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New Research From Psychological Science
Read about the latest research published in Psychological Science. Seeing in 3-D With Just One Eye: Stereopsis Without Binocular Vision Dhanraj Vishwanath and Paul B. Hibbard Researchers have long thought that stereopsis -- the sense of depth and immersive space -- is a byproduct of binocular vision, but can stereopsis also be induced by monocular vision? In a series of studies, the researchers determined that observers report the same characteristics for monocular and binocular stereopsis. They also found no support for several standard theories used to explain variations in stereopsis under different viewing conditions.
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Rituals Make Our Food More Flavorful
The New York Times: Do you always fold a New York slice in all its oily glory? Is a whole lobster best relished in this order: legs, claws then succulent tail? Do you eat Oreos middle first? Or dunked in milk? Far from being mere quirks of personality, rituals like these may actually enhance how much people savor what they eat or drink, new research shows. Flavor is intensified. The meal is enjoyed more. It may be one reason why birthday cake is savored more than the stumbled-upon 4 p.m. brownie, because of the singing and candle blowing that precedes it.
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Meditation may help reduce smoking, study says
Los Angeles Times: Meditating just a modest amount may help curb cigarette smoking, even in smokers who don’t intend to quit, according to a study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. After a few hours of meditation, smokers puffed significantly less and had increased activity in brain regions associated with self-control — without even knowing that their behavior had changed. Researchers from several institutions recruited 60 college students, including 27 smokers. Half the subjects learned a form of meditation called integrative body-mind training, or IBMT, practicing for five hours over a two-week period.
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When a Relationship Becomes a Game
The Atlantic: It’s a Wednesday afternoon, and Kamakshi Zeidler, a 34-year-old plastic surgeon in Los Gatos, California, is explaining how to fill up a “love tank.” “If you do little things for your partner... you get signals your love tank is full. And if you don’t, you’ll get signals that your love tank is almost empty. It’s based on how much you love each other. Well, through the app,” she adds. Zeidler and her husband Brendon form a satisfied, if busy, pair. Both work long hours and have little time for spontaneous romantic gestures. The “love tank” Kamakshi describes is one feature of a “couples’ app” called Kahnoodle. ... By many measures, the app should work.
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Study: Messy desks get creative juices flowing
Minnesota Public Radio: New research shows that the decisions you make and your creativity are influenced by the relative neatness of your workspace. Kathleen Vohs, a psychological scientist and professor at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota said the subject first got her attention after she moved to another building during her work on her PhD. Vohs said the change of location to new, modern office space, seemed to prompt changes in her test subjects. She researched the phenomenon and found that desk tidiness affects work.
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2013 APS Award Address: Scott O. Lilienfeld
In his James McKeen Cattell Fellow Award Address, Scott Lilienfeld examines the importance, prevalence, and sources of public and political skepticism of psychology — and offers individual and institutional recommendations for enhancing the perception of psychology as a scientific discipline in the public eye.
