Articles tagged with Psychological Experiments
A study by the University of Oxford has identified the brain mechanisms that help us work out whether the consequences we experience are caused by our own actions or by circumstances beyond our control. The study found that confidence in our own decisions and estimates of external circumstances provide important clues.
A pilot study by Bayes Business School found that shoppers using digital screens on their supermarket trolleys spent up to 32% more than those without. The study recorded significant spikes in spending and consumption among 'superusers' who engaged with the technology most.
A Dartmouth study reveals that people's gaze patterns in new environments contain unique personality preferences. The researchers used eye-tracking data to model individual gaze patterns and create machine-learning models that could distinguish between participants based on their conceptual themes.
A study published in Frontiers in Psychology found that the time it takes for a therapist and patient to reach peak heart-rate synchrony during a music therapy session is around 25 minutes. This suggests that therapy sessions may need to allow sufficient time for this synchronization to develop.
Researchers analyzed 11.6 million marketplace interactions and experiments involving job candidates and service providers to find that faster responders were viewed more positively than delayed responders. Employers preferred speed as a signal of future responsiveness, but authenticity also mattered.
A study by University of Innsbruck researchers found that removing secondary product displays in crowded supermarket aisles increases sales by 11.5% due to increased browsing and interactions. Shopping carts amplify the negative effects, making narrow aisles feel tighter and reducing perceived control.
Research found that exposure to the Swedish flag reduces aversion towards political opponents, indicating it can be a force for unity. The study, involving 1,200 participants in Sweden and 1,200 in Denmark, suggests that the flag reminds people of shared Swedish identity, leading to increased tolerance.
A study by Anglia Ruskin University found that feeling fearful is associated with greater support for climate policies, while feelings of dread lead to lower support. The researchers suggest that evoking manageable levels of fear can motivate people to engage and support solutions.
Children across the globe exhibit similar cooperative behaviors, such as fairness and trustworthiness, that align with adult norms over age. As children get older, their behavior reflects local norms, but younger children tend to be self-interested.
Researchers developed a new approach to treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) using noninvasive brain stimulation, which significantly reduced intrusive memories in individuals with the condition. The treatment targeted the hippocampus and surrounding regions, showing promising results in alleviating PTSD symptoms.
A study found that ordering takeaway meals is a popular self-gifting option for both rewarding good days and consoling bad days. The research suggests that this may be due to the convenience of taking away daily cooking duties, while also providing a indulgent treat.
Researchers at Columbia University found that people form stronger memories when in familiar locations, as the brain creates a deeper and richer memory for events. The study also suggests that prior knowledge is crucial in learning and that neuro-imaging can identify gaps in knowledge that need to be repaired.
A new international study found that people with central vision loss can judge the motion of vehicles almost as accurately as those with normal vision. When both visual and auditory information were available, the two groups showed comparable accuracy in estimating the arrival time of approaching vehicles. The research, published in PL...
Researchers found that people perceive dogs as happier when they are in a sad mood and vice versa. The study suggests that there is a significant gap in understanding canine emotions, which can impact human-animal interaction and animal care.
A new study found that when people can tailor their actions to different individuals in their networks, they become significantly more cooperative, trusting, and fair. This contradicts standard experimental setups of cooperation, which underestimate people's prosocial potential.
A new study from Columbia University found that racial stereotypes can temporarily distort the brain's visual system, prompting people to see harmless objects as weapons. The study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and neural decoding techniques to investigate this phenomenon.
A new study reveals three distinct behavioral types: Sensitives who avoid bad choices, Unawares who don't, and Compulsives who continue making wrong choices despite awareness. Researcher Dr. Philip Jean-Richard-dit-Bressel found that these traits are stable and require intervention to break.
A study by Kobe University found that optimists' brains work similarly when imagining future events, while pessimists' brains show more individuality. This commonality may explain why optimists are seen as more sociable and satisfied with their social relationships.
A study from UAB suggests that infants' optimal attention strategy for acquiring new vocabulary involves following the speaker's gaze and focusing on the object, but not mouth or eye movements. This finding offers reassurance about facemasks' impact on language development.
Research found that video summaries in simpler language and presentation improve comprehension, but the 'easiness effect' increases perceived credibility and confidence in evaluation. The study suggests responsible strategies for science communication and optimizing video-based information transfer.
A recent study by University of Arkansas researchers found that stress makes people more prone to riskier decisions due to decreased loss aversion. In contrast, under stress, women are better at predicting outcomes and men have a stronger grasp of consequences.
A study by Technical University of Munich and University of Vienna found that resistance to restrictive measures is often less robust than feared by policymakers. Once the new rules come into force, people's attitudes towards them decline significantly, revealing a psychological mechanism behind this phenomenon.
Engaging with art is shown to enhance abstract thinking and promote a broader mindset. Participants who focused on the beauty of ceramics scored higher in abstract thinking than those who simply matched line drawings. This effect was greater among those with an artistic hobby.
A new study by Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg found that brain stimulation can influence decisions, making choices faster with anodal stimulation and slower with cathodal stimulation. The research used transcranial direct current stimulation to activate or inhibit specific brain regions.
Researchers found that men prefer female faces with natural lip sizes, while women prefer plumper lips. The study highlights the subjective nature of beauty and the impact of social and cultural factors on our perceptions.
Researchers found that people demonstrate a significant level of obedience towards humanoid robots, but it is slightly lower than towards humans. The study also showed that work efficiency under robot supervision is lower, with participants completing tasks more slowly and less effectively.
A new study found that psychological booster shots, such as memory-enhancing exercises and follow-up reminders, can significantly enhance long-term resistance to misinformation. The interventions were effective in improving memory retention and helping individuals recognize and resist misleading information more effectively over time.
A Cornell University study found that people who go against their better judgment feel greater feelings of control and culpalibility, even if they received input from an adviser. This effect may extend beyond small decisions to major life choices.
Research by UC Santa Cruz psychologist Barbara Rogoff finds that globalization has reduced collaborative interactions among Mayan families, but they still prioritize harmonious relations and community involvement. The traditional practice of Learning by Observing and Pitching In remains a key strength for Indigenous communities.
A study by Dr. Shunichi Kasahara found that levels of identification with one's face remain consistent regardless of agency or control over facial movements. The results suggest that a sense of agency does not significantly impact our ability to judge our facial identity, even in scenarios like deepfakes.
Researchers from SWPS University have re-examined the causes of obedience in the iconic Milgram experiment. The team found that physical proximity to the experimenter enhances subjects' willingness to obey, while proximity to the learner reduces it. This new understanding sheds light on the complex dynamics underlying human behavior.
A field experiment found that exercising with a friend increases visits by 35% and boosts overall gym attendance. Social incentives also foster stronger social bonds and create greater accountability, making goals more attainable. This study suggests using joint-incentive programs can boost employee engagement and motivation.
A recent study published in Journal of Neuroscience found that the sense of smell is highly influenced by cues from other senses, such as sight and hearing. The researchers used behavioral experiments and brain imaging methods to show how the olfactory brain processes smells, highlighting its unique ability to detect unexpected odors.
Research at Kobe University and University of Sussex reveals that self-presentation evaluation shifts from positive for usually poorly performing individuals to less positive around age 10. Younger children tend to view self-presenters as more competent and nice, while adults evaluate false statements more negatively.
A recent study found that individual-level mental health interventions such as mindfulness and relaxation classes have no impact on employee wellbeing. In contrast, organizational changes like scheduling and management practices may be more effective in improving worker wellbeing.
A study in Frontiers in Psychology found that unconscious 'crossmodal' associations with our sense of smell can distort perception of colors. Participants adjusted sliders to change the color of a square, but their choices were influenced by the odor they smelled, such as perceiving coffee as a reddish-brown color instead of neutral grey.
Daily evening recovery may improve employees' wakefulness and calmness at work, but these benefits subside during the workday. Higher quality recovery on evenings has been linked to better sleep quality, which in turn contributes to improved mood.
Researchers found that individuals with high expectations of AI and brain-computer interfaces take greater risks despite no actual improvement. Expectations-based decision-making can lead to negative consequences, emphasizing the need for accurate evaluation and validation of new technologies.
A recent study from Oregon State University found that refocusing on mental imagery is a more effective distraction than verbal thoughts for adolescents stuck in negative thought spirals. The study, led by Hannah Lawrence, suggests that mental imagery can help break up the thought spiral and seek help from a therapist or support system.
A new study found that managers target loyal workers for exploitative practices, such as unpaid work and extra job tasks. The study suggests that loyalty can lead to a vicious cycle where loyal workers are more likely to be exploited and then become even more loyal, making them more susceptible to exploitation in the future.
Researchers found that calibrating rates of information delivery to match individual brainwave cycles speeds up cognitive skill improvement. This technique, called entrainment, increases capacity to absorb and adapt new information.
Researchers found that men in a state of sexual arousal prefer casual, non-committed sex over long-term committed relationships, regardless of relationship status. Personality type and pornography consumption did not influence the results.
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.
An experimental study found that U.S. political partisanship strongly influences first impressions of strangers' faces, affecting their perceived likability and competence. Disclosure of partisan affiliation had a greater impact on impressions than non-disclosure.
Researchers found that the brain's defense system is activated during selfless helping behavior, contrary to the long-held idea that empathy drives such actions. The study used fMRI scans to measure brain activity in 49 healthy volunteers who were asked to decide whether to help another person avoid discomfort.
Researchers at Rice University have developed a new motorcycle lighting design that could help prevent accidents by improving visibility for other drivers. The six-light configuration, which illuminates the full height and width of the bike, was found to reduce response times by up to 0.8 seconds.
A new VR gaming technology has been developed that enables players to smell in virtual environments, using an olfactometer that can be printed on 3D printers. This allows for the creation of scent-based game mechanics based on player movements and judgments.
Research finds that people enjoy thinking more than expected, with benefits including problem-solving and creativity. Underestimating the enjoyment of solo thinking may lead to missed opportunities for personal growth.
A new study found that children from Kyoto, Japan, waited three times longer for food than for gifts, while those from Boulder, Colorado, waited nearly four times longer for gifts. The study suggests that cultural upbringing plays a significant role in shaping children's self-control and habits.
Researchers found that top performers do not necessarily give better advice, but rather provide more of it, leading people to overvalue quantity over quality. This phenomenon is observed in various domains, including word puzzles and darts.
Researchers found that humans can better locate targets when moving sideways than straight ahead, challenging previous understanding of human spatial hearing. This discovery has implications for echolocation instructors and users, who can now turn their head away to improve accuracy.
A recent study by Durham University and Illinois Institute of Technology found that controlling message approaches can have negative effects on attitudes towards social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. In contrast, an autonomy-supportive approach was shown to lower feelings of defiance and increase positive motivation.
Researchers have developed CAS(ME)3, a large-scale micro-expression database with depth information and high ecological validity. The database contains 1,109 manually labeled micro-expressions and 3,490 macro-expressions, allowing for more accurate emotional analysis and recognition.
Research finds that people from different countries and backgrounds prefer original color compositions in paintings, even those they've never seen before. The study suggests a common biological basis for beauty perception, contradicting cultural background and education.
A genetic study published at Queen Mary University of London found that individuals with higher genetic sensitivity benefit more from couple's therapy, particularly in the long-term. The researchers used genome-wide data to assess genetic sensitivity and found that it had a significant impact on marital satisfaction over time.
A new study published in Frontiers in Psychology has identified specific facial features that can be used to distinguish children's faces from adult faces. These features include the shape of the nose and eyebrows for adult faces and the eye, jawline, and nasal bone for child faces.
A new study suggests that the brain uses a mechanism called 'repulsion' to differentiate between similar environments. Researchers found that when participants were asked about stores shared between two cities, their brains showed surprisingly different patterns of activity, indicating that they were treating these familiar locations a...
A study from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business found that conservatives with low conscientiousness are more likely to share misleading information. Conscientiousness plays a significant role in determining whether people share misinformation, regardless of political beliefs or social media usage.
Researchers analyzed idle thoughts for 10 minutes to capture patterns of thinking, revealing a link between ruminative thinking and depression. Participants who scored high on a rumination questionnaire experienced negative thoughts that lasted longer than positive thoughts.
Researchers at University of Toronto found that the brain's prefrontal cortex generalizes perceptual experiences from different senses, producing sensations even without direct experience. The study used functional magnetic resonance imaging and massage stones to capture neural activity patterns in the brain.