A new cognitive psychology article nearly every day
Cognitive Daily reports nearly every day on fascinating peer-reviewed developments in cognition from the most respected scientists in the field.
Greta Munger is Professor of Psychology at Davidson College whose works include The History of Psychology: Fundamental Questions. Dave Munger is co-founder and president of ResearchBlogging.org and a writer whose works include Researching Online. And yes, he is married to Greta.
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January 31, 2006
Category: Language • Perception • Research
Clicking on the image below will take you to a short Quicktime movie. Make sure you have your sound turned up, because I've recorded a few sentences that play along with the movie. Your job is to determine, as quickly...
Posted by Dave Munger at 9:48 AM • 9 Comments
January 27, 2006
Category: Casual Fridays
This week's Casual Friday survey was inspired by what I observe as I drive in different parts of the country. It seems that nearly everywhere I go, there's a slightly different expectation for how drivers will respond to others. Given...
Posted by Dave Munger at 5:07 PM • 9 Comments
Category: Casual Fridays
Last Friday, we asked readers to identify changes in a painting by Eugène Delacroix, Christopher Columbus and His Son at La Rábida. For the test, the picture flashed maddeningly between its original state and a doctored version Greta made in...
Posted by Dave Munger at 11:10 AM • 0 Comments
January 26, 2006
Category: Intentionality • Research
Kids in America grow up in a society that overwhelmingly believes in life after death. At the same time, these same kids grow up learning more and more about the nature of living organisms, and what makes something living or...
Posted by Dave Munger at 3:49 PM • 21 Comments
January 25, 2006
Category: Face perception • Perception • Research • Social
Disney's purchase of Pixar makes it clear that computer-generated (CGI) animation appears to be the wave of the future in movies. But one difficulty with CGI animation is conveying realistic emotions. While film animators (whether they use computers or...
Posted by Dave Munger at 3:08 PM • 1 Comments • 1 TrackBacks
January 24, 2006
Category: General / Site news • Music
January 27 is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's 250th birthday. In honor of the event, Greta Munger is giving a talk entitled "In the Mood: The Real Mozart Effect" discussing how scientific research addresses the claim that listening to the music of...
Posted by Dave Munger at 6:36 AM • 7 Comments
January 23, 2006
Category: Development / Aging • Research • Taste
When I was a kid, school lunches didn't offer choice. I paid $1.10, and I was given four plops of foodlike substance. The entrees had names like "salisbury steak," "lasagne," or "beef stroganoff," but they all tasted about the same....
Posted by Dave Munger at 12:59 PM • 7 Comments
January 20, 2006
Category: Casual Fridays
This week's study is a simple test. You'll first be directed to a Quicktime movie of a painting. The painting will flash repeatedly, changing slighly between flashes. You have 9 seconds to identify the change; then your browser will automatically...
Posted by Dave Munger at 3:56 PM • 13 Comments
Category: Casual Fridays
The results of the first Casual Friday survey are in, and I have to say, I'm impressed at the level of response. Greta mentioned to one of her colleagues that we had collected 213 responses in five days, and his...
Posted by Dave Munger at 2:09 PM • 3 Comments
January 19, 2006
To say college students* aren't well-known for their efficient sleep habits might be the most dramatic understatement since Washington observed that Valley Forge winters are "a bit nippy." I can remember dozing off with my head in a pile of...
Posted by Dave Munger at 3:07 PM • 8 Comments • 1 TrackBacks
January 18, 2006
Category: Perception • Research
Chad Orzel has challenged the ScienceBloggers to come up with the greatest experiments in their respective fields. While Greta and I are reluctant to say this is the greatest experiment ever (there are so many great experiments!), we both independently...
Posted by Dave Munger at 2:34 PM • 12 Comments
January 17, 2006
Category: Perception • Research • Social
Point-light displays can tell us an amazing amount about other people. Looking only at a few glowing spots corresponding to joints and set in motion, we can tell what people are doing, whether they are over- or underweight, and even...
Posted by Dave Munger at 12:22 PM • 15 Comments
January 13, 2006
Category: Casual Fridays
Now that we're settling in to our new home, we'd like to introduce a fun new feature to Cognitive Daily: Casual Fridays. Every Friday, we'll post a quick, nonscientific survey or experiment for you to participate in. These "studies" will...
Posted by Dave Munger at 11:16 AM • 9 Comments
January 12, 2006
Category: Movement and exercise • Perception • Research
There was a fascinating article in the Washington Post last May about Dilbert creator Scott Adams' battle with focal dystonia. Though the symptoms of this disorder are involuntary muscle contractions (in Adams' case, his right pinky finger), the root of...
Posted by Dave Munger at 10:15 AM • 5 Comments
January 11, 2006
Category: General / Site news
Welcome to the new Cognitive Daily! If you've been a regular visitor to the old Cognitive Daily, then I don't expect you'll find much has changed. Cognitive Daily, whether in our old digs or with our snazzy new host, is...
Posted by Dave Munger at 7:46 AM • 3 Comments
January 10, 2006
The Flying Spaghetti Monster (source: verganza.org) is a satirical retort to advocates of "intelligent design," created as a joke to mock the belief that some "intelligent designer" created life. While the Flying Spaghetti Monster is funny, no one takes it...
Posted by Dave Munger at 8:59 AM • 4 Comments
