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Test Prep Doesn’t Help Raise Intelligence Scores
Scientific American: Young American students take a variety of standardized tests. But the ways that students are educated so that they’ll do well on such tests presents a problem. The preparation increases what’s called crystallized knowledge: that’s factual information, such as ‘the capital of Texas is Austin.’ But the tests do not enhance what is referred to as fluid intelligence: the ability to think logically or theoretically. That’s according to a study in the journal Psychological Science. Read the whole story: Scientific American
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Study: smartphone game shows baggage screeners likely to miss ultra-rare items
Wired: A study has used data collected from a smartphone game that allows users to act as airport baggage screeners to prove that ultra-rare items are highly susceptible to search errors. Cognitive psychologists from Duke University in North Carolina analysed data collected from a game called Airport Scanner, which was developed by Kedlin Company and tests gamers' visual scanning skills. Overall the team studied 20 million virtual suitcase search results collected between December 2012 and March 2013 and discovered that in the majority of cases, participants failed to identify objects which only occurred rarely.
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The Secret of Comedy Really Is Timing
Pacific Standard: Did you hear the one about Hurricane Sandy? Did you find it hilarious? Tasteless? Or just lame? Newly published research concludes the answer depends in part on exactly when the joke reached your ear, or inbox. An analysis of responses to humorous quips referencing last year’s devastating storm suggests the adage that “comedy equals tragedy plus time” needs to be modified. A research team led by University of Colorado psychologist A. Peter McGraw concludes that, at some specific point in the days and weeks after a horrible event, there is a “sweet spot” when we’re particularly likely to find humor in the darkness. Read the whole story: Pacific Standard
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Food Rituals
BBC: Does performing rituals improve the taste of food? Claudia Hammond investigates. Listen to the whole story: BBC
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Study: Test-score gains don’t mean cognitive gains
The Washington Post: In a finding that should give pause to backers of standardized test-based school reform, a new study by neuroscientists at three major universities shows that students who achieved the highest gains on standardized tests did not show the same gains in the ability to analyze material and think logically.
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Can Thinking About Time Make You A Better Person?
Fast Company: Imagine: Briefcases full of cash. Scrooge McDuck diving into his swimming pool vault of gold coins. Winning $100 at a blackjack table. Feeling a little dishonest yet? Just thinking about getting our grubby little hands on some cold hard cash can make us more likely to cheat, according to a new study in Psychological Science. Oddly enough, thinking about time seems to make people more honest.