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Use of Gestures Reflects Language Instinct in Young Children
Young children instinctively use a “language-like” structure to communicate through gestures, according to research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. The research, led by the University of Warwick, shows that
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Speed-Reading Reborn for Smartphones, Smartwatches
Scientific American: Speed-reading is either a productivity enhancer or a gimmick that lets people gobble up content without really understanding or retaining what they’ve read. This debate—dating back to the late 1950s—resurfaced recently when Samsung
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‘Self Talk’: When Talking to Yourself, the Way You Do It Makes a Difference
The Wall Street Journal: Do you ever talk to yourself? Be honest. Researchers say talking to yourself, out loud, is more common than many of us might care to admit. Psychologists call it “self talk” and
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Accents Can Carry Over When You Switch Between Languages
Switching back and forth between two different languages presents a cognitive challenge that can trip up even the most fluent bilingual speakers. Researcher Matthew Goldrick of Northwestern University and colleagues wondered whether the disruptions caused
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What Could Be More Interesting than how the Mind Works?
Harvard Gazette: The brain is Steven Pinker’s playground. A cognitive scientist and experimental psychologist, Pinker is fascinated by language, behavior, and the development of human nature. His work has ranged from a detailed analysis of
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This is why your brain wants to swear
The Guardian: Most of the time, words behave themselves. They’re just a useful arrangement of sounds in our mouths, or letters on a page. They have no intrinsic power to offend. If I told you
