Skipping dessert to stay healthy, saving money for a rainy day, not shouting at your boss even when there might be good reason—psychologists group these and other human behaviors under the large umbrella of “self-regulation.” That is, despite the near-term … Continue reading
Journal Club
Highlighting recently published papers selected by Academy members
Category Archives: Psychological and Cognitive Sciences
Journal Club: Psychological tasks in the lab are poor predictors of real-world self-regulation
Categories: Journal Club | Psychological and Cognitive Sciences
Tagged psychological space, self-regulation, surveys, tasks
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Journal Club: Pinpointing theory of mind deficiencies in autism
Around age four, preschoolers learn that other people have unique thoughts and feelings, an inner life. These children start to be able to predict a person’s behavior based on that understanding. They start developing theory of mind (ToM). That developmental … Continue reading
Categories: Journal Club | Neuroscience | Psychological and Cognitive Sciences
Tagged ASD, autism, theory of mind
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Journal Club: Tracing light’s effect on mood and learning in mice from the eye to deep within the brain
To the mammalian eye, light offers more than just sight. “Light is so important for many innate functions,” says neuroscientist Samer Hattar of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). “We really don’t appreciate the importance of light in our … Continue reading
Journal Club: Attention may be at the root of confirmation bias
Confirmation bias is a pervasive phenomenon. Whether it’s a news article or an additional piece of scientific data, people tend to interpret new information as evidence confirming their prior beliefs—even if it actually doesn’t. “People have been aware of this … Continue reading
Categories: Journal Club | Neuroscience | Psychological and Cognitive Sciences
Tagged attention, confirmation bias, social media, visual perception
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Journal Club: Canines remember who cooperates, suggesting principles similar to those seen in human interaction
Human cooperation often comes down to one key understanding: You help me, I’ll help you. Social animals, including dogs, also help others, even nonrelatives. But many scientists assume that animal cooperation is a different breed. They see animals as less … Continue reading
Categories: Animal Behavior | Anthropology | Journal Club | Psychological and Cognitive Sciences
Tagged Belgian shepherd, cooperation, dog, reciprocal cooperation
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Journal Club: Study dissects stereotypes, looking to understand their roots and ways to break them down
A stereotype, put simply, is a belief about a group. But for psychology professor Andrei Cimpian of New York University, that definition doesn’t have sufficient nuance. To understand what a stereotype truly is, he says, we need to understand its … Continue reading
Categories: Journal Club | Psychological and Cognitive Sciences | Social Sciences
Tagged cognitive structure, stereotype
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Journal Club: Tracking memories in fruit fly brains
Memories help animals make predictions. A honeybee may remember that the smell of orange blossoms means nectar is nearby. But sometimes memories require updating. “If you know that your fridge is a good source of food, and you go to … Continue reading
Categories: Animal Behavior | Journal Club | Neuroscience | Psychological and Cognitive Sciences
Tagged drosophila, memory, neurons, PTSD
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Journal Club: Influence of Peers on Gender Identity Development
Middle school or junior high school is an intense time for many kids. There are many social pressures and plenty of confusion about how to navigate them. Friends exert a strong influence on their peers, including in matters of gender … Continue reading
Categories: Journal Club | Psychological and Cognitive Sciences | Social Sciences
Tagged friends, gender identity, gender roles
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Journal Club: How the principles of principals affect student values
Kids go to school to study math, science, literature, and other subjects. But at least since the time of Plato, philosophers and others have highlighted the importance of educational institutions in shaping the values of students, who will be tomorrow’s … Continue reading
Categories: Journal Club | Psychological and Cognitive Sciences
Tagged principals, schools, teaching, values
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Journal Club: How your body feels influences your confidence levels
Despite living in a world filled with uncertainty, people are generally not constantly paralyzed by doubt, but instead feel confident about their choices. Previous research often assumed that this feeling of confidence was based solely on the availability of high-caliber … Continue reading
Categories: Journal Club | Psychological and Cognitive Sciences
Tagged confidence, decision-making
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