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You Probably Made a Better First Impression Than You Think
After we have conversations with new people, our conversation partners tend to like us and enjoy our company more than we think.
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Harnessing the Power of the Crowd Could Improve Screening Accuracy
Averaging the results from two independent participants improved screening accuracy, whether participants were looking at baggage scans or mammograms.
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How to Play Our Way to a Better Democracy
Before he died, Senator John McCain wrote a loving farewell statement to his fellow citizens of “the world’s greatest republic, a nation of ideals, not blood and soil.” Senator McCain also described our democracy as “325 million opinionated, vociferous individuals.” How can that many individuals bind themselves together to create a great nation? What special skills do we need to develop to compensate for our lack of shared ancestry? When Alexis de Tocqueville toured America in 1831, he concluded that one secret of our success was our ability to solve problems collectively and cooperatively.
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Myth: Children Raised in Similar Ways Have Similar Personalities
Exploring this claim provides an opportunity to discuss issues involving nature and nurture in developmental and personality psychology.
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Playtime May Bolster Kids’ Mental Health
“Play has become a four-letter word.” So says Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, a psychologist at Temple University and one of the authors of a new paper about the importance of play in children’s lives. The clinical report, published by the American Academy of Pediatrics, recommends that pediatricians write a “prescription for play” at doctor visits in the first two years of life. Years of research have shown that play is an important part of a child’s development, assisting in cognition, memory, social skills, and, to a lesser extent, maybe even mental health. Yet, according to the paper, children in the United States play less, and have less free time, than in decades past.
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To Raise Confident, Independent Kids, Some Parents Are Trying To ‘Let Grow’
Walking through the woods alone can be a scary prospect for a kid, but not for 7-year-old Matthew of Portland, Oregon. He doesn't have much of a backyard at his condo, so the woods behind his house essentially serve the same purpose. He spends hours out there: swinging on a tire swing, tromping across the ravine to a friend's house, and using garden shears to cut a path. He lays down sticks to form a bridge across the small stream that flows in the winter. And he does all of this without any adult supervision. Matthew's mom, Laura Randall, wants her son to gain the sort of skills and confidence that only come with doing things yourself.
