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Learning by Reflection
In case you missed it, the cameras were rolling at the APS 23rd Annual Convention in Washington, DC. Watch Meera Komarraju from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale present her poster session research on “Learning Styles and Academic Motivation in College Students From India.” Komarraju and her coauthors — Steven J. Karau, Corey Tincher, and Varsha S. Godbole — studied the learning and information-processing strategies used by students at two universities in India. The scientists found that student with reflective learning strategies (i.e., strategies that connect course material with personal experiences and outside knowledge) also displayed more intrinsic motivation.
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Remembering (and Replicating) the Milgram Experiments
Fifty years ago, Stanley Milgram’s famous obedience experiments showed that ordinary people would harm others when instructed to do so by an authority figure. The experiment was recently replicated on the Discovery Channel’s series Curiosity with the help of psychological scientist Jerry Burger. Watch this video to find out what went through the mind of a participant who said no and refused to shock another person. For more on the Milgram experiment, tune in to CNN at 7:30 am on Saturday December 10 or Sunday December 11 to watch Sanjay Gupta’s interview with Jerry Burger and Thomas Blass, both APS Members.
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Stressed About Final Exams? Try Self-Compassion
In case you missed it, the cameras were rolling at the APS 23rd Annual Convention in Washington, DC. Watch Elizabeth A. Hendriks from the University of Notre Dame present her poster session research, “Self-Compassion Buffers Negative Affect but Does Not Moderate Cortisol Following Social Stress Task.” Hendriks and her collaborator Michelle M. Wirth measured self compassion, negative affect, and cortisol in study participants who were asked to deliver a persuasive speech to a panel of trained judges. They found that participants who displayed high self-compassion experienced less negative affect than those who displayed low self-compassion.
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Q & A With Psychological Scientist Daniel Levitin (Part 2)
Below is part 2 of Levitin's Q & A: How important is household upbringing to preference of music? For instance, if someone is raised in a home where gospel music is constantly played, do they develop a liking for this genre of music? (Even if the genre of music is not popular for the time period.) We don't really know much about upbringing and genre-specific preferences, but we do know something about broader issues of tonality and musical syntax. There appears to be a critical period for acquiring musical syntax as there is for acquiring speech syntax.
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Q & A With Psychological Scientist Daniel Levitin (Part 1)
Daniel Levitin, a prominent psychological scientist, musician, author and producer, will be speaking at the 24th Annual APS Convention in Chicago this May as part of the Music, Mind, and Brain Theme Program. We invited Twitter and Facebook followers to ask Levitin questions based on his background and research in music and psychology. Here is what Levitin had to say... You've played in rock bands, and you've pioneered the academic study of music. Does music shape your intellectual work, or vice versa? Can you give an example of this? Well first, I'd like to say that as much as I appreciate the compliment, I'm really not a pioneer in the academic study of music.
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More HIV Testing for Teens?
Yesterday was World AIDS Day, and according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), more can be done to prevent HIV in teenagers. In a policy statement, the AAP advocates for 16 to 18-year-old teens who live in an area where more than 0.1% of the population is HIV positive should be tested routinely for HIV. Psychological scientist Anthony Lemieux agrees. In this interview, she explains why it’s a good idea for teens to get tested.
