Half-term deluge of scary movies
Schools are on holiday this week in the UK. As film distributors know their target audiences only too well, commercial TV is packed with adverts for scary movies. But what is it about scary movies that makes people enjoy the experience? After all, the emotion they are designed to induce in the audience - fear - is not pleasant in itself.
Some psychologists would say that it is probably not the scary parts of the movie that people are enjoying. It is after the scare, when the adrenaline is still flowing and the tension in the film is released, that the movie-goer experiences pleasure.
In that case how come we're not all horror fans? Perhaps because fear is a primal and easily activated emotion, it tends to keep the attention of adolescents. For those who prefer more subtlety in their cinematic experience, horror is just too direct.
> From The Guardian
Some psychologists would say that it is probably not the scary parts of the movie that people are enjoying. It is after the scare, when the adrenaline is still flowing and the tension in the film is released, that the movie-goer experiences pleasure.
In that case how come we're not all horror fans? Perhaps because fear is a primal and easily activated emotion, it tends to keep the attention of adolescents. For those who prefer more subtlety in their cinematic experience, horror is just too direct.
> From The Guardian
Lecturer talks burglar out of home
"A criminal psychology lecturer used techniques she teaches in class to talk a intruder she found in her bedroom out of her house."
Now that's what I call applied psychology.
> From BBC News
Now that's what I call applied psychology.
> From BBC News
Home testing baby's mental development
Fisher Price have launched a new product designed to allow parents to measure the mental development of their babies. They are marketing it as a tool that will reassure parents that their baby is normal. The problem is that baby's mental development is very difficult to assess.
Take one the of the questions: "7. Can your child... a. have a babble conversation with you? b. look where you look? c. imitate an action - such as pretending to drink from a toy cup?" The idea being that the more they can do, the more developed they are.
Fully trained psychologists in laboratory contexts have problems making these determinations. Indeed psychologists are still arguing about what these kind of factors really mean.
Whether this new test is a 'good thing' or not depends on how it is used. I leave you with a question to think about: do you think it's more likely parents will treat this as a rough guide or the absolute gospel truth?
If nothing else, it will give the baby a taste of what is to come over the next eighteen years: endless testing.
> From The Independent
Take one the of the questions: "7. Can your child... a. have a babble conversation with you? b. look where you look? c. imitate an action - such as pretending to drink from a toy cup?" The idea being that the more they can do, the more developed they are.
Fully trained psychologists in laboratory contexts have problems making these determinations. Indeed psychologists are still arguing about what these kind of factors really mean.
Whether this new test is a 'good thing' or not depends on how it is used. I leave you with a question to think about: do you think it's more likely parents will treat this as a rough guide or the absolute gospel truth?
If nothing else, it will give the baby a taste of what is to come over the next eighteen years: endless testing.
> From The Independent
Labels: Development
Mysteries of memory
The memory plays some strange tricks on us. As they get older many people report that time seems to be speeding up. The details of an emotional experience are often ingrained across our mind for a lifetime, and yet we can't remember someone's name. These and other mysteries of memory are described in Dutch writer Cees Nooteboom's new book. The Independent feature contains a summary of the main ideas.
> From The Independent
> From The Independent
Labels: Memory
Musicality: the balance of practice and talent
If you are one of those people who believes that you are tone deaf then perhaps it is time to change your beliefs. New research into musically 'talented' people claims that their talents are a result of practice. So far, so dull.
What Oliver James doesn't address in his article is the most important question which many psychologists are asking now: how much is practice and how much is talent? Now there's a question that's worth answering.
> From The Observer
What Oliver James doesn't address in his article is the most important question which many psychologists are asking now: how much is practice and how much is talent? Now there's a question that's worth answering.
> From The Observer
Chips Coming to a Brain Near You
"Professor Theodore W. Berger, director of the Center for Neural Engineering at the University of Southern California, is creating a silicon chip implant that mimics the hippocampus, an area of the brain known for creating memories. If successful, the artificial brain prosthesis could replace its biological counterpart, enabling people who suffer from memory disorders to regain the ability to store new memories."
> From Wired News
> From Wired News
'Brain' in dish flies plane
"A Florida scientist has grown a living ''brain'' that can fly a simulated plane, giving scientists a novel way to observe how brain cells function as a network. The ''brain'' -- a collection of 25,000 living neurons, or nerve cells, taken from a rat's brain and cultured inside a glass dish -- gives scientists a unique real-time window into the brain at the cellular level."
> From The Sciene Blog
> From The Sciene Blog
Turning off every TV in the world
Keeping my ear to the Internet ground as I do (translates to: checking Blogdex occassionally) sometimes turns up a story that gives me renewed hope for the human race. A genius called Mitch Altman has invented a universal remote that turns off almost any television. And it is small enough to fit onto a key ring.
If we are lucky this will create thousands, maybe millions, of anti-TV vigilantes. Each one fighting for our collective right not to have our minds filled with inane crap. Perhaps in desperation some people will be tempted to pick up a book.
> From Wired News
If we are lucky this will create thousands, maybe millions, of anti-TV vigilantes. Each one fighting for our collective right not to have our minds filled with inane crap. Perhaps in desperation some people will be tempted to pick up a book.
> From Wired News
Hard scientists have longer index fingers
The beauty of research like this is that you can go around pulling people's fingers all day. Simply tell them that a longer index compared to ring finger is a sign of higher oestrogen levels in the womb. Follow this this up by explaining that higher oestrogen levels in men are associated with better right-brain or analytical development.
One word of caution though: hope that people don't ask you why women, who have higher oestrogen levels, aren't well represented in the hard sciences (Maths and Physics). There's no explanation for that yet. That may undermine your aura of wisdom.
> From The Guardian, Plebius Press and BBC News
One word of caution though: hope that people don't ask you why women, who have higher oestrogen levels, aren't well represented in the hard sciences (Maths and Physics). There's no explanation for that yet. That may undermine your aura of wisdom.
> From The Guardian, Plebius Press and BBC News
New measures replace old IQ tests
IQ is something of a whipping boy for a large number of psychologists. The problem for all those people who love to quote their IQ is: does the skill required to do well in an intelligence test mean that you'll be any better equipped for real life?
Either way IQ has taken a beating over the years and here's a couple of reasons why. The Independent reports on how if an adult of average intelligence was plucked from 1950 to take a modern IQ test, it would deem them retarded. Also, the Science Blog reports on new intelligence measures that are superceding standard IQ test.
> From The Independent
> From The Science Blog
Either way IQ has taken a beating over the years and here's a couple of reasons why. The Independent reports on how if an adult of average intelligence was plucked from 1950 to take a modern IQ test, it would deem them retarded. Also, the Science Blog reports on new intelligence measures that are superceding standard IQ test.
> From The Independent
> From The Science Blog
New research into asexuality
Last week I posted an article on asexuality, the new sexual orientation hitting the headlines. Asexuals claim they have no interest in sex and expect that never to change. New Scientist has a feature looking at this phenomenon in more detail, talking to some of the first people to declare themselves publically asexual.
> From New Scientist
> From New Scientist
Interviewers focus on social context over skills
When you go to an interview you probably think it's important to parade your skills in front of the interviewer. Of course this is important but the latest research shows that interviewers are more conscious of the social aspects of the workplace. The question that seems to be uppermost in their minds is: will this person fit in?
So the next time you're at an interview make sure you create the impression that you're 'their kind of person'.
> From Plebius
So the next time you're at an interview make sure you create the impression that you're 'their kind of person'.
> From Plebius
Sleep-walker turns sex-walker
This is the story of an Australian woman who managed to have sex with strangers in her sleep. So many questions are begged by this story, and only a few of them are answered by the BBC news story. What a shame.
> From BBC News
> From BBC News
The (almost) infallible lie detector
And it's not a machine, it's human and there are in fact thirty of them! Whittled down from a cast of thousands, Professor Maureen O'Sullivan from the University of San Francisco, went searching for the people who could spot lies better than a polygraph (60-70% acccuracy). The 'wizards' as she calls them have developed their skills by themselves over the years and were able to spot the liars in virtually all the cases presented to them.
They claim to look for clues in flickering facial expressions as well as general body language and voice tone. The plan is try to break down what these people are doing and teach it to those who need to be able to detect lies, such as police officers. But as Aldert Vrij, professor of social psychology at the University of Portsmouth, points out - will they be able to explain exactly what they are doing?
It seems likely to me that accurately detecting people's lies is the kind of skill picked up implicitly through years of experience. It may be difficult to teach others the fundamentals in a short amount of time.
> From The Guardian and BBC News
They claim to look for clues in flickering facial expressions as well as general body language and voice tone. The plan is try to break down what these people are doing and teach it to those who need to be able to detect lies, such as police officers. But as Aldert Vrij, professor of social psychology at the University of Portsmouth, points out - will they be able to explain exactly what they are doing?
It seems likely to me that accurately detecting people's lies is the kind of skill picked up implicitly through years of experience. It may be difficult to teach others the fundamentals in a short amount of time.
> From The Guardian and BBC News
Introducing the sexually unoriented
The first survey of asexuality has just been published drawing on work done ten years ago investigating sexuality. It was found that 1% of participants claimed never to have felt sexually attracted to anyone, while 2% had never had sex. Asexuals are now making a claim for recognition in society as a genuine alternative orientation.
Both The Independent and The Guardian report this with a moderate level of credulity. Still, both hint at 'causes' of asexuality including: a reaction to a highly sexed society and the effect of social stress on sexual desire.
> From The Independent and The Guardian
Both The Independent and The Guardian report this with a moderate level of credulity. Still, both hint at 'causes' of asexuality including: a reaction to a highly sexed society and the effect of social stress on sexual desire.
> From The Independent and The Guardian
Neuro imaging shows effect of advertising
"Even though scientists have long believed that...cultural messages affect taste perception, there had been no direct neural probes to test the effect...The researchers concluded that their findings indicate that two separate brain systems--one involving taste and one recalling cultural influence--in the prefrontal cortex interact to determine preferences."
> From Plebius
> From Plebius
Mental health worsening around the globe
Almost every day I read a story from a different country describing the worsening state of mental health there. It's difficult to tell whether this is a result of a genuine trend or simply a greater awareness of mental health problems. Either way I tend not to link to these stories because of their sad monotony. Instead I think I will add them to a roll call.
The first two countries are China and India. The report from China says that over a fifth of children suffer some emotional problems.
> From BBC News and Deepikaglobal.com
The first two countries are China and India. The report from China says that over a fifth of children suffer some emotional problems.
> From BBC News and Deepikaglobal.com
Britons feel 'stigma' of therapy is lifting
"The nationwide study from the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy shows a marked shift in public attitudes towards therapy, once seen as suitable only for those with serious psychiatric or psychological problems. The BACP study, Self Awareness or Self Indulgence?, says that a staggering 83 per cent of people are now prepared to seek professional help - the result of their increasingly stressed-out lives and of marital breakdowns."
> From The Independent
> From The Independent
Ecstasy does affect memory under stress
Previous studies have found that ecstasy only has negligible effects on memory. However, this new research from Australia uses more demanding cognitive tests. It found that there was a significant under-performance in memory in those who were regular ecstasy takers.
> From News Medical
> From News Medical
Labels: Memory
Have you ever been stalked?
One in five women and one in twenty men will suffer from being stalked at some point in their lives. It is still a very little understood and often disturbing crime. To investigate this area the Network for Surviving Stalking in conjunction with the Uni of Leicester are conducting research. If you have ever been stalked then they are conducting a survey you can take part in online.
> From BBC News
> Go to the Stalking Survey
> From BBC News
> Go to the Stalking Survey
Do emotionally demanding jobs pay better?
The concept of emotional labour is relatively new in psychology. It refers to the effort that many people have to make in their jobs to hide their true emotions. The theory is that the more often a person has to hide their emotions, the more emotional labour they are doing.
A recent study wanted to examine if there was any relationship between the amount of emotional labour a person does and the amount of pay they receive. It found that there was a relationship but only if the cognitive demands of the job were also high, such as lawyers. But those in jobs where the cognitive demands were low, but the emotional labour was high, such as waiters, were actually not well paid.
> From Plebius Press
A recent study wanted to examine if there was any relationship between the amount of emotional labour a person does and the amount of pay they receive. It found that there was a relationship but only if the cognitive demands of the job were also high, such as lawyers. But those in jobs where the cognitive demands were low, but the emotional labour was high, such as waiters, were actually not well paid.
> From Plebius Press
Surgeons operate on baby to stop seizures
Epilepsy is a debilitating illness which doctors are still struggling to understand. What we do understand is that it is a kind of electrical storm in the brain. At its most extreme it can make a person's life very hard to lead. Even apart from the immediate physical problems associated with seizures, memory loss is a freqent side-effect. Imagine how difficult it would be to lead your life if you temporarily lost your memory three times a day for an hour at a time.
For a child, memory loss is an even greater problem. It is very difficult to learn about the world if you are continually interrupted and have to start again. When epilepsy is at its most extreme, an extreme intervention is sometimes necessary. One method for dealing with epilepsy is by surgically disconnecting the two hemispheres of the brain.
> From The Guardian
> Succinct information about types of epileptic fits and how to deal with them from Epilepsy Action
For a child, memory loss is an even greater problem. It is very difficult to learn about the world if you are continually interrupted and have to start again. When epilepsy is at its most extreme, an extreme intervention is sometimes necessary. One method for dealing with epilepsy is by surgically disconnecting the two hemispheres of the brain.
> From The Guardian
> Succinct information about types of epileptic fits and how to deal with them from Epilepsy Action
Caffeine withdrawal could be a mental disorder
Those of us who need a few cups of tea or coffee in the morning know a lack of caffeine is a mental disorder.
> From The Seattle Times
> From The Seattle Times
US Supreme Court judge suggests more orgies
"He is the conservative bastion of the US supreme court, a favourite of President Bush, and a hunting partner of the vice-president. He has argued vociferously against abortion rights, and in favour of anti-sodomy laws. But it turns out that there is another side to Justice Antonin Scalia: he thinks Americans ought to be having more orgies."
We're all used to putting the world to rights with random ideas that float into our heads. But to announce this fact during a speech at Harvard Uni takes some balls.
> From The Guardian
We're all used to putting the world to rights with random ideas that float into our heads. But to announce this fact during a speech at Harvard Uni takes some balls.
> From The Guardian
Gorillas in our midst
The Ig Nobel awards were presented last night at Harvard and "...the psychology prize went to David Simons of Illinois University and Christopher Chabris of Harvard, who demonstrated that when people paid close attention to one thing they can be made to overlook anything going on nearby, including a man dressed in a gorilla suit." Classic.
> From The Independent
> The Ig Nobel website
> From The Independent
> The Ig Nobel website