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(Inherently) Scared of Red
What do you think of when you see the color red? Danger, blood, passion, and…dominance, new research suggests. A study to be published in an upcoming issue of Psychological Science found that that there is evolutionary basis to the human tendency to avoid the color red or act submissively in its presence. In this study, experimenters looked at male rhesus macaques, a species of monkeys that is sensitive to the colors red, green, and blue, in their natural environment. The female and male experimenters would approach the monkeys at the same time, in the same manner, place a slice of apple in front of them, and then take two simultaneous steps back.
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Anger Primes, Task Difficulty, and Effort-Related Cardiac Reactivity
I'm Laure Freydefont from the University of Geneva, Switzerland, and I presented my research at the APS 23rd Annual Convention in Washington, DC. In French: This 2 (prime: anger vs. sadness) x 2 (task difficulty: easy vs. difficult) experiment found that anger primes moderate objective task difficulty’s effect on effort-related cardiac response similarly as happiness primes. Anger leads to higher effort on a difficult task, but to lower effort on an easy task.
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The Need to Text Now: Delay Discounting of Texting in Younger Adults
I'm Paul Atchley from the University of Kansas, and I presented my research at the APS 23rd Annual Convention in Washington, DC. This study examined the seemingly addictive nature of texting in younger adults by looking at their willingness to delay texting for a monetary reward. Compared to the willingness to wait for a larger, later monetary reward, participants were less likely to further delay their opportunity to text. Choices Theme Poster Session - Board: - 033 Saturday, May 28, 2011, 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Columbia Hall Paul Atchley University of Kansas Amelia Warden University of Kansas
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The Strain of Isolation: Cortisol Reactivity to Rejection and Affiliation After Stress
I'm Allison E. Gaffey from the University of Notre Dame and I presented my research at the APS 23rd Annual Convention in Washington, DC. Participants engaged in a computer social rejection task (Cyberball), a speech stressor, or a control task. Social rejection resulted in cortisol reactivity comparable to the standard speech stressor. A trend suggested those who were more likely to affiliate after stress had lower post-stress cortisol. Poster Session XII - Board: XII- 007 Sunday, May 29, 2011, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Columbia Hall Allison E. Gaffey University of Notre Dame Michelle M. Wirth University of Notre Dame
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Consciousness: From Neural Systems to Phenomenological Experience
Consciousness has moved to psychological science's center stage. Advances in theory and research have transformed the field, converting what previously had been mysteries into solvable scientific problems. In this theme program, international leaders in the field displayed the progress that has been made in solving one of science's great puzzles: how neural systems and psychological processes give rise to individual's unified, subjective phenomenological experience. The speakers included: Richard J.
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Inside the Psychologist’s Studio: Mahzarin Banaji
Like its quasi-namesake (that would be Inside the Actor's Studio), the Inside the Psychologist's Studio series traditionally has focused on more senior luminaries who look back at their accomplishments. In a departure from that format, we bring you a fascinating, wide-ranging forward-looking, intergenerational conversation that promises to leave you even more confident about the future of psychological science. Rebecca Saxe is a scientist at MIT, where she got her PhD in 2003. Already, she has made exciting contributions to our understanding of how infants become social beings, what goes wrong in brain development to produce autism, and how we make moral decisions.
