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Socialization technique helps in academic achievement, trial study finds
The Washington Post: A popular teaching technique to help elementary students develop emotional and social skills also leads to academic achievement, according to a study released Thursday. In a randomized, controlled trial that examined the technique known as Responsive Classroom, researchers found that children in classrooms where the technique was fully used scored significantly higher in math and reading tests than students in classrooms where it wasn’t applied. Sara Rimm-Kaufman, the study’s lead author and an associate professor of education at the University of Virginia, said the results are important during a period of increased emphasis on academic results.
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When Incentives Are Too Enticing
Inc: Management research about incentive pay often focuses on whether or not the tactic works to increase productivity. But what if the promise of a bonus or some other reward works too well? New neuroscience research from a team of American and European researchers shows that the excitement of a reward might excite people to the point they are unable to adequately complete the task at hand. The study was detailed recently on the Association for Psychological Science's Minds for Business blog. Read the whole story: Inc.
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Messy Rooms
Science Update: Past research has shown that being in a neat, clean environment can make people adopt higher moral standards. University of Minnesota psychologist Kathleen Vohs decided to take a closer look. Her team compared the behavior of people in tidy rooms versus cluttered ones. After spending time in one or the other, people were given a choice of a healthy snack or a treat, and a chance to donate to charity. And what we found is that the people on the tidy room, the clean room, they were more likely to choose the apple over the chocolate bar, and they donated more money to charity. Read the whole story: Science Update
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Does the ‘Hot Hand’ Exist in Basketball?
The Wall Street Journal: It was a shooting performance so incredible, even veteran basketball experts had never seen anything like it. In a game last month at then-No. 4-ranked Villanova, Creighton senior Ethan Wragge swished a three-pointer on his team's opening possession. The next time down the court, he hit a deeper shot. At that point, Wragge wanted a third "because I feel like it's going in no matter what." He was right. Wragge's next four shots didn't miss, either. He scored 21 of his team's first 27 points in the Bluejays' 96-68 rout. He also became the latest example of a phenomenon that many people say doesn't exist: the hot hand.
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The Addict’s Perilous Bargain
The Huffington Post: I've spent a fair amount of time around addicts over the years, and this I know. Addicts are great bargainers. Addicts will promise to forego the pleasures of booze or drugs or food in exchange for future happiness, career success, marital bliss -- you name it. And as often as not, they renege on the deal. This is not a criticism -- just the gritty reality of addiction. Addicts mostly bargain with themselves -- their future selves -- and they don't welch because they are scoundrels. They lack the self-control to honor their promises.
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Alzheimer’s Challenges Notions Of Memory And Identity
NPR: Last week, comedian, actor and activist Seth Rogen about the importance of research on Alzheimer's disease, highlighting the emotional and financial burden the disease places on families — like his own — whose loved ones are affected. He noted that Alzheimer's often begins with an assault on relatively inconsequential memories, such as the location of keys, but eventually . As Rogen's testimony suggests, part of what makes Alzheimer's disease so devastating is the profound personal transformation that it seems to bring about. ... Within philosophy, theories of often rely on memory as a basis for identity.
