Articles tagged with Games
An international team of scientists developed a game to train epidemiologists on mathematical models for studying outbreaks. The game, Muizenberg Mathematical Fever, simulates real-life epidemics and demonstrates the importance of collaboration between bio-mathematicians and classical epidemiologists.
A University of Tennessee professor proposes a game-changing hypothesis that some species evolve by discarding genes rather than adding them. This idea counters the popular assumption that evolution increases complexity and highlights the importance of biological diversity in microorganisms.
The study found that a small amount of money can be an effective motivator, encouraging drivers to arrive earlier or leave later during peak hours. By leveraging social responsibility and game theory, the Capri program aims to reduce rush hour traffic by a few hundred cars.
A team of UC Riverside marketing professors will study the effects of gamification on marketing strategies, aiming to understand how far marketers are taking this trend. They believe game mechanics should be used thoughtfully to achieve specific marketing objectives.
Researchers at Northwestern University designed a method to 'soft control' users' movements using virtual games and social networks. They tested this method with Android games, including Ghost Hunter, which encouraged players to visit rarely photographed locations on campus.
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon and Stanford are expanding the EteRNA project with a $1 million grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation, allowing them to test thousands of RNA designs each month. The online game has identified talented players who can generate important scientific insights.
A study by Jessi Witt and coauthors found that visual illusions can improve sports performance, particularly in free throws. By projecting a ring of circles around the basket, players sank more putts when the hole looked bigger—about 10 percent more.
The HOPSCOTCH learning system combines interactive gameplay with movement to make learning enjoyable for children of all ages. Initial tests at an elementary school showed enthusiasm from participants, particularly hyperactive kids, and Martina Lucht's vision is to integrate physical education with instruction in language skills.
A unique board game called 'Circles of Care' helps educate students about their roles in healthcare teams by simulating real-world interactions among allied health professionals. The game is being translated into French and digital applications are also being explored for its potential to improve patient care.
A University of Innsbruck study found that interventions to promote women in competition increased their participation rates, particularly among highly qualified women. The experiment showed no negative impact on teamwork or efficiency.
Viewers consider advertising more favorable after watching a close, exciting game, according to a study by Oregon State University. The level of suspense in both the game and ad was found to be the most important factor in increasing positive responses towards the ad and brand.
A mathematical model proposes that NBA players should take higher-quality shots earlier in possessions to maximize scoring opportunities. However, current player behavior is often overly cautious, leading to missed chances.
Researchers republished a 1996 behavioral priming study, but found the initial results were only seen when experimenters' expectations of participant behavior were manipulated. Environmental cues, including the experimenter's behavior, appear to affect participants' behavior.
A study by Sam Houston State University found that nearly 16% of college students in Texas have played the Choking Game, a dangerous behavior involving manual choking or suffocation. The majority of participants were males under 15 years old, and most learned about it from peers.
UC Berkeley researchers found that gossip can have positive outcomes, such as helping people police bad behavior and prevent exploitation. Gossiping also made volunteers feel better when they were able to pass on information to alert others.
Researchers found that about half of parents and a small percentage of children recalled events at age 2, while talking about the event soon after helped preserve memories. The study suggests that basic capacity for remembering own experiences may be in place by 2 years of age.
New study reveals that learning from reinforcement can actually harm decision-making in complex environments like basketball. Despite past performance, players are more likely to miss the follow-up shot if they try again.
Researchers at Penn State have designed a new Facebook app sign-up interface that allows users to control what information they share with third-party developers. The design features clear language and multiple options for data sharing, resulting in improved user understanding of security settings.
A recent study found that people select future social partners based on cooperative behavior, not punishment of egoism. This contradicts the expectation that punishing others for self-interest would be beneficial for one's reputation and relationships.
Foldit players employed creative strategies to solve protein structure puzzles, codifying and sharing their approaches. The study reveals the flexible nature of gamer intelligence and its potential for solving complex scientific problems.
The National Academy of Sciences has awarded a $225,000 grant to GameDesk to develop an interactive game that engages students physically and mentally in difficult science topics. The Science in Motion project aims to create educational geoscience games that support students' comprehension of cause-and-effect relationships.
Researchers at Disney Research and Carnegie Mellon University have developed a new side-by-side projection system that enables interactive mobile device interaction. The system allows users to project images from two handheld devices onto the same surface, facilitating communication, gaming, education, and data transfer.
Researchers used scanning tunneling microscopy to assemble 1-nanometer sized molecules into a 3x3 square array, showing varying conductance across the structure. The study demonstrates the beauty and intricacy of molecular electronics, with applications in miniaturized circuits and challenges to be addressed.
Researchers found that college football players who display physical affection toward their teammates are happier and more likely to have a mental edge. In contrast, those who conform to traditional male stereotypes tend to have lower self-esteem. The studies suggest that emotional expression may be beneficial for athletes in terms of ...
Researchers found that high-status individuals tend to trust others more in initial encounters due to positive expectations of others' motives. In a workplace setting, this means that bosses may be more trusting during initial encounters with employees.
A study found that MLB umpires call strikes more often for white pitchers than minority pitchers, leading to a decrease in performance and pay. Minority pitchers responded by playing it safe with their pitches, resulting in decreased performance.
A new study from Iowa State University found that social partners can help extend memory in middle-aged couples by filling in memory gaps. However, this collaboration is not as effective for older couples, who may struggle with unreliable partner memories.
Researchers found that competitive Scrabble players can develop visual word recognition ability in adulthood, recognizing English words up to 20% faster than non-players. They also showed less reliance on the word's meaning and more on its visual appearance, allowing for efficient recognition of letter sequences.
A new study explores how class differences impact customer-hospitality worker interactions, revealing a game of status where customers reenact their dominance over workers. The research finds that service workers are not powerless, as they also have interdependent roles in the interaction.
Researchers found that sighted players in rock-paper-scissors games often subconsciously imitate their blindfolded opponents' hand shapes. This automatic imitation increases the chances of a game ending in a draw.
A team of researchers led by Michigan State University's Hakan Yildiz developed a complex method to schedule Major League Baseball umpires, resulting in more balanced schedules and fewer violations. The approach has been used successfully by MLB for five of the past six seasons, improving travel rules and restrictions.
In a study published in Psychological Science, researchers found that goalies are more likely to dive right when their team is behind and under time pressure. This bias may be due to biological factors, such as the brain's tendency to go towards the right side.
A study by North Carolina State University found that organized sports can bring people together and provide hope in the wake of disasters like Hurricane Katrina. The research highlighted both the positive and negative impacts of sports on community recovery.
A new study published in Research in Sports Medicine found that women are less likely than men to fake soccer injuries. The study analyzed video recordings of 47 televised games from two international women's tournaments and found a rate of 5.74 apparent injuries per match, compared to 11.26 for men
A new method developed by North Carolina State University researchers can accurately predict player behavior in online role-playing games, including World of Warcraft. The tool uses data-driven predictive modeling to identify groups of achievements that are closely related and can predict future behavior with up to 80% accuracy.
Research abstract suggests that morning types have a higher batting average in early games but evening types dominate in late games. The study analyzed data from 16 MLB players and found a correlation between sleep preference and performance.
A Yale University study found that monkeys can imagine different outcomes, a process linked to the brain's prefrontal cortex. This discovery may help researchers develop treatments for diseases such as depression and schizophrenia, which often involve obsessive thoughts about past choices.
The study reveals that the brain's amygdala plays a key role in triggering an automatic reaction to unfairness, even when rational thinking suggests otherwise. The findings have significant implications for our understanding of human behavior and decision-making processes.
NJIT professor Bruce Bukiet predicts the Major League Baseball winners using his mathematical model, which takes into account various factors such as team performance and player statistics. His predictions aim to promote the power of math and show how it can be used to analyze complex issues.
An analysis of 900 regular-season NFL games found a 10% increase in calls to police reporting men's assaults on their wives or intimate partners following losses by the local team. The researchers suggest that unexpected disappointments, particularly those involving traditional rival teams, may lead to an increase in violent behavior.
A new study published in Psychological Science suggests that heat increases feelings of revenge in pitchers, making them more aggressive towards batters who have been hit by a pitch. The researchers found that high temperatures increase the likelihood of retaliation, but not overall aggression in general.
Research from North Carolina State University found that closely contested games result in a significant increase in traffic fatalities, with nail-biter games being the most dangerous. The study, published in Journal of Consumer Research, suggests that competition-induced testosterone may play a role in this increased risk.
A Northwestern University researcher developed a novel ranking system that evaluates male tennis players through network analysis. According to the study, Jimmy Connors ranks on top due to his long career and matches against other strong opponents. The rankings will be reassessed in 10 years to reflect changes in competition.
A new study by Temple University psychologists Jason Chein and Laurence Steinberg found that the presence of peers heightens teens' sensitivity to rewards, leading them to take more risks. The researchers used fMRI to measure brain activity in adolescents, young adults, and adults while playing a simulated driving game.
A new Northwestern Medicine study found that 80% of NFL linemen who underwent disc surgery were able to return to play many games, suggesting that average people can also resume their active lives. After proper recovery and rehabilitation, patients can safely lift weights and engage in strenuous activities without long-term risks.
Researchers found that gesturing while talking changes how people think by providing a visual clue to their mental state. This effect is particularly pronounced when discussing abstract concepts like mathematics or physics.
A new study published in Psychological Science finds that the trustworthiness of our intuition is linked to what's happening physically in our bodies. Subtle changes in heart rate and sweat responses affect decision making, with some people relying on intuition to win at a card game.
A new study by Sara Kim and Ann L. McGill found that people who feel powerful are more likely to believe they can beat cancer if it's described in human terms, leading to lower perceived risks. In contrast, those who feel powerless perceive greater risk when faced with humanized products.
In experiments with African cichlid fish, scientists found that females show increased anxiety and decreased attraction when their preferred male loses a fight. Conversely, when the male prevails, the female's brain shows increased activity associated with reproduction and pleasure. These findings suggest that humans may experience sim...
A new study found that football bettors often favor favorite teams over underdogs, despite point spreads intended to reflect crowd wisdom. The researchers suggest a method to improve predictions: asking people to estimate point differentials instead of making choices against spreads.
Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University's MILLEE Project developed two educational mobile phone games that helped Chinese children increase their knowledge of Chinese characters. The cooperative learning encouraged by the games contributed to character learning.
Researchers found that oxytocin increases trust in reliable partners but not in potentially unreliable ones. Volunteers who received oxytocin nasal spray were more generous with computer and reliable partners than those who received a placebo.
A study by Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience found that people's brains respond differently to others' actions based on their perceived intentions. When generous behavior is framed as benefiting the group, participants showed a stronger neural response, indicating a greater liking for the action.
A new study from the University at Buffalo found that 66% of youth hockey injuries were caused by accidental hits to the boards or goal posts, while only 34% were caused by checking. The study, which analyzed data from over 3,000 players, suggests that coaches should teach players to keep their heads up and avoid looking down at the puck.
Researchers found differing responses for neutral observers, those who wished the player to fail, and those who wanted to see them succeed. The study used event-related potentials to measure brain activity in response to different game scenarios.
A new study analyzing interactions between players in a virtual universe game has provided large-scale evidence to prove an 80-year-old psychological theory called Structural Balance Theory. The research shows that individuals tend to avoid stress-causing relationships when they develop a society, resulting in more stable social networks.
A new study found that those who expect unexpected events are no better at detecting them than those who don't, and may even be worse. The study used a video featuring basketball players and a gorilla, and showed that familiarity with the original experiment did not improve detection of other unexpected events.
Researchers at the University of Miami designed intelligent 3D simulation robots to participate in the Robocup 2010 competition. The team developed a soccer team of six autonomous robots that can acquire strategic knowledge and real-time reasoning, setting their sights on making it through the first round.
Research suggests that MLB pitchers who are 'morning types' tend to perform better in early games and have an advantage over evening types. The study analyzed the statistics of 18 pitchers from five teams and found a correlation between sleep preference and pitching performance.
A UC Davis study found that online games and websites marketed to children are predominantly branding tools, with nutrition information often buried or absent. The researchers recommend increased regulation to prevent childhood obesity and promote healthier eating habits.