When recounting an episode of the children’s TV show Pingu, people from Italy made an average of 22 gestures per 100 words, compared with 11 for Swedish people. People of different nationalities appear to vary in their use of hand gestures, according to a study that seems to reinforce the idea that Italians, in particular, […]
psychology
It’s Just a Superstition — but Is It Harmless?
Airports typically exclude Gate 13. Some buildings skip the 13th floor. And Friday the 13th is not known as a lucky day. The fear of the number 13 is a superstition with a complicated name — triskaidekaphobia. The idea the number 13 is unlucky isn’t rational, of course, and for most, any unease about the […]
Replication failures in psychology not due to differences in study populations
Half of 28 attempted replications failed even under near-ideal conditions. A large-scale effort to replicate results in psychology research has rebuffed claims that failures to reproduce social-science findings might be down to different study populations being used. The drive recruited labs around the world to try to replicate the results of 28 classic and contemporary […]
Will Passengers Ever Fly on Pilotless Planes?
The technology is progressing quickly, but the main challenge may be overcoming our fears. Autonomous cars from companies like Google, Uber and Tesla will soon become commonplace on our roads, according to some experts, and aircraft manufacturers are betting that it will only be a matter of time before the skies are filled with autonomous […]
Outlook: Addiction
Addiction is a chronic disease that can destroy the lives of individuals and their families. Researchers are teasing apart the complex neural, genetic and behavioural factors that drive people to lose the ability to resist damaging substances, and are looking for ways to treat, reverse or even prevent addictions. Read more in this special Outlook supplement […]
How Gamblers Try – And Fail – To Beat The System
Human tendency to seek patterns leads to misperception of randomness. Habitual gamblers are more likely to believe they see patterns in random sequences of events, and to act on that belief, than the general population, according to new research. Wolfgang Gaissmaier, a psychologist at the University of Konstanz in Germany, and his colleagues studied how […]
Researchers track eye movements to sway moral decisions
Altering the timing of a decision on the basis of gaze manipulates choices. People asked to choose between two written moral statements tend to glance more often towards the option they favour, experimental psychologists say. More surprisingly, the scientists also claim it’s possible to influence a moral choice: asking for an immediate decision as soon […]
Infants May Benefit From Advanced Cochlear Implants
Young children need more detailed sound information, new study finds. Cochlear implants are powerful tools for people with hearing loss. Using electrodes implanted in the ear that transmit sound directly to the brain, they can give even the profoundly deaf a sense of sound. But their success often depends on how early the implants are […]
You don’t always know what you’re saying
People’s conscious awareness of their speech often comes after they’ve spoken, not before. If you think you know what you just said, think again. People can be tricked into believing they have just said something they did not, researchers report this week. The dominant model of how speech works is that it is planned in […]
Drug could stop PTSD before it starts
Researchers investigating the genetic basis of post traumatic stress disorder have found a drug that could stop the condition from developing if given shortly after a traumatic experience. Read more in CMAJ.