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Comment by Adam Greenfield in The Advantage of Being Cute
Feb 07, 2012, 5:55pm
Comment by David Sanders in A peril of "Open" science: Premature reporting on the death of #ArsenicLife
Feb 07, 2012, 11:24am
Comment by jonesjames61 in How Like You are You?
Feb 05, 2012, 11:43pm
Comment by Brian Krueger, PhD in The rumors of my death ...
Feb 03, 2012, 3:18pm
Comment by Brian Krueger, PhD in A peril of "Open" science: Premature reporting on the death of #ArsenicLife
Feb 03, 2012, 10:02am
Comment by Alex Merz in A peril of "Open" science: Premature reporting on the death of #ArsenicLife
Feb 02, 2012, 7:39pm
Comment by Brian Krueger, PhD in A peril of "Open" science: Premature reporting on the death of #ArsenicLife
Feb 02, 2012, 10:53am
Comment by Doctor Zen in A peril of "Open" science: Premature reporting on the death of #ArsenicLife
Feb 02, 2012, 10:40am
Comment by Guest in What I wish I knew before I started writing
Feb 02, 2012, 12:36am
Comment by Sharmeen Omar in Grolars Symbolize Canada's Changing Concerns: From Conservation to Climate
Feb 01, 2012, 10:01pm
Comment by Sharmeen Omar in Grolars Symbolize Canada's Changing Concerns: From Conservation to Climate
Feb 01, 2012, 9:56pm
Comment by Soloman in Athene's 'Theory of Everything' - A new take on neuroscience in relation to quantum physics
Feb 01, 2012, 9:44pm
Comment by Lisa in Grolars Symbolize Canada's Changing Concerns: From Conservation to Climate
Jan 31, 2012, 2:53pm
Comment by jimbot in Is Sunshine Enough?
Jan 31, 2012, 2:24pm
Comment by SonicThreat in So Unbelievably Mad Right Now.
Jan 23, 2012, 1:32am
Comment by Reymundo in You're a professor and you drive THAT?
Jan 21, 2012, 1:03am
Comment by Francis De La Cruz in How people in science see each other.
Jan 13, 2012, 12:40pm
Comment by Milley in Laughter (part 2): The Evolution of Human Laughter
Jan 11, 2012, 2:26pm
Comment by Michael in Athene's 'Theory of Everything' - A new take on neuroscience in relation to quantum physics
Jan 11, 2012, 8:15am
Comment by JaySeeDub in Food Labeling
Jan 09, 2012, 8:44pm
Carolyn McGraw
In the center, the unmanipulated photo. With the less cute manipulated photo to the left, and the cute one to the right.
. . . More
Note:
This post has been written as a submission for a creative-type project found at http://www.worldtheatrefestival.com/program/scratchworks/disappearing-acts
People were asked to address the question 'Is Sunshine Enough?' and at the urging of a friend I have decided to contribute.
Given that it was not strictly an 'essay' competition the narrative in this post is a little lacking. As I noted in a preface to the individuals who asked the question, I have decided to let the science speak for itself...
Is Sunshine Enough?
Is Sunshine Enough? Enough for what? Perhaps more importantly, for whom, and to what end? If we can accept that Sunshine is something that might make us tick we need to question why? And why again? Then why again, once more.
Having looked at the science, having asked why, I have to say that Sunshine is not enough. Warmth is what we need. Warmth is what makes each of us tick. Warmth is enough.
First we need to examine what we know about Sunshine, about the weathe . . . More
This post has been written as a submission for a creative-type project found at http://www.worldtheatrefestival.com/program/scratchworks/disappearing-acts
People were asked to address the question 'Is Sunshine Enough?' and at the urging of a friend I have decided to contribute.
Given that it was not strictly an 'essay' competition the narrative in this post is a little lacking. As I noted in a preface to the individuals who asked the question, I have decided to let the science speak for itself...
Is Sunshine Enough?
Is Sunshine Enough? Enough for what? Perhaps more importantly, for whom, and to what end? If we can accept that Sunshine is something that might make us tick we need to question why? And why again? Then why again, once more.
Having looked at the science, having asked why, I have to say that Sunshine is not enough. Warmth is what we need. Warmth is what makes each of us tick. Warmth is enough.
First we need to examine what we know about Sunshine, about the weathe . . . More
Author: Nick Fahrenkopf | Views: 419 | Comments: 0
Last Friday I was watching 20/20 with my fiancee. Shows like 20/20 or Dateline are usually about some unsolved murder mystery that is just creepy, but TV offerings on Friday evening are slim pickings so we gave this one a shot. This episode by Chris Cuomo (son of former NYS Governor Mario Cuomo and brother of current NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo) dealt with the unexpected consequences of facilitated communication- a technique used to give autistic people a chance to communicate when they're unable to audibly. Of course it is mostly garbage, but we'll get to that.
The idea is that autisic people can't speak- at least not audibly. But give them a keyboard and they can type out ideas- in fact very well put together ideas. Most times they still need help to type, so a facilitator literally holds their hand, or wrist or arm, and helps them guide their finger to the key they're looking for. That's right, someone else "helps" autistic people type what they're trying to say.
It sounds almost miraculous. People who were previously thought to be uncommunicative all of the sudden can create thoughts and sentanc . . . More
The idea is that autisic people can't speak- at least not audibly. But give them a keyboard and they can type out ideas- in fact very well put together ideas. Most times they still need help to type, so a facilitator literally holds their hand, or wrist or arm, and helps them guide their finger to the key they're looking for. That's right, someone else "helps" autistic people type what they're trying to say.
It sounds almost miraculous. People who were previously thought to be uncommunicative all of the sudden can create thoughts and sentanc . . . More
I've been thinking about the phenomenon of Earworms lately... If you're not familiar with the term it does not refer to an exotic and horrifying parasite. It's actually a word used to describe the (personally annoying) situation where a song gets stuck in your head.
The most recent example of this, for me, was after listening to a Radiolab episode and hearing a skipping-tune about a stunt pilot who died.
// The tune itself comes on after about one minute of intro... it lasts only 10 seconds and consists of the following:
Lincoln Beachey thought it was a dream
To go up to heaven in a flying machine
The machine broke down
And down he fell
He thought he'd go to heaven, but he went to...
Repeat. Ad Nauseum.
It's short, simple and designed to be repeated. My person experience with Earworms is that the often conform to these characteristics... and in the instances when they do not I tend to extract a simple element from a more complex piece and end up repeating it. For instance I was at the theatre last night (oh yes, how cultured I am) watching Mary Poppins and . . . More
The most recent example of this, for me, was after listening to a Radiolab episode and hearing a skipping-tune about a stunt pilot who died.
// The tune itself comes on after about one minute of intro... it lasts only 10 seconds and consists of the following:
Lincoln Beachey thought it was a dream
To go up to heaven in a flying machine
The machine broke down
And down he fell
He thought he'd go to heaven, but he went to...
Repeat. Ad Nauseum.
It's short, simple and designed to be repeated. My person experience with Earworms is that the often conform to these characteristics... and in the instances when they do not I tend to extract a simple element from a more complex piece and end up repeating it. For instance I was at the theatre last night (oh yes, how cultured I am) watching Mary Poppins and . . . More
The other day the institution I study at was lucky enough to have Dr. Justin Werfel, a robotics researcher at Harvard (at the Wyss Institute), give a talk on a couple of his current projects.
It was mainly aimed at the engineering/robotics faculties, but a few of us Psych people heard about it and decided to attend.
I can do no justice to his work here, so I will attempt to provide as many links and videos as possible, and outline only that which I am most sure about. In any event, the videos should be enough to fill to spark your imagination.
Social insects - like Bees, Ants and Termites - are able to engage in surprisingly complex and apparently sophisticated behaviours despite lacking a lot of faculties many 'higher order' organisms have. The fact that termites, for instance, can each act autonomously and with very little direct information from other termites within a mound, construct huge self-regulating mounds is quite amazing. The design of some of these mounds has been shown to be such that its actually regulates temperature and air-flow.
A termite mound rough . . . More
It was mainly aimed at the engineering/robotics faculties, but a few of us Psych people heard about it and decided to attend.
I can do no justice to his work here, so I will attempt to provide as many links and videos as possible, and outline only that which I am most sure about. In any event, the videos should be enough to fill to spark your imagination.
Social insects - like Bees, Ants and Termites - are able to engage in surprisingly complex and apparently sophisticated behaviours despite lacking a lot of faculties many 'higher order' organisms have. The fact that termites, for instance, can each act autonomously and with very little direct information from other termites within a mound, construct huge self-regulating mounds is quite amazing. The design of some of these mounds has been shown to be such that its actually regulates temperature and air-flow.
A termite mound rough . . . More
Author: Psycasm | Views: 742 | Comments: 0
Did you know it's next to impossible to measure the cognitive impact of a hangover?
Yeah, think on that for a moment.
In preparation for an upcoming Psychobabble episode I decided to do a bit of research into what impact the hangover has on performance. I mean, we all know what happens when we're drunk - it makes us super sexy, super smart and super confident. Also, due to these three factors, we make excellent decisions.
But the next morning, in the throes of the hangover, these excellent decisions seem suspect. Was it really a sustained excercise in poor judgement? Or is the hangover merely darkening our outlook, recollection and judgement?
I certainly know which of those options I'd prefer to believe, no research required...
Physiologically the hangover sucks. The most common symptoms include headaches and nausea, typically associated with dehydration. Infrequently, though, we push it a little too hard and it gets much worse.
Sunday Morning. Source
Another reason I wanted to look into this was a conversation I had the other night . . . More
Yeah, think on that for a moment.
In preparation for an upcoming Psychobabble episode I decided to do a bit of research into what impact the hangover has on performance. I mean, we all know what happens when we're drunk - it makes us super sexy, super smart and super confident. Also, due to these three factors, we make excellent decisions.
But the next morning, in the throes of the hangover, these excellent decisions seem suspect. Was it really a sustained excercise in poor judgement? Or is the hangover merely darkening our outlook, recollection and judgement?
I certainly know which of those options I'd prefer to believe, no research required...
Physiologically the hangover sucks. The most common symptoms include headaches and nausea, typically associated with dehydration. Infrequently, though, we push it a little too hard and it gets much worse.
Sunday Morning. Source
Another reason I wanted to look into this was a conversation I had the other night . . . More
The following video relates to the bystander effect. You know the kind of thing - some actor lies down in the street and you watch, dismayed, as a dozens of people walk by apparently without concern. It's not imperative to this post that you watch it and make some judgements about it - but it will help me make some (hopefully) interesting points later on (and watching it later will give away the punchline).
---
And now on the post proper...
---
If you were asked to describe yourself, how would you do it? Would you try to describe the person you think you are, in a character-based sort of way?
"...I'm a fun kind of guy, outgoing and a bit of a perfectionist..."
Or would you describe the things you're interested in...
"...I enjoy fantasy novels, sport and cinema..."
Do you see the difference between the two? In many ways it's subtle and most descriptions will liberally mix the two different kinds.
The difference is between trait-based descriptions - 'I'm a perfectionist' - and more transient or environmental descriptions - 'I enjoy fantasy novels'. We all know a perfectionist, and when someone describes themselves as such we implicitly extend th . . . More
---
And now on the post proper...
---
If you were asked to describe yourself, how would you do it? Would you try to describe the person you think you are, in a character-based sort of way?
"...I'm a fun kind of guy, outgoing and a bit of a perfectionist..."
Or would you describe the things you're interested in...
"...I enjoy fantasy novels, sport and cinema..."
Do you see the difference between the two? In many ways it's subtle and most descriptions will liberally mix the two different kinds.
The difference is between trait-based descriptions - 'I'm a perfectionist' - and more transient or environmental descriptions - 'I enjoy fantasy novels'. We all know a perfectionist, and when someone describes themselves as such we implicitly extend th . . . More
What up? I'm back from my brief hiatus, and, very happily, am full of ideas.
The first one follows in a similiar vein to my post on the False Consensus Effect.
This post, by the by, is in no way related to the FCE. However if you feel compelled to answer the survey AND think you've figured out what I'm getting at - just drop a mention at the end of the questionairre (there's a box for it and everything).
Now do the survey! Do it for the science!
(if you can't see the survey embedded below, click herehttp://bit.ly/vOobvj)
. . . More
The first one follows in a similiar vein to my post on the False Consensus Effect.
This post, by the by, is in no way related to the FCE. However if you feel compelled to answer the survey AND think you've figured out what I'm getting at - just drop a mention at the end of the questionairre (there's a box for it and everything).
Now do the survey! Do it for the science!
(if you can't see the survey embedded below, click herehttp://bit.ly/vOobvj)
. . . More
Author: Psycasm | Views: 218 | Comments: 0
Wow, do we have it wrong...
Ask yourself what happiness (and the pursuit thereof) means to you before watching this clip:
. . . More
Ask yourself what happiness (and the pursuit thereof) means to you before watching this clip:
. . . More
Author: Psycasm | Views: 2306 | Comments: 0
A Psychobabble short. Occupy Wall Street and the Inner Primate.
My motivation for doing this particular research was to ask the question 'how deep does our sense of fairness run?'. There's a little bit of anthropomorphising going on, but I think some of the more interesting stuff comes through.
This short is less than 10 minutes long. Hope you enjoy it.
. . . More
My motivation for doing this particular research was to ask the question 'how deep does our sense of fairness run?'. There's a little bit of anthropomorphising going on, but I think some of the more interesting stuff comes through.
This short is less than 10 minutes long. Hope you enjoy it.
. . . More
So we (myself and the Psychobabble crew) are playing around with formatting and structure ideas for the podcast. Here's smething we're going to try and do a bit more of - Shorts. Something well less than 10 minutes that's on topic and covering a nice little chunk of information.
The following is only 8 minutes long, and it covers the history and science behind the idea of 'Women's Intuition'.
The rest of this post is cross-posted at the Psychobabble website, and covers some stuff we're looking at for the future of the show...
In other news we, the Psychobabble crew, have made some big decisions regarding the future format of Psychobabble. We’ve been doing this now since January and we think it’s time we tried to make the show a little bigger, a little better, and a little more accessible. Additionally, these changes should allow us to bring a little more insight to the topics than in the past.
Before I go on though – please consider filling out our survey - we’d like to know a little bit about you, about what you think, and how you’d like us to improve the show. Additionally, we’d like to know if the . . . More
The following is only 8 minutes long, and it covers the history and science behind the idea of 'Women's Intuition'.
The rest of this post is cross-posted at the Psychobabble website, and covers some stuff we're looking at for the future of the show...
In other news we, the Psychobabble crew, have made some big decisions regarding the future format of Psychobabble. We’ve been doing this now since January and we think it’s time we tried to make the show a little bigger, a little better, and a little more accessible. Additionally, these changes should allow us to bring a little more insight to the topics than in the past.
Before I go on though – please consider filling out our survey - we’d like to know a little bit about you, about what you think, and how you’d like us to improve the show. Additionally, we’d like to know if the . . . More
This is a bit of a pet topic of mine, so I was surprised to find that I'd only written about it once before. Here I wrote on the idea that washing one's hands influences the manner in which we make moral decisions. At other times we've spoken of this topic on the podcast. Here, now, I'm going to give it a much better airing.
I'm talking about Embodied Cognition. Generally speaking the idea behind Embodied Cognition is that our physical and physiological selves are intricately linked into the way we think and experience the world. A few examples right off the top of my head (interesting metaphor, right?) include overestimating distance and the steepness of slopes when we're encumbered vs. unencumbered, physically leaning forward when we think about the future (as well as moving our attentional spotlight to the left under the same circumstances) and self-reporting feeling happier when we're forced to smile.
In some ways these are small things. If you want a better feel for the topic (ohh, another one) try to hold a conversation without gesturing... it'll feel amazingly unnatural and probably make th . . . More
I'm talking about Embodied Cognition. Generally speaking the idea behind Embodied Cognition is that our physical and physiological selves are intricately linked into the way we think and experience the world. A few examples right off the top of my head (interesting metaphor, right?) include overestimating distance and the steepness of slopes when we're encumbered vs. unencumbered, physically leaning forward when we think about the future (as well as moving our attentional spotlight to the left under the same circumstances) and self-reporting feeling happier when we're forced to smile.
In some ways these are small things. If you want a better feel for the topic (ohh, another one) try to hold a conversation without gesturing... it'll feel amazingly unnatural and probably make th . . . More
In all my bellyaching and self-absorbed navel-gazing, I completely forgot to thank the very generous person who donated $680 to the "Do Plants Wear Genes?" Donor's Choose Project.
Thank you, whoever you are. There is another project that readers could get behind, it's to bring microscopes into the classroom. I believe its called, Request for Young Scientists' Tools of the Trade. If you're feeling generous...
. . . More
Thank you, whoever you are. There is another project that readers could get behind, it's to bring microscopes into the classroom. I believe its called, Request for Young Scientists' Tools of the Trade. If you're feeling generous...
. . . More
I feel that some people might object to the ideas presented here. I wonder if that's ironic.
. . . More
. . . More
Author: David Manly | Views: 524 | Comments: 0
First off, I would like to apologize for not posting as recently as I would have liked to on LabSpaces. I've been with LabSpaces blogs since the very beginning, and I would never stop posting ... but, life got in the way.
Over the past few months, I've been busy writing and working, and I let a few things fall away.
So, I apologize for my absence, but I'm back now and will post more frequently. And, I have a very interesting post to share. I hope you enjoy!
Fear is one of the most powerful emotions that a human can experience, and it can affect every human being on the planet. However, how do you categorize an emotion? People feel emotions in different ways, and some are more affected by them than others.
The etymology, or origin of the word, is not well known. According to Merriam Webster’s online dictionary, it comes from the Middle English fer or the Old English fǣr, which stands for sudden danger. This describes the event that caused the emotion, but not the emotion itself. The emotional state of fear was first noticed and defined in the late 12th Century, and is the same definition that we know of today. But is there a better one out there?
To define an emotion is a complex task, but to describe one . . . More
Over the past few months, I've been busy writing and working, and I let a few things fall away.
So, I apologize for my absence, but I'm back now and will post more frequently. And, I have a very interesting post to share. I hope you enjoy!
Fear is one of the most powerful emotions that a human can experience, and it can affect every human being on the planet. However, how do you categorize an emotion? People feel emotions in different ways, and some are more affected by them than others.
The etymology, or origin of the word, is not well known. According to Merriam Webster’s online dictionary, it comes from the Middle English fer or the Old English fǣr, which stands for sudden danger. This describes the event that caused the emotion, but not the emotion itself. The emotional state of fear was first noticed and defined in the late 12th Century, and is the same definition that we know of today. But is there a better one out there?
To define an emotion is a complex task, but to describe one . . . More
[Check out Post 1 if you haven't already.]
I was hoping to do a more science-based post, but I couldn't really find any research on the topic.... but I'm doing one anyway. What's life without a little whimsy?
Our campus Skeptical group has a fairly active Facebook group that discusses all kinds of things. One member posted the comic found here (Sorry, I can't post it. Plus this guy deserves the page view...do it...).
The comic found at the link above had a very brief blog post which describes the actions of an Atheist group offering freshly baked cookies in exchange for one's soul. The comment was made on the skeptical facebook group that we should do the same.
Everyone took to the idea. A few of us discussed the nuances of how and why over lunch, and as a result a few changes were made. Our goal was not to alienate the devout, or offend anyone who holds that souls exist. Our goal is simply to make one question the concept. If one decides that they have a soul - then great; the point is they were actually confronted by the idea and devoted a few minutes of thought (at a . . . More
I was hoping to do a more science-based post, but I couldn't really find any research on the topic.... but I'm doing one anyway. What's life without a little whimsy?
Our campus Skeptical group has a fairly active Facebook group that discusses all kinds of things. One member posted the comic found here (Sorry, I can't post it. Plus this guy deserves the page view...do it...).
The comic found at the link above had a very brief blog post which describes the actions of an Atheist group offering freshly baked cookies in exchange for one's soul. The comment was made on the skeptical facebook group that we should do the same.
Everyone took to the idea. A few of us discussed the nuances of how and why over lunch, and as a result a few changes were made. Our goal was not to alienate the devout, or offend anyone who holds that souls exist. Our goal is simply to make one question the concept. If one decides that they have a soul - then great; the point is they were actually confronted by the idea and devoted a few minutes of thought (at a . . . More
So I've been thinking about religion and beliefs again. More specifically, souls...
I'll get to writing a full-length post, and explaining my recent interest, early next week.
In the mean time here's an episode of Radiolab with a reading of the story 'Metamorphosis'. It's written by a neuroscientist by the name of David Eagleman. If there's ever a version of the afterlife I could get on board with, it's this.
[Skip to 6:30; The reading lasts only 4 minutes]
//
If you're feeling a little bummed out by the last story, try this next one. It's written by the same guy, and is a little more light-hearted and whimsical...
//
. . . More
I'll get to writing a full-length post, and explaining my recent interest, early next week.
In the mean time here's an episode of Radiolab with a reading of the story 'Metamorphosis'. It's written by a neuroscientist by the name of David Eagleman. If there's ever a version of the afterlife I could get on board with, it's this.
[Skip to 6:30; The reading lasts only 4 minutes]
//
If you're feeling a little bummed out by the last story, try this next one. It's written by the same guy, and is a little more light-hearted and whimsical...
//
. . . More
Normally I avoid writing about things I learn in class. I try to use this blog, and the associated podcast, to research topics outside of the boundaries of my normal schooling.
This topic struck me, however.
There's a phenomenon called the False Consensus Effect (FCE) which basically states that we, as individuals, view our own preferences, behaviours and judgements as being typical, normal and common within a broader context; it also suggests we find alternative characteristics as being more deviant and atypical than they actually are.
I asked my tutor, 'Is this a kind of logical fallacy?', being new to the topic and a little surprised I'd never heard of it before...
He responds, 'No, not really. It's basically just a cognitive error. Once you know about it, you really won't ever feel confident in offering an opinion again'. Or something to that effect.
And he's right.
As a self-identified Skeptic, a member of the campus Skeptic's group, and a consumer of the Skeptic media (SGU, Skeptically Speaking, . . . More
This topic struck me, however.
There's a phenomenon called the False Consensus Effect (FCE) which basically states that we, as individuals, view our own preferences, behaviours and judgements as being typical, normal and common within a broader context; it also suggests we find alternative characteristics as being more deviant and atypical than they actually are.
I asked my tutor, 'Is this a kind of logical fallacy?', being new to the topic and a little surprised I'd never heard of it before...
He responds, 'No, not really. It's basically just a cognitive error. Once you know about it, you really won't ever feel confident in offering an opinion again'. Or something to that effect.
And he's right.
As a self-identified Skeptic, a member of the campus Skeptic's group, and a consumer of the Skeptic media (SGU, Skeptically Speaking, . . . More
In my last post I asked you to take a brief survey. Many of you did, in fact, within about 13 hours I had nearly 150 responses. However, the survey host, Surveymonkey, only provides the first 100 responses. This is not really a big deal, and given that the survey itself was a bit rough-and-ready, it got the job done.
I asked 10 questions in total on four different topics. The topics themselves were arbitrary. They were simply accessible constructs which most people have an opinion about.
. . . More
I asked 10 questions in total on four different topics. The topics themselves were arbitrary. They were simply accessible constructs which most people have an opinion about.
. . . More
With approximately 74.8 million owned in the United States and 38% of US households having at least one, dogs truly are man's best friend. And rightfully so, as the benefits of owning a pet are many, including decreased risks for stress and cardiovascular disease, as well as increased heart attack survival rates and improved psychological and physical well-being. Among children, owning a pet has been associated with reduced risk of asthma and allergies, and improved social skills, self-esteem, and empathy. But what most dogs owners don't realize is the potential dogs have to spread zoonotic diseases (a disease transmitted between animals and humans), and not just rabies, but parasites and pathogens such as roundworm, Q fever, brucellosis, and leptospirosis. Even more, novel canine zoonotic diseases continue to emerge.
Canine zoonoses can be spread by:
direct contact oral route of transmission (e.g. eating with contaminated hands) a fomite (object contaminated with an infectious disease that can then be transmitted, e.g. door knob) aerosol/respiratory transmission vector-borne (e.g. ticks and fleas) Recently canine influenza virus and canine respiratory coronavirus appeared on the scene. Historically influenza and corona viruses in other . . . More
Canine zoonoses can be spread by:
direct contact oral route of transmission (e.g. eating with contaminated hands) a fomite (object contaminated with an infectious disease that can then be transmitted, e.g. door knob) aerosol/respiratory transmission vector-borne (e.g. ticks and fleas) Recently canine influenza virus and canine respiratory coronavirus appeared on the scene. Historically influenza and corona viruses in other . . . More
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