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Who Are You? Identity and Dementia
Phineas Gage is arguably the most famous case study in the history of neuroscience. Gage was a railroad worker who in the autumn of 1848 was helping to prepare a new roadbed near Cavendish, Vermont, when an accidental explosion sent a three-foot tamping iron through his head. The missile entered the left side of his face, passed behind his left eye, and exited through the top of his skull. Gage, remarkably, lived to tell about the mishap. But friends said he had changed—that he was “no longer Gage”—and this is what has intrigued psychological scientists. Formerly industrious and conscientious and amiable, he became irreverent and profane, incapable of returning to his former job.
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Windshield Devices Bring Distracted Driving Debate to Eye Level
The New York Times: In a widely watched YouTube video, a man is driving around Los Angeles when his phone rings. On a small screen mounted on the dashboard, an image of the caller, the man’s mother, appears. But there’s an optical twist: The image actually looks to the driver as if it’s floating just at the front edge of the car, right above the roadway. The man answers the call with a gesture of his hand. “Hi,” his mother says over the car speakers. “I just wanted to say I love you.” “I love you,” the man responds, and then, before signing off, “I’m making a video right now.” Read the whole story: The New York Times
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Poor children more generous than their rich counterparts, study finds
The Telegraph: Even as four-year-olds, poor people are more generous than their richer counterparts, an altruism experiment suggests. Psychologists also found that teaching pre-school children to help those in need can lead to them being healthier later in life. Researchers from the University of California carried out an altruism experiment on 74 children aged four. During the experiment, the children played games that would earn them tokens which they could swap for prizes at the end. ... The study, published in the journal Psychological Science, found that those who were the most generous at their own expense were more able to control their stress levels via the vagus nerve.
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This school divides students by race for an experiment
CNN: One of New York City's most elite and progressive elementary schools is conducting an experiment on race by separating students. Read the whole story: CNN
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Life Satisfaction Linked With Mortality Risk in Older Adults
Greater life satisfaction in adults older than 50 years old is related to a reduced risk of mortality, according to new findings published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. The study, involving nearly 4,500 people who were followed for up to 9 years, also revealed that variability in life satisfaction across time increases risk of mortality, but only among less satisfied people. “Although life satisfaction is typically considered relatively consistent across time, it may change in response to life circumstances such as divorce or unemployment,” said Julia Boehm, assistant professor of psychology at Chapman University.
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‘Nation’s Report Card’ to Gather Data on Grit, Mindset
Education Week: The nation's premiere federal testing program is poised to provide a critical window into how students' motivation, mindset, and grit can affect their learning. Evidence has been building for years that these so-called noncognitive factors play a role in whether children succeed both academically and socially. Now, the National Assessment of Educational Progress, often dubbed the "nation's report card," is working to include measures of these factors in the background information collected with the tests beginning in 2017. Read the whole story: Education Week
