Psychology

Relative Risks And Why Anecdotes Can Be Lousy For Making Decisions

Fear blinds us, immobilizes us, and makes fools of us. Scary stories abound on the internet, through emails, and in conversations, and dangers lurk in the dusty corners waiting to pounce on us and tear our loved ones from our grasps. We know this. We feel ...

Article - Kim Wombles - Aug 24 2010 - 6:38pm

Autism, Intellectual Disability And Research Criteria: Ecker Et Al., A Defense

An introduction: in the online autism community, there are a lot of heated debates. One of them is related to the nature of autism research. Some are insistent that more research focus on vaccines. Others push for more research on treatments. Still others ...

Article - Kim Wombles - Aug 23 2010 - 7:00pm

The Science Of Pleasure: Part III- The Neurological Orgasm

When we last spoke about sex, we discussed the neurotransmitters involved in pleasure and attraction, namely dopamine and oxytocin. Now let's look a little deeper into the action of those neurotransmitters and how we can manipulate their action- to ex ...

Article - Andrea Kuszewski - Aug 27 2010 - 9:00pm

Does Happiness Have To Cost The Earth?

I just watched Nic Marks of the New Economics Foundation's recent TED talk, which I hope I can embed below.  Marks and I both appear have a problem with the amount of media attention that the financial industry gets.  For me, I don't like the co ...

Article - Warren Davies - Aug 31 2010 - 10:53am

A Message To The Sciency Elite: Step Out Of The Lab And Into The Real World

This week I have heard a lot of scuttle about what the difference is between "hard" and "soft" science, or if the distinction should exist at all. For me, science has been defined by whether or not you use the scientific method- regardl ...

Article - Andrea Kuszewski - Sep 4 2010 - 1:24am

I Don't Want To Die... But I Do Want To Shop!

One of the most common forms of self-medication in capitalist societies surely has to be retail therapy.  Is there really a problem that can't be solved by a new pair of shoes, or the latest iWhatever?  Interestingly, one of the problems people might ...

Article - Warren Davies - Sep 6 2010 - 11:59am

In Defense Of Gossip?

Gossiping has benefits, according to research conducted by Dr. Jennifer Cole and Hannah Scrivener from Staffordshire University, who presented preliminary results at the British Psychological Society Social Psychology Section annual conference at the Unive ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 8 2010 - 3:33pm

To Get Big Attention, Stay Small- Large-scale Tragedies Get Less Notice

A million dollars is difficult to imagine but if someone is charging $2 instead of one, that gets attention.   Likewise, a quote attributed to communist USSR despot Joesph Stalin is  "A single death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic." ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 9 2010 - 5:28pm

A Different Meaning For September 11th

As Americans, September 11th will always hold a special meaning for us- a day of reflection, grieving, and for some, healing. For other people, though, the day September 11th has additional importance as well, ones which are often brushed aside because of ...

Blog Post - Andrea Kuszewski - Sep 11 2010 - 11:39am

How Well Do You Multitask? New Tool Says It Can Tell

Multitasking is a part of everyday home life but increasingly a part of the workplace as well- as in anything, not all people will be suited to it.    How workers feel about multitasking and how they have adapted to it (or will) may influence their job sat ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 14 2010 - 9:49am