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Gopnik Shares Research on Parenting and Learning
Modern parents try to raise their children to become smart, successful, happy adults. But this goal-centered concept of parenting is profoundly wrong, both scientifically and practically, says psychological scientist Alison Gopnik. An internationally recognized expert in child development, Gopnik shared research on why children should be nurtured, but not shaped, in her “Bring the Family” address at the 2016 APS Annual Convention. Gopnik’s presentation, “Parents Without Parenting,” examined research showing how children learn from the people who care for them through everyday observation, conversation, and play, rather than through intensive supervision and direction.
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When Looking Like a Leader Derails the Group
Experiments show that people who display the powerful, confident body language associated with leadership tend to dominate decision making—even when their ideas were entirely incorrect.
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How to Turn Any Random Object Into a Memory Cue
New York Magazine: If you jot down a reminder on a Post-it, and then forget to put the post-it someplace visible, and then your deadline comes and goes and you never even see the reminder — did it ever really happen? For all intents and purposes, no, not really. A reminder, after all, only deserves the label if it actually reminds; otherwise, it’s just some words on a piece of paper. But a new study in the journal Psychological Science makes the case for a better, less intuitive way to leave yourself reminders: a trick called the “reminders by association” approach, which pairs up random objects and images with items on your to-do list.
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Remember, Money Doesn’t Have to Be the Root of All Evil
The New York Times: It may cost more than $100 million, but many social problems could be alleviated with the creative infusion of cash. Compensating organ donors could increase the supply of organs and save thousands of lives annually. Paying opium farmers in Afghanistan and Latin America to grow something else could bring an even larger dividend in averted addictions and wars. And why not neutralize opposition to reducing carbon emissions by reimbursing coal miners, or the entire fossil fuel industry, for their losses? Read the whole story: The New York Times
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Small talk: Electronic media keeping kids from communicating with parents
ScienceDaily: It happens in many households. Kids are tapping on their cell phones or are preoccupied by their favorite TV show as their parents ask them a question or want them to do a chore. It's not just teens caught up in electronic media, but also preschoolers. In fact, there is little mother-child dialogue or conversation while children ages 3 to 5 are using media, such as TV, video games and mobile devices, according to a new University of Michigan study.
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I was really bad at sports in high school. This new study helps me understand why.
Vox: I was a horrible lacrosse player in high school: bad at catching the ball, slow, and not very aggressive. Yet I'd spend hours at a handball wall with my stick: throwing, catching, repeating. I played on winter leagues, and woke up early for 6 am pickup games. Freshman and sophomore years, I made it onto the junior varsity team — a miracle. By 11th grade, it was time to try out for varsity lacrosse. This is when my history teacher — the varsity coach — pulled me aside and suggested I shouldn't bother. I'd probably be cut, he said (adding that I was getting very good grades). ...
