a young woman charged with driving under the influence, but most of my fellow citizens were excused for various reasons, primarily their own DUI experiences. Finally, I was called to the judge. “Tell me what you do,” he said. “I am a neuroscientist,” I answered, “and I have actually done work relevant to what goes on in a courtroom.
-
The Psychology of Cheating
The New York Times: To some it was a fitting end to a pointless witch hunt. On Wednesday, after weeks of graphic testimony about steroid use, a jury in San Francisco cleared the former baseball slugger Barry Bonds of all charges but one, obstruction of justice. And even that might not hold up. But for those who feel most strongly about cheating, the verdict was more like a kick in the stomach. Flouting the rules is, for them, not only morally wrong but a lasting offense to good citizens everywhere: If guilty, offenders should pay, whether they’re rich or poor, malingerers or masters of the universe — like the financial figures central to the economic collapse of 2008.
-
Alcohol-Energy Drink Combo Riskier Than Booze Alone, Study Says
Bloomberg Businessweek: Combining the caffeine jolt of energy drinks with the intoxicating effects of alcohol is riskier than drinking alcohol alone, a new study suggests. Adding to growing research on the effects of trendy cocktails such as vodka and the energy drink Red Bull, scientists from Northern Kentucky University split 56 college students between the ages of 21 and 33 into four groups. The students received either an alcoholic beverage, an energy drink, a mixed drink with both ingredients, or a placebo. All drinks were made to look and taste like alcoholic energy drinks, so participants did not know which they were consuming.
-
The kickback society
The Boston Globe: Greasing the wheels of commerce is a lot easier if everyone’s on board. At least that’s the conclusion of a new study on bribery. Analyzing data for different countries, the authors found that a more collectivist culture was strongly associated with the tendency of that country’s companies to offer bribes abroad. Read the whole story: The Boston Globe
