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A Sign That Doctors Care More for Their Patients Than Themselves?
The Atlantic: Here's proof that doctors care more about their patients' safety than their own. A study has found that doctors tended to ignore signs asking them to wash their hands for the sake of their own health; When they were reminded that not washing put their patients' health at risk, they were far more willing to oblige. Whatever was going through the doctors' minds, an appeal to patient safety got their attention much better than an appeal to their personal safety. Soap use rose by over 45 percent. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of North Carolina were interested in what type of message would be most effective at increasing doctors' hand washing.
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The chewing-gum edge
The Globe and Mail: “Good news for students and worrying parents as researchers discover a quick and easy method to boost final exam scores,” says Psych Central. “In a new study, researchers determined [that] chewing gum for five minutes before taking a test improves test scores. However, students should use the initial boost judiciously as the benefits extend for only the first 15 to 20 minutes of the testing. St. Lawrence University psychologist Dr. Serge Onyper conducted a study that showed that students who chewed gum for five minutes before taking a test did better on the test than non-gum-chewing students. Read the whole story: The Globe and Mail
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Despite Occasional Scandals, Science Can Police Itself
The Chronicle of Higher Education: The public has always been fascinated with the scientific mind, including its corruption. So it is no surprise that the sordid case of the Dutch researcher Diederik Stapel grabbed headlines for a few days, including prominent articles in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and this publication. The news stories came after the journal Science expressed concern about one of Stapel's published papers, which is under investigation for data tampering. It is already clear that this one suspicious paper is just the tip of the iceberg. In fact, Stapel had been under fraud investigation for some weeks when the news articles broke.
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Can Companies, Political Groups or Organizations Have a Single Mind?
News of employee misconduct always creates a whirlwind for the companies involved — think of Enron, Goldman Sachs and UBS, for example. But are these firms responsible for the actions of their employees? Or do individual members have distinct and independent responsibility separate from a group’s actions? New research from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and Boston College find that members of a cohesive group are judged to have less responsibility for their own individual actions.
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Montgomery County school chief starts special book club
The Washington Post: Montgomery County Superintendent Joshua P. Starr offered a glimpse of his educational philosophy, and his cerebral personality, during his first official book club gathering last week. The auditorium of the central office in Rockville was transformed into a talk show studio Tuesday for an event scheduled as part of the new superintendent’s transition plan. Starr relaxed in a leather chair. Green plants and a dark wooden bookcase were nearby. Guests sat on a sofa across from the coffee table. The featured guest — author Carol Dweck — “attended” via Skype from her study in California. A cardboard display of her book, “Mindset,” was propped up on a side table.
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Impatient people have lower credit scores
Yahoo India: Impatient people default on their mortgages, because they are more likely to chose immediate gain over a larger reward later, researchers say. 'Most often, the reasons economists put forward are, maybe there was not enough screening for mortgage applicants, or securitization, or other institutional reasons,' said economist Stephan Meier from the Columbia University. 'That's definitely important, but in the end humans make those repayment decisions. So there must be more psychological factors that explain how people make those decisions to default or not,' said Meier, the journal Psychological Science reported. Read the whole story: Yahoo India
