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How The Visual System Constructs Moving Objects: One by One
Although our eyes record the word as millions of pixels, “the visual system is fantastic at giving us a world that looks like objects, not pixels,” says Northwestern University psychologist Steven L. Franconeri. It does this by grouping areas of the world with similar characteristics, such as color, shape, or motion. The process is so seamless that we feel we’re taking it all in simultaneously. But this, says a new study by Franconeri and his colleague Brian R. Levinthal, is “an illusion.” Instead, they say, that for some types of grouping, the visual system is limited by its ability to perceive only one group at a time.
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Surprise! Spoilers don’t spoil stories: Study
Toronto Sun: With so many sources of information available to us every day, it's hard to avoid finding out who won the hockey game you PVR'd last night or how the last Harry Potter book ends. But there's no need to plug your ears or stay off the Internet, because a new study found that knowing the outcome doesn't ruin a story - in fact, it enhances our enjoyment of it. Nicholas Christenfeld and Jonathan Leavitt, of University of California San Diego's psychology department, say people who flip to the end of the book first have the right idea.
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Wealthy really are different, and not in a nice way: study
The Vancouver Sun: Turns out, the rich really are different. But not necessarily in he ways we assume. Though economically privileged, people from upper-class backgrounds consistently display deficits in empathy, social engagement, generosity and sensitivity compared to those from the lower classes. The differences in behaviour are so marked that even unschooled observers are able to detect a person's socioeconomic background based on 60 seconds of interaction. The findings, published in the journal Current Directions in Psychological Science, have researchers concluding that wealth comes at considerable personal cost - and that being poor isn't without its rewards.
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Spoilers Don’t Spoil Anything
Wired: I’ve got a weak spot for pulp fiction, especially when it involves a mysterious twist. I like unironic thrillers and mediocre Agatha Christie imitations. Basically, I like any kind of fiction that lets me forget for vast stretches of time that I’m sitting in an airport terminal. I read these books in an unusual way: I begin with the last five pages, seeking out the final twist first. The twist won’t make sense at this point, but that doesn’t matter — I enjoy reading the story with the grand finale in mind. (Hell, I even cheated with Harry Potter.) I’ve always assumed that this reading style is a perverse personal habit, a symptom of a flawed literary intelligence.
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UK riots: What turns people into looters?
BBC News: There have been some extraordinary scenes in London and other cities this week, from burning buildings and running street battles, to people unashamedly walking into a shop and leaving with a flat-screen television under their arms. Many of the looters have not bothered to cover their faces as they raided electrical stores, sports shops and off-licences. Some have even posed for a picture afterwards, proudly showing off their haul and posting the images on social-networking sites.
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Do narcissists or junkies make better leaders?
Business Insider: Narcissists rise to the top. That's because other people think their qualities - confidence, dominance, authority, and self-esteem - make them good leaders. Is that true? “Our research shows that the opposite seems to be true,” says Barbora Nevicka, a PhD candidate in organizational psychology, describing a new study she undertook with University of Amsterdam colleagues Femke Ten Velden, Annebel De Hoogh, and Annelies Van Vianen. The study found that the narcissists’ preoccupation with their own brilliance inhibits a crucial element of successful group decision-making and performance: the free and creative exchange of information and ideas.
