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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 now writes at The Daily Monthly. He is co-founder and editor of ResearchBlogging.org and a columnist on SEEDMAGAZINE.COM. And yes, he is married to Greta.
Category: Research
How does our visual system decide if something is a face? Some automated face-detecting software uses color as one cue that something is a face. For example Apple's iPhoto has no trouble determining that there are two faces in this...
Posted by Dave Munger at 3:43 PM • 6 Comments •
Category: Research
The other day, our car wouldn't start and Jim had to ask a neighbor over to help him jump-start it. There was much rushing in and out of the house looking for flashlights and other tools to help get the...
Posted by Dave Munger at 4:20 PM • 10 Comments •
Category: Research
New parents can come up with a seemingly endless array of vexing questions about their infants, from the best brand of stroller to the ideal song to sing them to sleep. The questions begin well before the child is born:...
Posted by Dave Munger at 4:23 PM • 10 Comments •
Category: Research
What is so mesmerizing about pointillist paintings like Seurat's Sunday Afternoon at La Grande Jatte? At first, we're impressed by the technical virtuosity of the work. It's an immense painting that Greta and I visited many times when we were...
Posted by Dave Munger at 3:28 PM • 12 Comments •
Category: Research
[This entry was originally posted in April 2007] The Beck effect is difficult to replicate online, because it involves testing reaction times. However, I think I've figured out a way to approximate the effect. This movie (Quicktime required) will show...
Posted by Dave Munger at 8:57 AM • 11 Comments •
Category: Research
[Originally posted in May, 2007] "I just didn't see him" is a claim that's repeated over and over in accident reports. Drivers earnestly claim that they simply didn't notice the bicycle/pedestrian/motorcycle they crashed into. The claim is made so frequently...
Posted by Dave Munger at 10:25 AM • 37 Comments •
Category: Research
Take a look at this amazing illusion created by Arthur Shapiro (you'll need the latest version of Flash Player to see it): You're looking at two donut-shaped figures whose "holes" are gradually changing color from black to white and back...
Posted by Dave Munger at 2:22 PM • 48 Comments •
Category: Research
A video demonstration of the effect of metaphors on sight.
Posted by Dave Munger at 2:38 PM • 9 Comments •
Category: Research
A continuation of our "greatest hits" from past Cognitive Daily postings: [originally posted on May 9, 2006] The Stroop Effect is one of the most-studied phenomena in psychology. The test is easy to administer, and works in a variety of...
Posted by Dave Munger at 9:54 AM • 10 Comments •
Category: Research
In synesthesia, the human brain interprets one set of sensory stimuli in terms of another; in other words, two senses cross. It was thought to be extremely rare: previous sampling methods relied on self-referral, placing the percentage of people with synesthesia roughly around 0.05%. But, a recent study led by Julia Simner has shown that the number is actually much higher -- about 88 times higher!
Posted by Aaron Couch at 9:53 AM • 46 Comments •
