Articles tagged with Cognitive Psychology
Recent studies have identified key psychological processes, such as repetitive negative thinking and self-reflection, that may impact cognitive aging and dementia prevention. Researchers propose incorporating psychological elements to reduce dementia risk through cognitive-behavioral interventions.
Researchers argue that Artificial Social Intelligence (ASI) is the next big frontier for AI. ASI requires social perception, Theory of Mind and social interaction to understand others' mental states and cooperate in shared tasks. The field needs a holistic approach mimicking human interaction.
A University of California, Riverside study found that people's memories for celebrity faces are sharper but less accurate than those for non-celebrity faces. This 'variance-bias tradeoff' suggests that humans prioritize precision over accuracy to accommodate the natural variability in face recognition.
A new study published in Scientific Reports found that individuals who synchronize their pupil dilation patterns to a simple rhythmic beat also exhibit higher levels of synchrony with other minds, such as attending to the same story. This suggests an underlying mechanism uniting different forms of synchrony.
GPT-3 performs nearly on par with humans in decision-making but struggles with causal reasoning and information search. The language model's limitations may be due to its passive information-gathering approach, highlighting the need for active interaction with the world to achieve human-like intelligence.
A Rutgers study found no statistically significant improvements in patient or caregiver anxiety, depression, or psychological distress in palliative care interventions. The researchers identified conceptual and methodological problems in the literature, including excluding patients with existing mental health conditions from studies.
Studies reveal that 73% of tickertape synesthetes experienced this ability during childhood reading acquisition. This characteristic can be both an advantage and a nuisance, aiding memorization but disrupting attention in crowded places.
A recent study published in Science Advances found that individuals with similar ideologies have more similar neural fingerprints of political words and process new information in a polarized way. The researchers used a range of methods, including fMRI and representation similarity analysis, to explore how the brains of people who iden...
A study by NYU researchers found that music excerpts can accurately predict listeners' preferences for entire songs, regardless of clip length. The results suggest that the general vibe of a song is more important than its individual notes in evoking emotions in listeners.
A new study found that online forums provide a sense of community and hope for people with dementia, filling an important gap in their support after diagnosis. The forums allow users to share experiences and receive emotional support from others going through similar experiences, helping to alleviate feelings of isolation.
A recent study published in Psychological Science suggests that people use event boundaries as 'stepping stones' to scan their memories when recalling specific facts or information. By analyzing participants' responses to questions about film events, researchers found that individuals can scan an entire event in just 1 second and skip ...
Researchers found abnormal 12-hour gene activity cycles in postmortem brains of patients with schizophrenia. The study identified altered timings of neural connections and mitochondrial function, suggesting potential underlying causes for behavioral abnormalities.
The Cognitive Neuroscience Society Conference in San Francisco will explore the nature of thinking and memory. Highlights include presentations on aging, neurotechnology, and learning.
A study published in Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics found that exercising alone twice or more weekly decreased the risk of developing cognitive impairment by 15.1%, while those who exercised with others showed a 29.2% decrease. Regular social exercise may be beneficial for preventing age-related cognitive disorders.
Researchers found that schizophrenia patients' brains have highly modular semantic networks with distinct categories and disorganized structure, leading to impaired thought processes. This study provides new insights into the 'loosening of associations' in schizophrenia.
A study by the University of Arizona found that when participants were in a negative mood, they were more careful and analytical, scrutinizing what was stated in a text. In contrast, a happy mood led to a less analytical state, with participants relying on default world knowledge.
Researchers found no correlation between daily mood and confidence markers, but mood-related states and confidence level fluctuated at different time scales. Mood changes occurred faster than confidence level changes.
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet found that internet-delivered anonymous cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) significantly reduced the viewing of child sexual abuse material. The study, published in Internet Interventions, shows promise for a feasible and effective treatment approach.
A new Hikikomori Questionnaire has been developed to identify individuals with pathological social withdrawal at an earlier stage. The questionnaire evaluates socialization, isolation, and emotional support on a scale of 0-4, providing a tool for early detection and treatment of hikikomori.
A Japanese research group found that people with psychiatric disorders tend to hold negative self-schemas, which can renew themselves through feedback and cognitive reactivity. This self-perpetuation process can lead to the development of mental illnesses even in good environments.
Researchers discovered that krill oil protects dopaminergic neurons from age-related degeneration through temporal transcriptome rewiring and suppression of several hallmarks of aging. Krill oil increases neuronal resilience, promoting anti-oxidative stress and anti-inflammation, and abrogating multiple aging hallmarks.
Researchers studied the body ownership illusion using integrated information theory, discovering a relationship between local and global brain-body processes. This work may help explain altered states of consciousness, such as the blurring of self and non-self, leading to feelings of uneasiness.
A study by Aarhus University researchers found that expert jazz musicians store linked audio and motor representations in the brain, which are drawn upon to create improvisations. These improvisation vocabularies vary between players and exhibit stylistically appropriate and novel characteristics, hallmarks of creativity.
A new study explores how corporal punishment impacts neural systems, linking it to increased anxiety, depression, and altered brain activity. The research found that adolescents who experienced physical punishments showed a larger neural response to error and a blunted response to reward.
A systematic review found significant effects on anxiety, depression, fatigue, physical activity, quality of life, and social impairment in cancer patients who combined behavioural graded activity with psychological therapies. The effects remained significant after a period of one to three months.
Researchers at Stockholm University developed a fully automatic method to categorize English smell words into offensive, malodorous, fragrant, and edible smells. The study's findings have great potential for standardizing vocabularies in the food and perfume industries.
Researchers found that literacy has no effect on auditory processing of speech, contradicting previous studies. However, literate individuals showed improved functional connectivity between brain areas responsible for handwriting and speech sound processing.
Research suggests widely-used assessment tools measuring executive functions in US students from high-poverty communities are inaccurate. The study highlights the need for culturally representative assessments to provide effective support and understanding of diverse student needs.
Researchers at UC Berkeley Haas School of Business found no evidence to support the theory of depressive realism, which suggests that depressed individuals are more realistic in their judgments. The study replicated a 1979 experiment and found that depressed participants overestimated their control, contradicting the original results.
A study by University of Missouri researchers found that storytelling can help college students make sense of the pandemic and reduce stress. The study involved first-year college students who used stories to express personal growth during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, reporting less stress and more confidence in their schoo...
A new research paper has demonstrated that psychological factors, such as feeling unhappy or being lonely, add up to 1.65 years to one's biological age, significantly impacting overall health and longevity.
A University of Essex study found that over 90% of deaf people struggled to communicate while wearing masks, with 76% missing vital information and 59% feeling disconnected from society. The researchers hope their findings will inform public policy in future health emergencies.
Researchers found that experiencing reward enhances connectivity between the default mode network (DMN) and the ventral striatum. This effect was specific to the DMN and correlated with personality characteristics related to openness. The study used data from the Human Connectome Project, a database of healthy participants.
Researchers found that adults' face processing system remains rigid and unimproved despite prolonged exposure to masked faces during the pandemic. This suggests that the adult brain's ability to process faces does not adapt over time, even in the face of extensive natural exposure.
Despite previous assumptions, researchers found no correlation between highly superior autobiographical memory and enhanced creative thinking. Instead, they suggest that these individuals may be overly focused on consolidating autobiographical events, potentially hindering creative processes.
A meta-analysis of 22 studies found that micro-breaks (10 minutes or less) reduce fatigue and increase vigor in employees. While longer breaks may improve performance on creative tasks, their effects are unclear for cognitively demanding tasks.
Researchers discovered an inhibitory neuronal network in the brainstem that generates a synchronous rhythm, retracting mouse whiskers from their protracted positions. The oscillator consists of parvalbumin-expressing vIRt neurons firing bursts only during whisker retraction.
Research suggests that super recognizers divide new faces into parts, storing them in the brain as composite images. This allows them to recognize faces better than others even when only seeing smaller regions at a time.
Researchers at WVU are using robots to analyze potential hazards and provide walkability maps in retail environments, aiming to reduce occupational injuries. The team plans to test the robots after hours in an actual retail space, combining camera data with wheel speed measurements to estimate slip risks.
A new study found that HIV-1 Tat expression accelerates age-related diseases in male mice by disrupting neuroendocrine function. Researchers discovered that Tat alters steroid hormone levels, leading to anxiety-like behavior, cognitive errors, and reduced grip strength.
A new study found that experiencing the death of a spouse due to COVID-19 may be worse for mental health than deaths from other causes. People who lost a spouse to COVID-19 were more likely to report symptoms of depression and loneliness. The study underscores the ongoing health risks posed by the pandemic, even to those who have not b...
Research finds that pre-teen children in Singapore associate brilliance with men more than women, with the stereotype strengthening as they grow older. This bias can lead girls to doubt their abilities, limiting their interests and career aspirations.
A study by Universitat Oberta de Catalunya links long covid-related fatigue to anxiety, depression, and apathy in patients with post-COVID-19 syndrome. Fatigue is characterized by excessive tiredness and physical/muscular weakness.
A study by UC Davis researchers found that cultural habits around waiting to eat (emphasized in Japan) and waiting to open gifts (emphasized in the US) shape distinct profiles of delaying gratification. Japanese children waited three times longer for food, while U.S. children waited nearly four times longer for gifts.
A new study by the University of Exeter found that people's perceptions of crime prevalence can significantly impact their legal judgments, with women and men holding different views on the frequency of certain crimes. The research emphasizes the importance of addressing these biases to ensure more informed verdicts.
Research by University of Cambridge academics found that children as old as five or six struggle to reconcile inference and perspective, leading to difficulties in conversations. Combining these skills is crucial for understanding 'implicatures' - inferences made in conversation when people mean more than they say.
Researchers found that people with higher grit scores showed different patterns of cognitive performance, characterized as cautious control, but not necessarily enhanced cognitive ability. Grit was linked to low impulsivity and high mindfulness, related to self-regulation.
A joint UC Riverside and UC Irvine study found that people who show near transfer in brain training are more likely to experience far transfer, meaning improved focus and problem-solving skills. The research suggests that working memory training can be effective for certain individuals, but its impact on fluid intelligence remains deba...
A new study suggests that losing a grandmother may have a significant impact on adolescent boys, leading to a 50% increase in depressive symptoms. The researchers also found that the loss of a grandparent can be a risk factor for teen depression and other negative outcomes.
Children who excel at playing well with others in pre-school tend to enjoy better mental health as adults. Research analyzing data from over 1,700 children found a clear link between peer play ability and reduced signs of poor mental health.
A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences offers fresh insights into infant word learning. Researchers found that infants between 7 and 11 months old learn words by building up memory representations over time, rather than through repeated connections between words and objects.
A straightforward questionnaire, called the Attentional Failure during Driving Questionnaire (AFDQ), has been developed to assess older drivers' ability to drive safely. The study found that repeated attentional challenges were a key predictor of crashes among older drivers.
A new study found that children with older siblings are less likely to develop behavioral problems, suggesting a positive impact of sibling relationships on child development. The study also highlights the importance of early intervention policies to reduce maternal stress and promote healthy child development.
A naturalistic study using eye-tracking technology found that intensive care unit nurses experience a higher level of mental workload, especially during the start of shifts, with shorter fixation and more sporadic gaze behavior in stressed nurses.
Researchers found that listening to groove music enhances executive function and activity in the brain's prefrontal cortex in familiarized participants. The study used functional near-infrared spectroscopy to measure changes in cognitive function before and after listening to music.
A UNIGE team found that car owners systematically underestimate electric driving ranges to meet their daily needs. To overcome this, researchers suggest providing personalized information to increase drivers' willingness to adopt electric vehicles.
A research team developed a model that mimics human judgment to distinguish between reflective and transparent materials. The model outperformed humans in accuracy but struggled to identify image clues.
A Swedish study of over 9,000 children found that playing video games increased their intelligence by 2.5 IQ points compared to TV-watching or social media. The study controlled for genetic differences and socioeconomic background, suggesting a positive effect of video games on cognitive abilities.
Researchers at Kessler Foundation found significant improvement in processing speed among individuals with MS after a five-week training intervention. The treatment effect was maintained six months later, with dosage correlating with improved outcomes.
A study by Carnegie Mellon University researchers found that lawyers who view negotiation as a game, with arbitrary rules, are less willing to disclose honest information. Lawyers with higher moral character are more likely to adopt an ethical approach, while those with lower moral character are more prone to game framing.