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Understanding Others’ Thoughts Enables Young Kids to Lie
Developing theory of mind, a critical social skill, may enable children to engage in the sophisticated thinking necessary for intentionally deceiving others.
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New Research From Psychological Science
Read about the latest research published in Psychological Science: Iconic Gestures Facilitate Discourse Comprehension in Individuals With Superior Immediate Memory for Body Configurations Ying Choon Wu and Seana Coulson Iconic gestures are those that depict an aspect of the object or action to which they are referring. The researchers hypothesized that sensitivity to the meaning of these types of gestures is linked to differences in kinesthetic working memory (KWM). The researchers assessed participants' KWM span and had them watch short video clips in which a person's gestures were congruent or incongruent with the accompanying audio track.
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Coincidence or Conspiracy? Studies Investigate Conspiracist Thinking
A psychological study in Europe has overturned some long held assumptions about people who hold conspiracy-beliefs.
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New Research From Psychological Science
Read about the latest research published in Psychological Science: An Enhanced Default Approach Bias Following Amygdala Lesions in Humans Laura A. Harrison, Rene Hurlemann, and Ralph Adolphs Monkeys that have amygdala lesions -- a part of the brain involved in memory, emotion, and learning -- show a tendency to approach stimuli that are normally considered threatening. The researchers examined whether amygdala lesions produce a general default bias to evaluate stimuli positively or a specific positivity bias -- in this case, a face-approach bias.
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Telecommuting Works Best in Moderation, Science Shows
Organizations are increasingly offering employees a variety of work-from-home options despite sometimes conflicting evidence about the effectiveness of telecommuting. A comprehensive new report reveals that telecommuting can boost employee job satisfaction and productivity, but only when it’s carefully implemented with specific individual and organizational factors in mind. A key factor in determining the success of a telework plan, for example, is the proportion of time that an employee works remotely versus in the office.
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New Research From Psychological Science
Read about the latest research published in Psychological Science: Mother-Infant Contingent Vocalizations in 11 Countries Marc H. Bornstein, Diane L. Putnick, Linda R. Cote, O. Maurice Haynes, and Joan T. D. Suwalsky Mother-infant interactions play an important role in child development, helping with children's emotional, social, cognitive, and language development. Despite the importance of this interaction, it remains unknown whether aspects of mother-infant interactions -- such as vocal turn taking -- are universal the world over.
