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Feeling Moved by Art
In case you missed it, the cameras were rolling at the APS 23rd Annual Convention in Washington, DC. Watch Kendall J. Eskine and Natalie A. Kacinik from the City University of New York present their research on “Feeling Moved by Art.” “The goal of this research was to investigate which emotions underlie our positive experiences of art,” Eskine says. In particular, they researched the centuries-old idea that fear plays a key role in sublime experiences — “those experiences that are really astonishing and take people aback.” To test how fear affects participants’ appreciation of art, Eskine, Kacinik, and their collaborator Jesse J.
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Beating Dyslexia Through Music
Musical skills may translate into reading skills — particularly for children with dyslexia. Research published by Martina Huss, Usha Goswami, and colleagues in Cortex indicates that musical games may be useful in treating dyslexia in young children because an inability to distinguish between strong and weak “beats” is closely related to dyslexia. Huss and Goswami asked 10-year-old children to listen to pairs of simple songs in which certain notes were accented. To make the songs different, the scientists changed the length of the accented notes.
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Q & A With Psychological Scientist Kendall Eskine
Bitter food, bitter guests... make sure you choose your Thanksgiving menu wisely! Researchers have found that the taste of the food and drinks that you serve your guests may impact their moral judgments of you. Read about their research here. Kendall J. Eskine is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Loyola University New Orleans. He has a special interest in how abstract ideas are entwined with our physical and sensory experiences. Last week we asked our Twitter and Facebook followers to submit questions to Eskine on his research...his answers are below! 1. You cited 'affect as info'.
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Lost in the Shopping Center
You go to the mall to buy one pair of jeans and leave with your jeans plus new shoes, a pretzel, and a couple of magazines. Sound familiar? Watch Marc Fennell of Hungry Beast explain how store design can encourage impulse buying — and why Ikea shoppers in particular tend to overbuy. According to Alan Penn of University College London, Ikea really is designed like a maze. You can read more about Penn’s research from Daily Mail and the Telegraph. If you’re looking for tips on orienting yourself and escaping from maze-like buildings, Laura A.
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Your Brain on Injustice
Some people are just more worried about injustice than others. Lisa Simpson, from the animated television show The Simpsons, frets over the plight of the Tibetan people and whether it’s morally acceptable to eat animals — even when people around her remain relatively indifferent to these causes. And the chances are good that there’s a Lisa in your family or circle of friends. Psychological scientists are trying to determine whether injustice-oriented people like Lisa have a unique way of processing information.
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Funding Opportunity 2012 NIH Director’s Early Independence Awards
Letters of Intent due by December 30, 2011 Announcing a funding opportunity for the NIH Director's Early Independence Awards: For junior investigators wishing to “skip the post-doc” and immediately begin independent research Eligible candidates must be within one year of receipt of terminal research degree or completion of clinical residency Only up to two applications per institution (as defined by unique DUNS number) permitted All areas of research relevant to the mission of NIH welcome Budgets may be up to $250,000 in direct costs per year for up to five years The deadline for submitting Early Independence Award applications is January 30, 2012 with Letters of Intent due by December 30, 2…
