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Harry Potter and the well of medical research
The Spec: HARTFORD, CONN. Who knew the world of Harry Potter was such a rich source of material for medical researchers? For more than a decade, the stories of the phenomenally popular series have played a role in studies on everything from genetics to social cognition to autism. PubMed, an online database of medical studies, lists 30 studies that invoke the young wizard. A few examples: Harry Potter and the Recessive Allele, Harry Potter and the Structural Biologist’s (Key)stone, and Harry Potter Casts a Spell on Accident-Prone Children. This last study found that emergency department visits among children decreased significantly when new Harry Potter books went on sale.
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Anti-White Bias On The Rise?
NPR: New research shows that whites in the U.S. believe there are increases in racial bias toward them and public policies that create inequality. Vice Chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Abigail Thernstrom deems these claims as 'ridiculous,' and adds that race-based preferences will vanish when all students have leveled playing fields in schools. Host Michel speaks with Thernstrom to learn more of her opinion. Listen here: NPR
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6 centimeters could win a game, or better yet a World Cup?!
Throughout this world cup, we have seen plenty of penalty kicks. After 90 minutes of play and an additional 30 minutes of overtime, the fate of each team comes down to their ability to score a goal from only 12 yards away. The penalty kick generates a variety of strong emotions in soccer (Carroll, Ebrahim, Tilling, Macleod, & Smith, 2002), and places the goalkeeper at such a disadvantage that only approximately 18% of penalty kicks are saved (Kropp & Trapp, 1999).
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Rooney take note! Goalies dive to the RIGHT in penalty shootouts if their team is behind
Daily Mail: It's news that could have proved useful to footballers Stuart Pearce, Gareth Southgate and Jamie Carragher - goalkeepers under pressure are more likely to dive to the right. The England players all missed crucial penalties in international matches trying to slot the ball in the left side of the goal, leading commentators to bemoan the country's poor record in shoot-outs. Now scientists from the University of Amsterdam have made a promising finding after examining every penalty shoot-out in every World Cup from 1982 to 2010. Read the whole story: Daily Mail
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Researchers Find That Wisdom Really Does Come With Age
Texas A&M News and Information: COLLEGE STATION — The adage “with age comes wisdom” may actually ring true, according to psychologists at Texas A&M University and the University of Texas at Austin. By examining how aging affects decision-making, researchers concluded that older adults use the experience in decision-making accumulated over their lifetime to determine the long-term utility and not just the immediate benefit before making a choice. However, younger adults tend to focus their decision-making on instant gratification, says Darrell Worthy, a professor of psychology at Texas A&M.
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World Cup Shootout Goalkeepers Favor Right If Team Is Behind, Study Finds
Bloomberg: Goalkeepers tend to dive right when their soccer team is trailing in a World Cup penalty shootout, according to a study to be published in the Psychological Science journal. Researchers at the University of Amsterdam examined every penalty shootout at the four-yearly championship from 1982 to 2010 and found that most of the time, goalkeepers are equally likely to dive right and left. When the goalie’s team was behind, he was more likely to go right, the study showed. “Even in this really important situation, people are still influenced by biological factors,” Marieke Roskes, who co-wrote the study, said in an e-mailed statement. Read the whole story: Bloomberg
