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What We Know (And Don’t Know) About Autism, According to Science
... “Autism is not one condition,” said Geraldine Dawson, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University and founding director of the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development. “It is many different conditions with many different causes.” ... Researchers have looked at pesticides, air pollution and water pollution and have found increases in risk that have “a small effect size” and are correlational, but not necessarily causative, said Charles Nelson, a professor of pediatrics and neuroscience at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
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The Alarm Over Social Media Is Getting Through to Teens
Over the past few years there has been a growing chorus of parents, doctors and legal experts who have been sounding the alarm about the effects of social media on teenagers. Jonathan Haidt, a psychologist and the author of “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness,” is among the most prominent voices warning against the omnipresence of technology in the lives of adolescents. In an interview with the Times Opinion columnist Ezra Klein, Haidt described the tech backlash as “a parent’s revolution.” He added: “All over the world, family life has turned into a fight over screen time. We’re all fed up; we want to do something about it.”
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How to Raise Kind Children: Lead By Example, Talk it Over … and Get a Dog
It is a simple and powerful way to help them feel calmer and happier, say the experts. So how do you teach kindness to kids? ... Don’t fear if your kid displays all the tenderness of Hannibal Lecter – kindness can be taught. Experts almost unanimously agree that role-modelling is key – in play, but also in real life. “Our studies show children are strongly influenced by what they observe adults doing,” says Bruce Hood, developmental psychologist and author of The Science of Happiness. “If we model sharing, kindness and generosity to others, children will instinctually copy this behaviour. Likewise, if they see adults modelling greed and cruelty, these will be considered normal.”
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Ensuring Research Validity: A Checklist for Stronger Science
Scientific credibility depends on valid research. But with growing concerns about replication failures and questionable research practices, how can scientists ensure their findings stand up to scrutiny? Under the Cortex explores.
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Tech Use Isn’t Driving Dementia in Older Adults
Screens are steadily taking over more and more of our life, leading some researchers to worry about the effect of long-term use on older adults’ brain. It has been suggested that this might lead to so-called digital dementia—that depending on digital technology throughout our life might detract from cognitive functioning in our later years. ... One reason some researchers worried about “digital dementia” was previous research that linked television viewing, a passive activity, with negative outcomes such as an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
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Neuroscience Says Music Is an ‘Emotion Regulation Machine.’ Here’s What to Play for Happiness, Productivity, or Deep Thinking
What kind of headspace do you want to be in today? Focused and productive as you tick through routine to-do list items? Dreamy and creative? Happy and social? Contemplative? Analytical?
