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Large Portion Sizes: Bad for business?
Scientific American: I’m not a big fan of milkshakes. But after a dental operation a few years ago, I decided to try one again. Not too bad, I remember thinking as I sipped the cool, chocolaty concoction. Unfortunately, a bad reaction to my pain medication later that evening meant the milkshake became associated with less than pleasant memories. I haven’t had another since. Memories can play an important role in how soon we want to eat a food again. A person’s memory of the last few bites of a food appear to be especially influential, according to new research published in Psychological Science this month.
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How to Become a Better Reader
Real Simple: Between urgent work e-mails, status updates, tweets, and magazines, you read all the time, right? But when was the last time you lost yourself in a book? The experience of becoming fully immersed in plot and character, “hearing” the words as you read, then carrying those words with you for a while—called “deep reading” by many literacy experts—offers benefits beyond the fun factor. When you’re engaged in this set of operations, your brain isn’t simply taking in surface information.
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The Truth About Free Will: New Answers to Humanity’s Biggest Riddle
Salon: Philosophers have debated for years whether we deliberately make each of the many decisions we make every day, or if our brain does it for us, on autopilot. Neuroscientists have shown, for example, that neurons in the brain initiate our response to various stimuli milliseconds before we’re even aware that we’re taking such an action. This heady debate has hit a very practical road in the past decade: whether individuals who commit crimes are actually responsible for them. Lawyers have argued in court that if the brain determines the mind, then defendants may not be responsible for their transgressions. Read the whole story: Salon
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Preschoolers Outsmart College Students In Figuring Out Gadget
NPR: Ever wonder why children can so easily figure out how to work the TV remote? Or why they "totally get" apps on your smartphone faster than you? It turns out that young children may be more open-minded than adults when it comes to solving problems. Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley have found that 4- and 5-year-olds are smarter than college students when it comes to figuring out how toys and gadgets work. Read the whole story: NPR
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Fulbright Canada Distinguished Visiting Research Chairs
Fulbright Canada and the Norlien Foundation have partnered to create and support a program of Distinguished Visiting Research Chairs in Brain Science, and Child and Family Health and Wellness. At one of Alberta’s three research intensive universities, the scholar(s) would conduct translational research that would improve current approaches to preventing and treating addiction and mental health issues. This short notice funding opportunity, valued at US$35,000 for a four month residential exchange, closes on August 1, 2014. Below you will find more details regarding the award. Interested candidates should email Brad Hector ([email protected]) Program Officer for Scholars.
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4th European Conference on Symptom Validity Assessment
The 4th European Conference on Symptom Validity Assessment will be held June 11–12, 2015, in Maastricht, the Netherlands. Visit www.tmfi.nl/symptomvalidity for more information.
