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How Exactly Does Autism Muddy Communication?
The quirks in Ramsey Brewer’s conversation are subtle. The 17-year-old repeats himself from time to time and makes small mistakes in the words he uses. For instance, he says he and his best friend look scaringly, not scarily, similar. He also pauses at odd spots, and for a beat or two longer than most people do. When he’s talking, he makes eye contact briefly but then slides his eyes sideways—or closes them. And his comments swerve in unexpected directions: Asked where he goes to school, he says Boston Latin Academy, but then suddenly adds, “I’m not actually from this state,” even though he and his family have lived in Massachusetts for years.
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New Research From Clinical Psychological Science
A sample of research exploring: network modeling in psychopathology; religion and depression; stigma, emotion regulation, and mental health; auditory adaption in children with autism; and general factors of psychopathology, personality, and personality disorder.
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Surgeons Need a Warm-up Routine
Do surgeons need to “warm-up” before they start an operation? New research from the UK shows that skilled surgeons speed up after the first operation of the day - especially if they repeat the same procedure on the next patient. A trainee surgeon and a neuroscientist analysed data from operating lists of highly-experienced surgeons in private hospitals – and now want to create a warm-up routine which could help all surgeons. Prescription medicines are now free for everyone under the age of 25 in Canada – an estimated 4 million people. Those behind the OHIP PLUS policy hope that the 1 in 10 Canadian families who have struggled to pay for medications will now be able to buy them.
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How Monotony Promotes Sleepiness in Self-Driving Vehicles
Scientists are studying whether engaging in interesting tasks in an autonomous car might keep drivers awake and alert, or might distract them from preparing to take control of the vehicle when necessary.
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Starbucks’s Troubles Can Be a Test for Anti-Bias Training: Does It Work?
Earlier this month, two black men were arrested for trespassing at a Starbucks cafe in Philadelphia. They were waiting for a friend but had not bought anything and would not leave, so the store manager called 911. The friend showed up just as six police officers handcuffed the two men and led them away. Viral cellphone videos, news reports and protests made the incident an international example of corporate racial insensitivity. In response, Starbucks announced last week that it will close all 8,000 of its company-owned stores nationwide for an entire afternoon on Tuesday, May 29, to give all of its employees training in racial-bias reduction.
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Revisiting the Marshmallow Test
Remember the marshmallow test? Stanford University researchers in the early 1960s offered young children a choice between one sweet treat they could immediately eat, or two they could enjoy after a short wait. They found those who took the second option ultimately got higher test scores, and generally had more successful lives. That ability to delay gratification is usually described as an internal trait, perhaps enhanced by proper parenting. But new research suggests another element is also at play. It reports kids faced with this now-or-later dilemma are strongly influenced by their peers' pattern of behavior.
