Monthly Archives: September 2008
Identifiable vs. Statistical Victims
John McCain wears a bracelet. So does Barack Obama. And both of them signal something vital about how the public views various social and financial policies – people tend to sympathize with identifiable victims, those given a name and a story, even when … Continue reading
Filed under About Perception
The Psychology of Campaign ’08
Excellent piece by neurologist Robert Burton in Salon on the psychology of politics. Burton argues convincingly that support for ones candidate generally says more about the supporter than the candidate. In his book, On Being Certain, Burton puts several nails in … Continue reading
Filed under Uncategorized
On Real Education: Interview with Author Charles Murray
Charles Murray, bestselling author of Losing Ground and coauthor of The Bell Curve, has written a new book focused on the transformation of our educational system: Real Education: Four Simple Truths for Bringing America’s Schools Back to Reality (Crown Forum Publishers). … Continue reading
Filed under Interviews
Scary Mary
Here’s an excellent post at Cognitive Daily that discusses research on how music played before or after a film character is shown affects our perception of their emotion. Here’s a snippet, but the entire piece is worth reading: Whether the … Continue reading
Filed under About Perception
Neuron Resurrection
A new study from UCLA researchers has taken the search for where memories are made, and how they are recalled, another step further. Its significance is in confirming for the first time that neuronal activity associated with spontaneous memory is … Continue reading
Filed under About Neuroscience
David Foster Wallace (1962-2008)
Very sad news this weekend about author David Foster Wallace, found dead in his home on Friday from an apparent suicide. He was only 46. While already a ‘game changing’ writer -someone who forever alters the literary landscape – I can’t help but wonder … Continue reading
Filed under Tributes to Great Minds
Fan-tastic News for Rabid Fans
Well, it’s official sports fans – we now have scientific evidence that being a fan is good for you. What’s more, it’s apparently also good for society. This Boston Globe piece outlines some recent research on the topic very nicely. Who … Continue reading
Filed under Uncategorized
David DiSalvo is a science, technology and culture writer whose work appears in Scientific American Mind, Psychology Today and a variety of other places.
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