When we launched the Psychonomic Society’s featured content site back in 2014, we had a simple idea: take the remarkable work of cognitive scientists and make it approachable, inviting a broader community into the conversation. Over the years, we did just that. Through blog posts (over 800!), podcasts (6 seasons!), interviews, research highlights, and digital […]
Every year, people eagerly await the arrival of the fall colors, and if you’re like me, you’ve checked the forecasts for peak foliage to find the best time to go leaf peeping. You might be surprised to learn that there’s a fair bit of science that goes into forecasting the arrival of those fall leaves, […]
I’m embarrassed to admit this, but one thing that I’ve been struggling with lately is finding my glasses on my desk at work. I set them down and suddenly they’re nowhere to be found. I’ve even occasionally had to ask another person to come and help me find them. Why is this so challenging? Even […]
If you’ve never heard of freestyle slalom skating before, prepare to be amazed. In this sport, roller skaters skillfully maneuver their way around a set of tightly spaced cones at mind-boggling speeds, balancing on one skate, skating backwards, or sometimes both! If you ever want to watch some impressive feats of athleticism and artistry on […]
When was the last time you read or wrote something in cursive? If you’re like me, you might find that cursive can sometimes be challenging to read, especially if you haven’t seen any examples in a long time (I’m a bit embarrassed that I recently had to stop and think for a moment before I […]
We’ll start this one off with a bit of a test. Have a look at the images below – can you guess what they are? You might find a judgment like this a bit difficult, and tasks like this reveal that visual perception is much more than simply registering an image. To do this accurately, […]
Many of us have collected things at some point in our lives, whether it’s coins, records, CDs, or stuffed animals. You might be surprised by the range of weird and wonderful things that people like to collect. Some examples I’ve seen around the internet include sugar packets, traffic cones, and umbrella covers. Visually, collections are […]
Have you ever had the experience of talking with someone and partway through, you realize that while you both might be using the same vocabulary, what you mean is quite different? Sometimes, this comes from a generational gap. Slang words change frequently, and some words don’t have the same meaning that they once did. For […]
Close your eyes for a moment and think about the past year. Now imagine mapping out your plans for the upcoming year. If you had to point to a location that corresponds to “tomorrow” or “next month,” where would it be? What about “yesterday”? Chances are, next month is somewhere to the right of tomorrow. […]
Many of us have things that we look forward to when the weather gets cooler – the usual apple picking, pumpkin carving, admiring the fall leaves, and (how could I forget) the Psychonomic Society Annual Meeting. One thing that I don’t particularly look forward to is the dense fog that happens around this time of […]