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Broadband Social Cognition
The presidential symposium at the APS 23rd Annual Convention challenged four scientists to give modern scientific support to Aristotle's ancient saying: "Man is by nature a social animal." "Twenty-three hundred years later we have a science of all this," said APS President and symposium chair Mahzarin Banaji of Harvard, upon introducing the speakers.
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Rest for the Weary
Every knows the importance of sleep to daily health and performance, but very few of us practice what we preach. This conflict formed the core of the SSCP Distinguished Scientist Award address delivered by Richard Bootzin of the University of Arizona at the APS 23rd Annual Convention. Bootzin opened his talk by pointing out some of the perils of poor sleep. Research has linked sleep disturbance with later development of depression, anxiety, attention deficit disorder, and substance abuse. These problems can affect people at all stages of life — from infancy to adulthood. "It's not the case that we adapt to our poor sleep," Bootzin said.
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What Makes a Nation Intelligent?
University of Washington psychological scientist Earl Hunt isn’t about to let anybody tell him that Sub-Saharan Africa is impoverished because its people lack the genetic potential for book-smarts. In his James McKeen Cattell Award Address, “What Makes a Nation Intelligent?” he attacks the genetic hypothesis of intelligence by demonstrating how social, cultural and environmental factors shape the cognitive abilities of a nation. The genetic hypothesis has been used since Darwin’s time to explain why people from some countries seem smarter. It’s one aspect of an outdated evolutionary psychology that envisions cognitive ability as a mostly inherited trait.
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Unpacking Grit: Motivational and Cognitive Underpinnings of Perseverance and Passion for Long-Term Goals
My name is Katherine R. Von Culin from the University of Pennsylvania and I presented my research at the APS 23rd Annual Convention in Washington, DC. Grit, defined as perseverance and passion for long-term goals, predicts achievement outcomes. In a sample of 317 adults, perseverance and passion were differentially associated with meaning, pleasure and engagement orientations to happiness and with implicit beliefs about willpower. Results suggest distinct motivational and cognitive foundations for each dimension of grit. Poster Session I - Board: I- 072 Thursday, May 26, 2011, 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM Columbia Hall Katherine R. Von Culin University of Pennsylvania Angela L.
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Emotional Clarity as a Differential Predictor of Symptoms of Depression in Adolescents
My name is Angelo Boccia from Temple University and I presented my research at the APS 23rd Annual Convention in Washington, DC. This study explored the relationships among emotional clarity, Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI) scores, and Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC) scores. Results show that emotional clarity significantly predicted CDI scores at Time 2, but not MASC scores. Additionally, negative cognitive style seems to be a better predictor of MASC scores than CDI scores when controlling for emotional clarity. Poster Session IV - Board: IV- 044 Friday, May 27, 2011, 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Columbia Hall Angelo S. Boccia Temple University Elissa J.
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Cognitive Differences in Reading From Kindle, iPad, and Paper Text
My name is Thomas Gable from The College of Wooster, and I presented my research at the APS 23rd Annual Convention in Washington, DC. Participants’ reading speeds and memory (of a short story) while using either paper text, an iPad, or Kindle were compared. Paper text resulted in significantly faster reading speeds. Short-term memory performance was significantly better for electronic-readers, but no long-term memory differences occurred. Electronic-readers exhibited no cognitive disadvantage on an academic learning task. Poster Session IV - Board: IV- 133 Friday, May 27, 2011, 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Columbia Hall Thomas M. Gable The College of Wooster Claudia R. Thompson The College of Wooster
