A study by Tel Aviv University researchers reveals that presenting positive information first, followed by a minor negative detail, can boost consumer appeal. This approach, known as the 'blemishing effect,' can be used in marketing to improve product perception and drive sales.
Researchers at the University of Exeter have demonstrated a novel technique using phase-change materials for simultaneous information processing and storage. This breakthrough could revolutionize computing by making computers faster, more energy-efficient, and brain-like in their architecture.
Innovative ads can induce consumers to think more creatively, altering the way they process unrelated ads. Researchers found that creative stimuli reverse typical persuasion patterns, with abstract thinkers responding better to concrete claims.
A Concordia University study reveals that a cluttered brain can hinder memory, with older individuals struggling to recall and process information. The research suggests that reducing mental clutter and engaging in mentally stimulating activities may help improve memory and cognitive function.
Researchers at Northwestern University have developed a model that simulates how rats use their whiskers to sense objects around them. The model enables further research on the human sense of touch and may provide insights into new technologies that could utilize the whisker system.
A new study finds that our memories are affected by how we process information emotionally, rather than just the amount of study. Automatic processing biases lead to incorrect predictions about memory performance.
A study by Dr. Olivier Collignon found that the brain's visual cortex can rewire itself to process sound information in people born blind. The research suggests that the brain's plasticity allows it to adapt and develop new functions even without visual experience.
Researchers found that human behavior adapts to varying levels of uncertainty, trading off between input and output. This study demonstrates the existence of input-output trade-offs in human information processing.
A recent study found that East Asian cultures process information differently than Western cultures, with differences in attention, categorization, and reasoning. Aging has a greater impact on cognitive processes than culture.
Non-human animals, including gorillas and chimpanzees, exhibit knowledge about what they have seen in experiments. The apes reduce checking before choosing when provided with auditory information about the food's location, suggesting metacognitive abilities.
A study found that people in positive moods are more likely to follow cues and stereotypes when evaluating trustworthiness. This occurs because happy individuals are less motivated to process information, leading them to rely on pre-existing expectations rather than new data.
Researchers have discovered a developmental delay in the brain circuit that processes sensory information in mice with fragile X syndrome, which is associated with hypersensitivity and social withdrawal. This delayed development may contribute to the sensory processing deficits seen in humans with fragile X syndrome.
Scientists at Baylor College of Medicine discovered that adjacent neurons in the brain do not synchronize their action potentials, contrary to previous beliefs. This finding provides insight into how the brain processes information efficiently by introducing a 'decorrelated state' that allows for uncorrelated activity.
Regular gamers outperform non-gamers in visual processing tasks, including mental rotation, spatial memory and divided attention. Training with video games enhances these skills, potentially reducing gender differences and age-related cognitive decline.
A new study using DTI found correlations between brain areas and mathematical ability in children with FASD. The left parietal area is crucial for math tasks, while other regions may be unique to FASD. This research sheds light on the cognitive deficits of FASD and may lead to better treatment.
Researchers at Texas A&M University have developed a new spin-based device that can process information more efficiently and cool laptops. The device uses electrons' spin direction to record and transmit information, achieving operational temperatures of room temperature.
Using synthetic evolution, researchers created a simple state-dependent model for sodium channels that provides accurate behavior on short time scales and out to several seconds. This breakthrough helps scientists understand the important details about how the brain works.
A new study reveals consumers are more persuaded by messages that align with their goals, whether abstract or concrete. The research suggests that fitting the message level of abstraction to a consumer's goals enhances brand evaluations and engages people in tasks beyond product selection.
A study by Case Western Reserve University Psychologist Joseph Fagan found an association between early ability to process information and IQ scores later in life. Infants who processed new information well at 6- and 12-months-old showed higher levels of academic achievement as young adults.
New research from Vanderbilt University found that training increases brain processing speed and enhances multitasking efficiency. Through daily practice, individuals showed improved performance on simple tasks when completed separately or together.
Researchers found that dopamine causes certain brain cells to become more flexible and changes brain-cell circuitry to process important information differently than mundane information. This can help improve learning, particularly in remembering salient events.
Researchers at Virginia Tech have created a mathematical model to explore the roles of noise in controlling DNA replication and cell division. The study reveals flaws in two accepted notions about information processing in single cells, suggesting that the average number of mRNA molecules must be much larger than previously thought.
A recent study investigates the influence of website design on children's information processing and finds that age significantly affects this relationship. Younger children (ages 7-9) prefer a map to promote search accuracy, while older children (ages 10-13) use a content list more effectively.
A recent study found that powerful individuals make better decisions when they engage in unconscious thinking, similar to the way most people process information. The research suggests that having power changes how people think and approach complex decision-making.
A study found that loyal customers search for evidence a competitor brand is bad, while less loyal customers seek confirmation it's good. Researchers changed perceptions by shifting focus from dissimilarities to similarities or vice versa.
Scientists at Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology show that new cell contacts established during learning process stay active, enabling faster learning of forgotten information. This reactivation facilitates more efficient relearning and retains ability to learn up to advanced age.
Researchers found that adding a visual or auditory signal can increase the perception of an electrical stimulus, even if it's not initially detected. Multisensory integration plays a crucial role in this process, modifying peripheral systems to enhance our understanding of the world.
A study found that participants who received exercise instructions in a difficult font were less motivated to engage in regular exercise, whereas those who received easy-to-read instructions were more willing to adopt the habit. Similarly, a recipe with a hard-to-read format led to lower willingness to attempt making sushi compared to ...
A universal bias in visual perception affects tennis referees, leading to more incorrect calls of balls being out than in. This bias can be exploited by players, who may focus on challenging 'out' calls for an advantage.
A new study finds that brief interruptions can alter purchasing decisions, causing a shift from detail-oriented, price-conscious thinking to goal-oriented, price-insensitive consideration. Participants who were interrupted in decision-making processes prioritized qualities like satisfaction and desirability over feasibility and price.
In a study published in PLOS Biology, researchers found that parietal neurons selectively track target location during visual search tasks. Adding distractors decreased parietal neuron firing rates, reducing target-related response and correlating with increased reaction times.
The Yu Lab's large-scale imaging experiments found that neurons encode specific ways to identify animals based on gender, reproductive status, and genetic background. This research sheds light on how the nervous system processes sensory information to generate meaningful perception and behavioral output.
Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have discovered that auditory and visual information are integrated in the brain before being sent to the cortex. The findings suggest that hearing and vision may be more closely linked than previously believed, with implications for understanding how we perceive the world around us.
A Northwestern University study found that tones of voices can alter visual processing, suggesting a direct input from early auditory processing to visual perception. Researchers used pure tones to test whether sounds can influence perception of face gender, with results showing bias towards male or female faces based on tone frequency.
Researchers found that axon stimulation can increase signal transmission to the cortex, suggesting a new mechanism for brain processing. This discovery may lead to treatments for psychiatric disorders where brain cells communicate incorrectly.
Researchers discovered that ceiling height influences consumer thinking, with higher ceilings promoting abstract thought and lower ceilings encouraging detailed processing. This finding has important implications for retailers seeking to optimize sales persuasion strategies.
Research reveals how interneurones process information from senses and brain to control movement, with persistent sodium current playing a critical role. Abnormal regulation of this current may impair motor command integration, affecting normal movement patterns.
Research by Michael Kisley and Stacey Wood found that older adults exhibit a better balance in processing emotional information, as they tend to pay equal importance to both positive and negative images. This change in emotional priorities develops gradually from age 18 to 80.
Scientists have successfully traced associative learning to early stages of the visual processing pathway, suggesting a more general property of the brain. By training monkeys to associate objects with specific signals, researchers found that neurons in the middle temporal area responded to both the original stimulus and the associated...
A new study published in The Lancet found that folic acid supplementation can improve memory and information processing speed in older adults. Researchers randomly assigned participants to receive either 800 micrograms of folic acid daily or a placebo for 3 years, with significant improvements observed in those receiving the supplement.
Researchers at Delft University of Technology and the Colorado School of Mines have developed a unified theory to extract meaningful signals from acoustic noise. This theory enables the determination of parameters in flowing media, viscous media, and electrokinetic coupling parameters of porous reservoir rock.
Researchers found that subliminal words can produce a priming effect, where subjects respond faster on tasks related to either the visual or auditory word. TMS applied to specific brain areas disrupted this priming effect, demonstrating top-down processing of subliminal information.
A new study by Olaf Sporns and Max Lungarella provides insight into how the brain operates and sheds light on its evolution. The researchers created a mathematical framework that quantifies the relationship between neural and behavioral processes, revealing that the brain and body are interconnected.
Researchers found that synapses act as fine-tuned filters, amplifying meaningful patterns and eliminating stray noise. Synaptic transmission is highly temperature-dependent, and the two types of synapses work together to identify patterns carrying relevant information.
A new study by Princeton University researchers found that stocks with easily pronounced names tend to perform better in the short term. The effect was strongest shortly after initial public offerings (IPOs), with fluently named stocks earning up to $333 more than disfluent ones over a year.
A study published in NeuroImage found that alcohol selectively suppresses cognitive activity in the frontal and posterior parietal brain regions, leading to poor coordination. This suppression is due to impaired feedback processing in brain areas critical for updating mental models for motor action.
A new study by Salk researchers reveals a previously unknown connection between the neural pathways responsible for color and fine detail perception and those involved in motion processing. This discovery challenges the long-held assumption that sensory information about color is relatively unimportant for detecting moving objects.
The IceCube project is a collaborative effort of over 30 scientific organizations, including the US National Science Foundation and more than a dozen US universities. The $272-million detector will use 4,200 light-sensing modules to sample high-energy neutrinos from space, excluding types like those from the sun.
Researchers found that older adults are more likely to attribute actions to individuals alone when in a negative mood, while younger adults consider situational factors. This suggests that older adults may struggle with processing external information in negative emotional states.
Researchers found consistent differences between Singaporeans and Americans regarding brand associations, with implications for consumer behavior across diverse cultures. The study highlights the need for more research on the impact of self-view on brand evaluation.
A Stanford study reveals that the brain's auditory system responds more strongly to sounds from the same spatial location as the animal's gaze direction. This finding suggests a common strategy for focus attention across different species and parts of the brain.
A team of researchers at Johns Hopkins University has discovered that neurons in the brain's visual center respond to different components of a shape and fit them together like a puzzle to create an image. The brain constructs an internal representation of an object from disparate pieces, allowing for quick recognition of objects.
A new study explores the role of relationships between people and products, finding that communal relationships lead to faster recognition of broad features, while exchange relationships facilitate more accurate recognition of detailed features. The research highlights the importance of highlighting expected features in a relationship ...
A study by Dhananjay Nayakankuppam and Himanshu Mishra found that buyers underrate items while sellers overrepresent their positive features, leading to different reservation prices. This difference in valuation affects marketing strategies, such as allowing car buyers to test drive cars at home.
A study published in PNAS found that even when the primary visual cortex is temporarily shut down, the brain can still process visual information unconsciously. Researchers used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to induce temporary blindness in nine volunteers with normal vision.
Researchers at Queen's University Belfast have successfully used molecular information processors to perform logic operations and process information in spaces a few nanometres across. This breakthrough harnesses the principle of photo-induced electron transfer, mimicking the process of photosynthesis.
Researchers discovered that children with Nonverbal Learning Disability (NLD) struggle to recognize faces, particularly immediately after seeing them. The study's findings open up new avenues for research into this condition, which affects less than 1% of the population.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released a draft federal IT security standard, FIPS Publication 200, to aid in FISMA compliance. The document provides guidelines for minimum security requirements and a risk-based approach for selecting security controls.
Researchers find that TV shows with excessive visual elements lead to a 10% decrease in viewers' ability to remember facts. Cleaned-up screens allow for better comprehension of central messages.
Researchers found that involuntary attention improves performance in simple, early visual processing tasks by increasing neural activity in areas of the brain responding to attended stimuli. The study used fMRI to map brain activity while observers performed a task with cues to attract their attention.