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The Perils of ‘Bite Size’ Science
The New York Times: In recent years, a trend has emerged in the behavioral sciences toward shorter and more rapidly published journal articles. These articles are often only a third the length of a standard paper, often describe only a single study and tend to include smaller data sets. Shorter formats are promoted by many journals, and limits on article length are stringent — in many cases as low as 2,000 words. This shift is partly a result of the pressure that academics now feel to generate measurable output. According to the cold calculus of “publish or perish,” in which success is often gauged by counting citations, three short articles can be preferable to a single longer one.
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Why to-do lists set you up for failure
CBS News: You've probably seen advice about why it's a great idea to maintain a rolling to-do list of projects -- big and small -- that you need to get done. Some efficiency experts recommend writing a to-do list each morning, in which you meticulously transfer incomplete to-dos from the old list to the new one every day. You might have noticed that this system doesn't work very well, and you probably just assumed that it's your own fault. But according to the Harvard Business Review, it's not you. In a nutshell, the entire system is flawed, and simply sets you up for failure. Harvard Business Review cites several key problems with rolling to-do lists.
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Everything You Thought You Knew About Learning Is Wrong
Wired: Taking notes during class? Topic-focused study? A consistent learning environment? All are exactly opposite the best strategies for learning. Really, I recently had the good fortune to interview Robert Bjork, director of the UCLA Learning and Forgetting Lab, distinguished professor of psychology, and massively renowned expert on packing things in your brain in a way that keeps them from leaking out. And it turns out that everything I thought I knew about learning is wrong. Here’s what he said. First, think about how you attack a pile of study material.
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Bad bosses: The Psycho-path to Success?
CNN: Think you suffer from a "psycho" boss? A small but growing body of global research suggests you might be right. Call it the "Psycho-path to Success." Psychopaths -- narcissists guided without conscience, who mimic rather than feel real emotions -- bring to mind serial killers such as Ted Bundy or fictional murderers such as Hannibal Lecter or "Dexter," the anti-hero of the popular Showtime TV series. But psychologists say most psychopaths are not behind bars -- and at least one study shows people with psychopathic tendencies are four times more likely to be found in senior management. Read the whole story: CNN
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How Do Placebos Relieve Pain?
The Huffington Post: Scientists and doctors have been studying placebos for more than half a century. These inert "sugar pills" remain highly controversial, yet they are widely used in clinical treatment today -- especially in the area of pain management. So-called "placebo analgesia" has been observed again and again not only in the pain clinic, but also in the neuroscience lab, where scientists have documented a placebo response in the brain's pain pathways. Despite this evidence, nobody really understands the psychological processes involved in placebo analgesia.
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Power makes people feel taller
The Telegraph: The US investigation into whether a physical experience accompanies being powerful was sparked after BP chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg outraged the victims of the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico by referring to them as the "small people." Professor Jack Goncalo, of Cornell University, New York, and Dr Michelle Duguid, of Washington University, St. Louis, decided to find out and published their findings in Psychological Science. Prof Goncalo said: "Plenty of research has shown taller people are more likely to acquire power, make more money on average and are more likely to be promoted. Read the whole story: The Telegraph
