Memory:
Category: Research
Product placements in movies and TV shows are becoming so commonplace that my kids now cynically take note of them whenever they appear. It wasn't always that way. In 1982 when I first saw E.T. I had no idea that...
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Posted by Dave Munger at 5:18 PM • 15 Comments •
Category: Research
Imagine a critical witness being grilled in preparation for a high-profile murder case. The prosecuting attorney wants to make sure she has every angle covered, so she questions the witness over and over to double- and triple-check that he has...
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Posted by Dave Munger at 5:49 PM • 3 Comments •
Category: Research
Take a look at this quick movie. What you'll see is two sets of three views of the same scene (our living room). For each group of three views, your job is to decide if the third view is taken...
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Posted by Dave Munger at 3:05 PM • 10 Comments •
Category: Research
[Originally posted in April 2007] Cognitive decline as we age is all over the news lately. "Brain fitness" products are available for cell phones, Game Boys, and Xboxes, all designed to prevent the natural decline in cognitive ability as we...
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Posted by Dave Munger at 11:53 AM • 9 Comments •
Category: Research
[Originally posted in January 2008] When we watch a movie, we're usually not conscious of the cuts made by the editor. The camera angle may change dozens of times during a scene, and we follow along as if the flashing...
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Posted by Dave Munger at 11:30 AM • 12 Comments •
Category: Research
Take a look at the following pictures of U.S. dimes. As you can see, they are slightly different from one another -- the date is in the incorrect spot on one of them. Can you tell which one is "wrong"?...
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Posted by Dave Munger at 3:37 PM • 43 Comments •
Category: Research
A common defense in murder cases is "focal retrograde amnesia": the defendant claims to have simply forgotten what occurred around the time of the crime (perhaps due having consumed too much alcohol or other drugs). In fact, "amnesia" is claimed...
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Posted by Dave Munger at 2:15 PM • 13 Comments •
Category: Research
Last night in the U.S. many televisions were tuned to one of the biggest spectacles of the year: the American Idol finale, where America would learn which singer had been chosen as "America's favorite" (or, more cynically, who inspired the...
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Posted by Dave Munger at 4:50 PM • 21 Comments •
Category: Research
If, like me, you grew up in the U.S. in the 1970s and 80s, you probably remember the game show Name That Tune, where contestants heard brief snippets from popular songs and had to name them as quickly as possible....
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Posted by Dave Munger at 4:25 PM • 15 Comments •
Category: Research
I'll never forget the one and only time my mom made quiche for dinner. I was in fourth grade, and she had proudly followed the recipe in "Joy of Cooking" to create an exciting gourmet treat. Naturally, my sister and...
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Posted by Dave Munger at 3:32 PM • 22 Comments •