I met with Stephen Lea to interview him about the Special Issue in his honor in the Psychonomic Society journal Learning & Behavior. The interview episode has two parts and could have had so many more. He has a fascinating career and is very interesting. The beginning of the episode features a brief interview with Lisa […]
Each year around Thanksgiving I am faced with the same dilemma: nibble on a small amount of snacks as the food is being prepared, or delay gratification for the glorious full plate of edible treasures. Although this may seem trivial, allow me to set the stage: Imagine that it’s the morning of Thanksgiving. Your refrigerator […]
Have you paid any mind to the growing popularity of mindfulness? It seems everywhere I look there is a new promotion or app touting the benefits of this meditative practice. But what exactly is mindfulness and how might it benefit us? Mindfulness is a state of being that is characterized by a nonreactive awareness of […]
We have become experts at remembering pieces of information that share no natural relationships. For example, your friend may have just started a new job, and it is easy for you to remember where she works because the company’s logo and her favorite color are both red. When thinking about remembering two pieces of information, […]
Dawn Weatherford (pictured on the right) recently published a paper about detecting fake IDs with co-authors William Blake Erickson, Jasmine Thomas, Mary Walker, and Barret Schein. The paper is called “You shall not pass: how facial variability and feedback affect the detection of low prevalence fake IDs” and appears in the Psychonomic Society journal Cognitive Research: Principles and […]
In many professions, evaluations can be rough; one negative comment can negate all of the positive comments. Oftentimes, that negative comment takes on the “white bear” or thought suppression phenomenon identified by Daniel Wegner in 1987. Reportedly influenced by the following line from Fyodor Dostoevsky’s “Winter Notes on Summer Impressions” Try to pose for yourself […]
Kim and Drew want to go out for the evening. Kim wants to attend a symphonic orchestra, but Drew wants to attend a gymnastics competition. While they do not agree on what event to attend, both prefer to do something together rather than alone. The situation constitutes an example of an experimental game, a set […]
I’m delighted to welcome Jonathan Caballero and Travis Seale-Carlisle to the digital team as our newest Digital Associate Editors. Jonathan is currently a Postdoctoral Researcher at McGill University. His main research interest involves the influences of perception on social interactions. He is currently investigating how communication impairments associated with Parkinson’s disease impacts social interactions. The […]
In the book of Genesis, Cain, who slayed his brother Abel in jealousy, was asked by God, where is your brother? Cain’s response was, “I know not; Am I my brother’s keeper?” Cain’s sarcastic response suggested an unwillingness to take responsibility for his brother. Thankfully, in today’s society, the concept of serving as “My Brother’s […]
Word problems – they’re the bane of many a math students’ existence. But what makes them so difficult? Sometimes, the issue is that our real-world knowledge suggests a way of thinking that is contrary to what the problem requires. For example, people assume that problems including the phrase “more than” will require addition and problems […]