Most humans have only vestigal muscles that could help them prick up their ears like this cute pooch. Photo: Mary Swift/Shutterstock The adorable dog in the photo is paying attention. "Lifting the ears up straight is, in almost every species, a clue that the animal is putting some work into it. They're paying close attention, …
Continue reading Prick up your ears! (Oh, I forgot…you can’t!)
How does the design of the study make it possible to test if bonobos have theory of mind? Photo: Sergey Uryadnikov/Shutterstock Typically-developing human children point. Pointing can mean that I want to make sure (for example) that you notice the baby rabbit outside, or I want to tell you that you dropped your fluffy scarf …
To do: Decide whether each study's variables are manipulated or measured. Check! GoodStudio/Shutterstock I wouldn't be able to get through my week without a to-do list. And now my habits are validated by this new story about research on to-do lists, which comes from the BBC News. The journalist summarizes a series of studies for …
The story reported that members of the clergy are most likely to score high on all four questions. Photo: Diego Cervo/Shutterstock Before you read on, make a prediction: Which U.S. jobs would you predict would be the most fulfilling? In this story from the Washington Post column,"Department of Data" you can explore some fascinating data …
The journalist provides a mixture of empirical evidence and authority to support advice for how to talk to family you disagree with. Photo: PeopleImages.com - Yuri A/Shutterstock During the holidays, we may find ourselves interacting with family members who don't agree with us--especially on politics. Here's a story from NPR news with advice on how …
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Prostock-studio/Shutterstock Dog research has gotten much more popular in the last 10 years, as researchers study what cognitive and social abilities dogs have. Here's a study that tested whether dogs could tell the difference between a competent and an incompetent human. Here's how the study was summarized by by a dog blogger. So, the gist …
To measure distracted driving, the study recorded how often people's cell phones moved while they were driving.Photo: Ekaterina Pokrovsky/Shutterstock In the summer of 2023, 28 U.S. states, including Alabama, started banning handheld cell phones while driving. This news story from the Birmingham News (AL) shows data from an interrupted time series design that tracked people's …
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A body-scan meditation might prevent mindless trips to the fridge.Photo: F8 studio/Shutterstock Do you consider yourself an emotional eater? If you'd like to reduce your susceptibility to emotional eating, here's something to try. It's also a good chance to practice one of the simple experiments. The research was summarized by a journalist for PsyPost. …
Those tiny pieces of ice help cool you down. Photo: DelightPhotos/Shutterstock Summer’s almost over, but you should save this idea for next time you’re feeling too hot. It turns out that the best way to cool yourself down is by eating small pieces of ice—like those found in your favorite slushy. You can see a …
We can apply the four big validities to this study on medical clowns. Photo: Halfpoint/Shutterstock Here’s a study about a behavioral intervention that apparently helps hospitalized children recover faster. The study tested the effect of medical clowns—a specially trained person who can distract hospitalized kids, guide them through relaxation exercises, and help them feel …
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