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Decision Making Changes With Age – and Age Helps!
We make decisions all our lives—so you’d think we’d get better and better at it. Yet research has shown that younger adults are better decision makers than older ones. Some Texas psychologists, puzzled by these findings, suspected the experiments were biased toward younger brains. So, rather than testing the ability to make decisions one at a time without regard to past or future, as earlier research did, these psychologists designed a model requiring participants to evaluate each result in order to strategize the next choice, more like decision making in the real world. The results: The older decision makers trounced their juniors.
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Do You Suffer From Decision Fatigue?
The New York Times: Three men doing time in Israeli prisons recently appeared before a parole board consisting of a judge, a criminologist and a social worker. The three prisoners had completed at least two-thirds of their sentences, but the parole board granted freedom to only one of them. Guess which one: Case 1 (heard at 8:50 a.m.): An Arab Israeli serving a 30-month sentence for fraud. Case 2 (heard at 3:10 p.m.): A Jewish Israeli serving a 16-month sentence for assault. Case 3 (heard at 4:25 p.m.): An Arab Israeli serving a 30-month sentence for fraud. There was a pattern to the parole board’s decisions, but it wasn’t related to the men’s ethnic backgrounds, crimes or sentences.
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La ricerca che boccia i ricchi “Più egoisti e insensibili”
La Repubblica Italia: Egoista, insensibile e incredibilmente avaro, l'Arpagone di Molière non avrebbe avuto nessun problema ad ammettere che i ricchi sono diversi dai poveri, e che l'abisso che separa le due categorie non sta tanto nelle possibilità economiche quanto in quelle emozionali. Dura da digerire, la sua teoria è stata snobbata in favore di quella della telenovela più famosa del mondo, Anche i ricchi piangono, ma dopo quasi quattro secoli per il commediografo francese è arrivato il momento della rivincita.
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The Secret Language Code
Scientific American: Are there hidden messages in your emails? Yes, and in everything you write or say, according to James Pennebaker, chair of the department of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. Pennebaker has been a leader in the computer analysis of texts for their psychological content. And in his new book, “The Secret Life of Pronouns,” he argues that how we use words like “I,” “she,” and “who” reveal secrets of our psychology. He spoke recently with Mind Matters editor Gareth Cook. COOK: How did you become interested in pronouns? Read the whole story: Scientific American
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“Culture of honor” in some states takes deadly toll on men
CBS News: "A real man doesn't let anyone push him around." If you agree with that that statement, you're buying in to the "culture of honor" that predominates in some parts of the country. You could also be putting your life on the line, a new study suggests. Men who think they should defend their reputation at all costs often resort to violent confrontations or take needless risks, which can lead to injury or death. Think of the man who feels he must not tolerate being cut off on the highway, or who won't back down when someone breaks in line. "Our study shows that homicide rates are a lot higher in honor states," Dr.
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Widespread panic: Why math anxiety continues to multiply
Miami Herald: One look at math word problems and many students cringe. Even worse, many elementary school teachers seem to have the same reaction. Math anxiety, a fear that first gained recognition as a feminist issue in the 1970s, remains a big problem that psychologists, educators, and parents are trying to crack. A negative emotional reaction to math or even the prospect of solving a problem that has to do with mathematics, math anxiety is now the topic of many books, research papers and seminars. Read the whole story: Miami Herald
