How does a child learn that the stress is on the second syllable of giraffe, and on the first of zebra? Is it memory, the structure of the word itself or clues provided by the sounds in the word?
Not everyone enjoys a murder mystery with a surprise ending, new research suggests. People who have lower levels of self-esteem prefer crime and detective stories that confirm their suspicions in the end, while those with higher self-esteem enjoy a story that goes against expectations.
New research shows that whites often avoid using race to describe other people, particularly in interactions with blacks. However further research reveals that such efforts to appear colorblind and unprejudiced are associated with less-friendly nonverbal behaviors. “By their nonverbal behavior alone, the whites who are trying to appear colorblind to impress their black partners ironically come across as distant and unfriendly,” said Samuel R. Sommers, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology at Tufts University.
University of Alberta researchers have pinpointed a section in the tiny hummingbird’s brain that may be responsible for its unique ability to stay stationary mid-air and hover.
A blind man suffering d?j? vu. It sounds like a contradiction in terms — but the first case study of its kind has turned the whole theory of d?j? vu on its head.
Boys and girls tend to use different parts of their brains to process some basic aspects of grammar, according to the first study of its kind, suggesting that sex is an important factor in the acquisition and use of language.
New research uses an electroencephalogram (EEG) to look for a connection between brain activity thought to reflect trait-like differences in emotionality and alcoholism. Findings show an asymmetry of activity in the left and right frontal areas of the brain.
Organisations have become more open to hiring disabled people’s services and purchasing their products due to positive developments in rehabilitation services.
New research, in “Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think,” shows that most holiday overeating, is due to the cues around us — family and friends, packages and plates, shapes and smells, distractions and distances, cupboards and containers. Dubbed the “Freakonomics of food,” the studies in “Mindless Eating” also show how we can reverse these cues to eat less and enjoy it more.
For people unable to simultaneously rub their stomach while patting their head, a new twist may be at hand. Touch, rather than concentration, could let people multi-task with their hands, and this may also potentially help improve the performance of people with coordination problems, according to psychologists.