Interesting Studies

Interesting articles on interesting psychological studies

ADHD, Isolation Chambers, Mice and Brain Loss – The Psychology of Stimulation

November 14, 2011
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ADHD, Isolation Chambers, Mice and Brain Loss – The Psychology of Stimulation

This article delves into the depths of our brain to discuss the psychology of environmental stimulation and the possible effects this has on our brain's development. Can ADHD be explained, in part, by computers, MP3 players and video games? What happens to our brain when we remove this stimulation? What is the...

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Why is Yawning Contagious?

October 12, 2011
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Why is Yawning Contagious?

When I yawn you yawn. Hey, stop that, you're making me tired. Yawning is clearly contagious, but why? The following article digs deep into the studies that give us some insight to why we are prone to yawn in response to other's yawns. One word: Empathy.

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The Japanese Earthquake & Tsunami Tragedy Helps Demonstrate “Animal Instincts” in nature.

March 11, 2011
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The Japanese Earthquake & Tsunami Tragedy Helps Demonstrate “Animal Instincts” in nature.

The human reaction to tragedy and the panic that ensues is an ancient biological response that is hardwired in our brain. In spite of our ability to think far more critically than any other organism on the planet, our basic reactions to the simple aspects of living on the planet are driven by...

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The Bachelor Pad and the Prisoner’s Dilemma, ABC throws a new twist on the psychological classic

September 14, 2010
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The Bachelor Pad and the Prisoner’s Dilemma, ABC throws a new twist on the psychological classic

The prisoners dilemma sets the odds in the houses favor by pitting human nature vs human nature. Ultimately, humans typically fail but through a little experience it is possible to maximize returns by considering the decision of the counterpart.

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The Psychology of Texting: The Shaping of a New Language

April 4, 2010
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The Psychology of Texting: The Shaping of a New Language

In the context of a hyper-active world in which people are often running in many directions at once, text messaging appears to be a viable way for people to not just remain in touch with each other but actually increase their social productivity. Perhaps for a new form of communication (text messaging), for...

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Violence in Video Games, More Than Entertainment: Advertising Tool

January 25, 2010
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Violence in Video Games, More Than Entertainment: Advertising Tool

Violence sells but many fear it may negatively impact those who partake in watching violent movies, television shows, and especially video games. It seems plausible that if violence in fact increases brand awareness when combined with video games that we will see more violent video games capitalizing on in-game advertisement. Is this a bad...

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The Psychology of Weight Loss: The Biggest Loser isn’t the only one losing weight for money

December 14, 2009
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The Psychology of Weight Loss: The Biggest Loser isn’t the only one losing weight for money

America. Is. Fat. In fact, America is only getting fatter. Volp et al. discovered that those individuals who were given a cash incentive to lose weight performed significantly better than those given no incentive other than their good health.

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The Psychology of Learning: Craming and why it doesn’t work!

October 2, 2009
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The Psychology of Learning: Craming and why it doesn’t work!

The mistake that many students make is that they think the path to long-term memory is a short one. In truth, it requires a little bit of effort. Cramming will never work because our brain does not work like an empty closet that can simply be filled by throwing everything we need to...

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The Psychology of Learning: Context Matters–Where You Learn is How You Learn

September 16, 2009
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The Psychology of Learning: Context Matters–Where You Learn is How You Learn

Where you learn is very important as it is directly related to how well you will remember it when it comes time to take that final. If you learn in one environment and take a test in a completely different environment, you are shooting yourself in the foot.

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Wearing Black Makes You Tougher. GRRRRRR

July 16, 2009
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Wearing Black Makes You Tougher. GRRRRRR

Swat teams, Oakland Raiders fans, The Wicked Witch of The West, the Russian MIGs in Top Gun, ninjas, and L.L. Cool Jay in Any Given Sunday all have two things in common; they all wear black and they are all pretty intimidating.

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