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Bilingualism May Keep Older Brains Nimble
LiveScience: Older adults who have spoken two languages since childhood are quicker at switching between cognitive tasks than single-language adults, a new study finds. The bilingual seniors also showed distinct patterns of brain activity not seen in monolingual participants, the researchers added. "This study provides some of the first evidence of an association between a particular cognitively stimulating activity, in this case, speaking multiple languages on a daily basis, and brain function," John Woodard, an aging expert from Wayne State University, who was not involved with the study, said in a statement.
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Psychologists Uncover Hidden Signals of Trust—Using a Robot
Scientific American: “In spite of the hardness and ruthlessness I thought I saw in his face, I got the impression that here was a man who could be relied upon when he had given his word." Neville Chamberlain’s first impression of Adolf Hitler can charitably be described as an error in judgment. Rarely do our own miscalculations result in tragedy, yet popular sentiment seems to hold that when it comes to truly trusting others, you just never know. Wolves in sheep’s clothing abound, and prudence demands skepticism. Whether we are deciding on a babysitter, a doctor, or a car, we try to not base our judgments on our first impressions.
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Why Shoppers Just Can’t Resist Clearance Sales
TIME: January is prime time for shoppers stalking “further reductions” on merchandise that didn’t sell for Christmas or during the post-Christmas and post-New Year’s sales. In other words, it’s prime time for consumers to buy things they shouldn’t, even at 75% off. For some shoppers, clearance racks are like catnip. The impressive differences between the “original prices” and the dramatically marked-down rates draw them in, leaving the impression that these deals are just too good to pass up. Yet the truth is that a “deal” isn’t a deal when you buy things you don’t end up using, and you spend money you wished you hadn’t. Read the whole story: TIME
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To Keep Your Office Resolutions, Start Small
The New York Times: Q. It’s two weeks into the new year, and you can already see your work-related resolutions start to fall by the wayside. This happens every year, so why do you keep setting these kinds of goals? A. We live in a very goal-oriented culture. And we are accustomed to setting goals for the new year in the belief that they help us move forward in big and small ways, says E.J. Masicampo, an assistant psychology professor at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C., who studies goals and goal planning. “Goals can be extremely effective, depending on how people set and approach them,” he says.
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Claims of “Post-Racial” Society and Other Denials of Racism May Reflect Ignorance of History
Commonly observed differences in how groups perceive racism may be explained by ignorance about — and even denial of — the extent of racism over the course of history, a psychology study suggests.
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Seeing and Imagining Are Different in the Brain
The Sistine Chapel is a truly awe-inspiring sight: a testimony to human ingenuity, effort, and creativity. No less awe-inspiring — and far less easily understood — are the mental processes that allow humans to see the chapel’s famous vaulted ceilings and the paintings that adorn them. We know more or less how the Sistine Chapel was built and decorated, but scientists are still figuring out what goes on in our brains when we see it. In an article published in the Journal of Cognitive Psychology, William L. Thompson adds to our understanding of visual perception by contrasting visual attention with visual mental imagery.
