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Higher Implicit Self-Esteem Linked to Positive Evaluation of Spouses
It’s often said that we can’t love others unless we love ourselves. According to a new study, this may be true, but perhaps in a different way than we expect -- while our reported self-esteem doesn’t predict changes in our implicit, or underlying, feelings about a significant other, our implicit attitudes about ourselves do. Research has suggested that self-esteem influences how people behave in their relationships: Those with higher self-esteem believe that their partner views them positively and so are more inclined to work at their relationships. In other studies, however, self-esteem didn’t seem to predict relationship satisfaction down the road. Psychological scientist James K.
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AAAS, George Mason Seek Diverse Scientists to Test Crowdsourcing Accuracy
The AAAS Center for Science, Technology, and Security Policy is helping George Mason University recruit scientists with a diverse set of expertise to assist in a science and technology forecasting project called SciCast. The purpose of this project, which is funded by the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA), is to determine whether crowdsourcing can be used to accurately predict the future of science and technology questions. These questions vary by discipline and focus area, and range from the more applied science and engineering advancements to the highly technical, basic science achievements.
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Applications Invited for Inaugural TANG Prize for Achievements in Psychology
The Department of Psychology at the University of Toronto is pleased to announce the call for nominations for the 2014 inaugural TANG Prize for Achievements in Psychology. As a department at a public university, we believe in furthering the science of psychology in service of enhancing human wellbeing. Applications are encouraged from internationally-recognized scholars in psychology or a closely-related field who have shown creativity and rigor in their approach and whose record of achievement has left an indelible mark on the field. This award has been made possible through generous support from the TANG Foundation.
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The Process of Problem Solving
People encounter problems every day. Some problems, such as solving the daily Sudoku puzzle, are enjoyable, while others, like figuring out how to retrieve the keys you just locked in the car, are not. Although researchers have examined problem solving, there is still a lot we don’t know about how we strategically work through problems. In a 2013 article published in the Journal of Cognitive Psychology, Ngar Yin Louis Lee (Chinese University of Hong Kong) and APS William James Fellow Philip N. Johnson-Laird (Princeton University) examined the ways people develop strategies to solve related problems.
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Learning for Survival? Venom Overrides Other Snake Categories
We deal with the world around us by putting it into categories. We are constantly trying to understand the things we encounter by classifying them: Is this a food I really like, one that I would eat only if I were starving, or something I won’t go near? Is this creepy-crawly thing an insect, a spider, or some other form of arthropod? “Virtually every item can fall into a number of broader or more specific categories, and some levels may be more important to know than others,” write researchers Sharon Noh and colleagues in an article published in Psychological Science.
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Fulbright Canada Distinguished Visiting Research Chairs
Fulbright Canada and the Norlien Foundation have partnered to create and support a program of Distinguished Visiting Research Chairs in Brain Science, and Child and Family Health and Wellness. At one of Alberta’s three research intensive universities, the scholar(s) would conduct translational research that would improve current approaches to preventing and treating addiction and mental health issues. This short notice funding opportunity, valued at US$35,000 for a four month residential exchange, closes on August 1, 2014. Below you will find more details regarding the award. Interested candidates should email Brad Hector ([email protected]) Program Officer for Scholars.