Articles tagged with Cognitive Psychology
A recent study found that AI programs are up to 97% accurate at detecting pictures of deepfake faces, but performed at chance levels when it comes to detecting deepfake videos. Humans correctly identified real and fake videos about two-thirds of the time, picking up on subtle inconsistencies in movement and facial expressions. The stud...
Researchers investigated which characteristics of crystals made them fascinating to early humans, using experiments with chimpanzees. The chimps showed a strong attraction to transparent and crystalline properties, suggesting that this attraction may have deep evolutionary roots.
A team of MIT engineers identified tacit knowledge in volunteers who classified images, shifting focus to easier-to-classify areas without awareness. Bringing this concealed knowledge to the surface enhances experts' performance, suggesting a method for boosting learning experience in disciplines requiring keen observation skills.
A randomized study of 14 young adults found that sparkling water consumption reduced subjective fatigue and improved executive function while playing virtual soccer for three hours. Players who drank sparkling water also committed fewer fouls and had better game enjoyment compared to those drinking plain water.
A study from the University of East Anglia found that Covid lockdowns disrupted children's ability to self-regulate, leading to slower growth in executive functions. Reception-age children, who normally learn to socialize and navigate classroom routines, showed significant setbacks in cognitive flexibility and self-regulation skills.
Researchers found no clear link between brain structure and navigation ability in healthy young adults, challenging decades-long assumptions. The study used advanced AI tools to analyze brain scans and detect subtle patterns, but found no measurable connection between brain structure and navigation performance.
Researchers found that veterans with prior concussions showed slower and less accurate eye movements, along with reduced performance on attention-based tasks. These subtle brain changes can be measured more than a decade after the original injury.
A new study from CU Anschutz links chronic back pain to heightened brain responses to everyday sounds and finds that Pain Reprocessing Therapy can improve sensory amplification. The research found specific brain changes associated with sound hypersensitivity, which can be treated with psychological therapy.
Research found that bilingual individuals were more creative in their native language but less so in their second language. The study suggests that the language we think in shapes our creativity and that vivid mental imagery plays a key role in divergent thinking.
Researchers found that children who aren't friends connect better through play when given a task to complete, especially during goal-directed activities. The study, which involved 148 children aged six to eight, shows that connected communication is crucial for social coordination and teamwork.
A UBCO study found that all forms of touch with therapy dogs contribute positively to participants' emotional wellbeing, regardless of which part is interacted with. The research suggests that simple interaction with a therapy dog can make a difference in reducing stress and improving overall well-being.
People can use the musical context to predict what will happen next and feel emotions such as anxiety or happiness. Research shows that using more context improves accuracy in tasks such as remembering chunks of music and predicting the next notes.
A new study from the University of East Anglia found that babies with an increased likelihood of autism may struggle to settle into deep, restorative sleep. Those with high sensory sensitivity slept more lightly even in quiet environments.
Researchers at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center found that stellate ganglion block enhances the effectiveness of cognitive processing therapy for treating PTSD, leading to faster symptom reduction and improved outcomes.
A new study by University of Toronto researchers found that day-to-day fluctuations in mental sharpness predict success or struggle. Mental sharpness is linked to productivity, goal-setting, and mood, with sharper days leading to more challenging goals and lower-sharpness days stalling on routine tasks.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University demonstrate that apes can use their imagination and play pretend, challenging long-held assumptions about animal cognition. The findings suggest that the capacity to understand pretend objects is within the cognitive potential of enculturated apes.
A new study from Rice University suggests that drivers often misunderstand cyclist hand signals, which can lead to accidents. The research found that arm signals are the most effective way for drivers to understand a cyclist's intentions, but even these signals can be misinterpreted in certain situations.
A long-term study with over 700 participants shows that focusing on the strength of people with depression increases their self-confidence and enables them to better achieve personal goals. Reflecting on their strengths also leads to improved progress towards set goals.
A recent study by the University of York found that UK polling clerks made mistakes in 36% of cases when tested with real ID documents. The findings challenge the assumption that human checks are a reliable barrier against voter fraud, highlighting the need for improved training methods and alternative security measures.
A team of researchers from The University of Osaka compared the way humans and machines think about words, finding some strong correlations but also significant discrepancies. Human ratings varied widely across words like prepositions and conjunctions, while LLMs tended to assign consistently low ratings.
A study warns that current school-based mental health support for children from multilingual backgrounds can be less effective and inaccessible due to linguistic and cultural challenges. The researchers found that conversations were often 'lost in translation,' leading to reduced parental engagement and attendance.
A recent study published in JAMA highlights the importance of effective communication of medical numbers, particularly in preventing nocebo effects. Researchers recommend using positive framing and clear strategies to present numbers in an understandable way, as vague verbal descriptors can amplify fear and unintended expectation effects.
A UH psychologist's study finds that anxiety sensitivity and pain-related anxiety are linked to mental health problems and clinically significant alcohol use among survivors of traumatic sexual assault. The investigation highlights the importance of addressing both types of anxiety in reducing the risk of lifelong challenges.
Caring for grandchildren may help prevent cognitive decline in older adults, according to a recent study published by the American Psychological Association. Grandparents who provided childcare scored higher on tests of memory and verbal fluency compared to those who didn't.
Researchers propose a neuroscience framework explaining how motivation fundamentally reshapes memory. Two motivational moods - an interrogation-driven mood supported by dopamine and an imperative-driven mood supported by noradrenaline - are associated with different neural contexts, determining the type of memory formed.
Research suggests that people use a combination of egocentric and allocentric reference frames to navigate complex environments, regardless of cultural background. This integration allows individuals to effectively track objects and movements in their surroundings.
A new study by University College London researchers found that women and people with anxiety are prone to two distinct types of underconfidence. Women initially show underconfidence but confidence grows as time elapses, while those with anxiety become less confident with more reflection.
Researchers at the University of Houston found that admitting intellectual errors can increase public trust in science. In a classroom setting, professors who admit mistakes were rated higher by students for warmth, competence, and teacher effectiveness. This study highlights the importance of intellectual humility in building respect.
Smartphone apps based on psychological theories are 3 times more effective than minimal support in helping people quit smoking long-term. The apps improve sustained abstinence rates when combined with traditional interventions or pharmacotherapy.
A new study from Tel Aviv University reveals that participants consistently preferred options with more positive facial expression mimicry during conversations. Facial mimicry is found to predict choices even when personal taste is not explicitly stated.
A team from Tokyo Metropolitan University found that numerical information in vision affects spatial perception, introducing complex interplay between object-based processing and number value. Their experiments with squares showed a strong vertical bias when numbers were present, highlighting the impact of the ventral visual stream.
A new study reveals that everyday conversations can delay essential eye-movement responses, affecting the fast visual assessments required for safe driving. The research found that talking imposes cognitive load strong enough to interfere with the neural processes that initiate and guide eye movements.
Mind blanking is characterized by decreased connectivity between neural networks, disrupted visual information processing, and reduced sensory input. The study's findings suggest that being awake does not necessarily mean being conscious of something, and mind blanking corresponds to a genuine interruption in the stream of thoughts.
A research team at the University of Göttingen investigated how laughter can be regulated and found that social cues can strongly interfere with these efforts. The results showed that suppression and distraction were effective strategies to hold back laughter, while cognitive reappraisal could reduce how funny the jokes felt.
A new study examines why some people excel at reading emotions from faces and context, while others struggle. The research finds that individuals use complex or simple strategies to weigh different types of information, with the latter being less cognitively demanding. This variation in integration strategies may contribute to differen...
A single 20-30 minute online course can improve young adults' tolerance of uncertainty, leading to reduced anxiety and depression. The course, which took less than half an hour to complete, showed lasting effects on mental health even a month after completion.
A new study identifies a distinctive brain activity pattern in children with ADHD, which may be modified using non-invasive brain stimulation and cognitive training. The pattern, known as aperiodic EEG activity, reliably distinguished children with ADHD from their peers.
A recent study from Michigan State University found that narcissism is a universal trait with consistent patterns across cultures, contrary to popular beliefs in the United States. The study included over 45,000 participants from 53 countries and found that young adults and men are more narcissistic than older adults and women.
Researchers at Cornell University used optogenetics to boost large sharp-wave ripples in the brains of mice, improving their ability to remember new experiences. The technique showed promise in extending memory consolidation even in mice engineered to have cognitive deficits.
Children who spend a significant amount of time on social media platforms experience a gradual decline in their ability to concentrate. The study found no association between TV watching or video game playing and attention symptoms.
A new remote group intervention, CRAFT-G, combining cognitive training and occupational-therapy-based strategies, showed high satisfaction and clinically meaningful improvements in daily functioning among cancer survivors. The program proved to be accessible and effective in helping survivors manage 'chemobrain' and reclaim everyday life.
The symposium will feature experts sharing cutting-edge research and insights on AI in clinical settings, aiming to improve chronic health outcomes and expand access to mental healthcare globally. The event is a unique platform for networking and collaboration, highlighting innovative approaches that move the field forward.
Researchers found that recalling memories is facilitated when breathing cues are presented during inhalation, with actual memory retrieval happening during exhalation. The study suggests that respiration acts as a natural pacemaker for memory processes, highlighting the close interaction between the brain and body.
A new study reveals limited data on cognition in individuals with comorbid personality disorder and schizophrenia, leading to unfavourable outcomes. The researchers emphasize the need for further investigation into adapting treatments to support functional recovery.
Researchers found that words with phonetically pleasing sound patterns are more memorable due to their aesthetic appeal. The study was supported by a grant from the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the Austrian Science Fund.
Researchers found a significant link between longer screen time and increased ADHD symptoms, as well as developmental abnormalities in brain structure. The study suggests that excessive screen exposure may contribute to delayed brain maturation patterns in children with ADHD.
Research from Colorado State University shows that faculty sharing internal sense of unease and inadequacy can shape students' perception of professors' overall competence, likeability, and effectiveness. Students found a hypothetical professor who publicly acknowledged feelings of being an impostor to be less hirable than an equally a...
A new study reveals a connection between parents' attachment styles and the likelihood of experiencing parental burnout. The research suggests that difficulty in recognizing and understanding one's own emotions can increase the risk of burnout.
A new study found that faster biological aging measured by DNA-based epigenetic clocks is associated with greater cognitive decline and higher risk of mild cognitive impairment in Hispanic/Latino adults. The study highlights the potential of epigenetic clocks to track changes in brain health over time.
Researchers discover that super-recognisers don't just process more information, but instead focus on the most informative parts of a face to aid in recognition. This skill cannot be learned and is an automatic, dynamic way of picking up unique facial features.
A study by Universitat Jaume I researchers found that long bus rides can lead to lower academic engagement among secondary and upper secondary students. The study, published in Revista de Educación, suggests that teachers can develop strategies to prevent disengagement by promoting positive attitudes and self-confidence.
Researchers warn that advances in AI and neurotechnology are outpacing our understanding of consciousness, with potential serious ethical consequences. A better understanding of consciousness could have major implications for AI, prenatal policy, animal welfare, medicine, mental health, law, and emerging neurotechnologies.
Researchers Prof Axel Cleeremans, Prof Anil Seth, and Prof Liad Mudrik warn that advances in AI and neurotechnology are outpacing our understanding of consciousness. They emphasize the need for theory-driven research and innovative methods to advance consciousness science.
A new study published in Science provides evidence that chimpanzees can change their minds based on the strength of available evidence, a key feature of rational thought. Researchers found that chimps frequently switched their choices in response to stronger clues, aligning with rational strategies of belief revision.
A new study has compiled records of brain activity during sleep and dream reports, revealing that dreams occur not only during REM sleep but also during deeper and calmer NREM stages. In these cases, brain activity resembles wakefulness more than deep sleep.
A significant genetic correlation has been identified between childhood cognitive function and parental longevity, providing molecular evidence for the connection. The study found that shared genetic factors influence both early cognitive abilities and lifespan, with a genetic correlation of 0.35.
A global study by the University of Jyväskylä found that our most emotionally resonant music comes from our teenage years, peaking around age 17. This 'reminiscence bump' helps explain why songs from adolescence remain meaningful even decades later.
The researchers are studying how brief, playful social interactions affect brain function and cognitive performance in older adults using advanced brain imaging techniques. They aim to develop simple and inexpensive interventions that can be implemented in clinical settings and in the community.
Researchers found that facial self-touching, particularly around the nose, chin, and cheeks, strongly correlates with stress levels during cognitive work. The study also suggests that this behavior may be an evolutionary, self-soothing mechanism to regulate stress.
A new study from the University of Delaware found that LGBTQ+ adolescents in Delaware experience elevated risks of anxiety, depression, and underage substance use. By eighth grade, these students are already using alcohol and other drugs at higher rates.