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Yes, algebra is necessary
The Washington Post: When I first saw yesterday’s New York Times op-ed, I mistook it for a joke. The title, “Is algebra necessary?” had the ring of Thurber’s classic essay, “Is sex necessary?”, a send-up of psychological sex manuals of the 1920s. Unfortunately, the author, Andrew Hacker, poses the question in earnest, and draws the conclusion that algebra should not be required of all students. Read the whole story: The Washington Post
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Teens and Video Games: How Much Is Too Much?
LiveScience: The gamer community had a near-miss this week in Ohio, when a 15-year-old boy collapsed after playing "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3" for up to five days straight. The Columbus teen was rushed to the hospital with severe dehydration, where he recovered, according to a report from TV station WCMH on Aug. 7. Players who delve too deeply into their electronic worlds can face various health risks, ranging from deep vein thrombosis, or blood clots, to severe dehydration. Read the whole story: LiveScience
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New Research on Sensation and Perception From Psychological Science
Read about the latest research on sensation and perception published in Psychological Science. Discrimination and Categorization of Actions by Pigeons Yael Asen and Robert G. Cook Recognizing different types of behaviors is essential for an animal's survival. In this study, researchers examined if and how pigeons classify actions by training them to discriminate among walking and running animal models. Pigeons' knowledge of movement in one animal transferred into knowledge of movement in models of other animals. Additionally, pigeons' movement discrimination abilities remained intact even when the direction of the movement was reversed and the speed of the movement altered.
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Buying presents will earn you brownie points AND encourage you to help others
Daily Mail: Thinking about giving and not receiving motivates people to help others, according to a new university study. We are often told to ‘count our blessings’ and be grateful for what we have. And research shows that doing so makes us happier. But will it actually change our behavior towards others? A new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, suggests that thinking about what we’ve given, rather than what we’ve received, may lead us to be more helpful toward others.
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Killer Resume Tip: Highlight Potential Over Achievement
The Wall Street Journal: It’s not what you have achieved, but what you might achieve. A new study by scholars at Stanford and Harvard found that in a wide variety of settings people get more excited about individuals with potential and promise than those with actual, proven performance — and are more willing to hire and pay more for these high-potential candidates. (We’ve noted here that many companies prefer to hire– and even pay a premium for– snazzy outsiders, rather than promote tried-and-true insiders, even though the latter often perform better.
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Inequality and trust sit the test
Sydney Morning Herald: If you search ''buy an essay'' on Google a multitude of websites will pop up offering stress-free ways to complete a looming assignment. They promise teams of ''experienced writers'' on hand to write your essay - some even offer a money-back guarantee if you're not satisfied. The going rate seems to be about $US10 a page, although express services that promise essays in a few hours can cost three or four times that. One website that caught my attention audaciously claimed a focus was ''on professionalism, integrity and honesty''. Its heartwarming goal was to ''make your academic life joyful and easier''.
