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The Effects of Preschool Education: What We Know, How Public Policy Is or Is Not Aligned With the Evidence Base, and What We Need to Know
Full Text HTML (Available to the Public) Robert C. Pianta, W. Steven Barnett, Margaret Burchinal, and Kathy R. Thornburg Two children, both age 3, enroll in publicly funded preschool. But they may have vastly different experiences. Publicly supported preschool programs (e.g., child care centers, Head Start, and state-funded pre-kindergarten) incorporate such a wide range of basic aims, funding, program models, and staff qualifications that their potential efficacy is not being achieved.
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Want Less Pain? Don’t Look Away
A recent study published in Psychological Science, is shedding light on how the brain processes pain. What you look at can influence how much pain you feel. Contrary to many people's compulsion to look away during a painful event such as an injection, scientists found that looking at your body - in this case the hand - reduces the pain experienced. The team also showed that magnifying the hand to make it appear larger cut pain levels further still. The researchers say that gaining a better understanding of this could lead to new treatments. Watch this explanation and read the full story: BBC
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Are You Stuck in a ‘Bad Project’?
Members of the Hui Zheng lab at BCM who study Alzheimer's Disease recently posted a video titled “Bad Project” parodying Lady Gaga’s immensely popular single Bad Romance. The video follows a PhD student who’s inherited project that isn’t quite living up to her expectations. Since its posting on YouTube January 20, 2011 the video has received nearly two million views – an indicator that more than a few in the scientific community can commiserate with Hui Zheng lab. Though still slightly shy of Bad Romance‘s 350 million YouTube views, we applaud the Hui Zheng lab’s performance!
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Too Many Choices? How Humans Cognitively Manage an Abundance of Mate Options
Can’t find the right guy or girl for Valentine’s Day? Research suggests you might be looking in the wrong place. A study published in Psychological Science found that people who have the choice of many potential mates pay very little attention to important characteristics which take more time to elicit, and instead choose potential love interests based on trivial characteristics that are quickly and easily assessed.
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Pitfalls and Opportunities in Nonverbal and Verbal Lie Detection
Full Text HTML (Available to the Public) Aldert Vrij, Par Anders Granhag, and Stephen Porter Unlike Pinocchio, most of the time people do not give telltale signs that they are being dishonest. In lieu of a growing nose, is there a way to distinguish people who are telling the truth from those who aren’t?
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Is it Over Yet? How We Recover From Conflict
It’s the second week of February and you unfortunately find yourself in the middle of a heated argument with your significant other. Can you resolve the fight and recover your relationship in time for Valentine’s Day? According to a new study published in Psychological Science, your ability to bounce back from conflict may depend on what you and your partner were like as infants. The study, part of a two-decade longitudinal study, compared participants’ attachment styles during infancy to their adult conflict recovery styles, emotions, and ratings of relationship satisfaction and stability when they were 20 years old.
