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Neuroscience
10 Myths About Psychology, Debunked
March 22, 2015
How much of what you think about your brain is actually wrong? In this whistlestop tour of dis-proved science, Ben Ambridge walks through 10 popular ideas about psychology that have been proven wrong — and uncovers a few surprising truths about how our brains really work.
March 22, 2015
How much of what you think about your brain is actually wrong? In this whistlestop tour of dis-proved science, Ben Ambridge walks through 10 popular ideas about psychology that have been proven wrong — and uncovers a few surprising truths about how our brains really work.
People Quicker to Dismiss Evidence From Psychology Than Neuroscience
March 13, 2015
Imagine a politician from your party is in trouble for alleged misdemeanours. He's been assessed by an expert who says he likely has early-stage Alzheimer's. If this diagnosis is correct, your politician will have to resign, and he'll be replaced by a candidate from an opposing party. This was the scenario presented to participants in a new study by Geoffrey Munro and Cynthia Munro. A vital twist was that half of the 106 student participants read a version of the story in which the dementia expert...
March 13, 2015
Imagine a politician from your party is in trouble for alleged misdemeanours. He's been assessed by an expert who says he likely has early-stage Alzheimer's. If this diagnosis is correct, your politician will have to resign, and he'll be replaced by a candidate from an opposing party. This was the scenario presented to participants in a new study by Geoffrey Munro and Cynthia Munro. A vital twist was that half of the 106 student participants read a version of the story in which the dementia expert...
Did Hunger Sabotage A Mediation?
February 23, 2015
The other day, I conducted two mediations between the same plaintiff’s counsel, the same defendants and their counsel. The only different party in the two mediations was the plaintiff. One mediation was to start in the morning and the next in early afternoon, figuring each would take about 3 hours. Unfortunately, the first mediation lasted much longer than expected; about 5 ½ hours. Although it settled, it was a difficult settlement, and one that took a lot out of everyone to reach. I noticed...
February 23, 2015
The other day, I conducted two mediations between the same plaintiff’s counsel, the same defendants and their counsel. The only different party in the two mediations was the plaintiff. One mediation was to start in the morning and the next in early afternoon, figuring each would take about 3 hours. Unfortunately, the first mediation lasted much longer than expected; about 5 ½ hours. Although it settled, it was a difficult settlement, and one that took a lot out of everyone to reach. I noticed...
Keep Calm and Carry On May Not Always Be the Best Strategy
February 18, 2015
Negotiators are told to keep an even keel when in negotiations, don’t get too excited, down or angry. It should inspire confidence in your client and show the other party you’re in control. But burying that anger may not always help, according to a study discussed in Science Daily. Suppressing anger about important points can cause negotiators to lose focus on important issues, according to Bo Shao of the University of New South Wales in Australia. Though there is much information available...
February 18, 2015
Negotiators are told to keep an even keel when in negotiations, don’t get too excited, down or angry. It should inspire confidence in your client and show the other party you’re in control. But burying that anger may not always help, according to a study discussed in Science Daily. Suppressing anger about important points can cause negotiators to lose focus on important issues, according to Bo Shao of the University of New South Wales in Australia. Though there is much information available...
Time is “Like-the-Present”
February 17, 2015
There is an old adage, “Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow?” And indeed, many of us do just that because time is a precious commodity of which there is never enough. As a result, we address the issues or tasks that are the most pressing, figuring that we will get to the less pressing ones later when “there is more time.” (We have yet to accept the notion that there will never be enough time!) We are not alone in our thinking. A recent study discussed in the October 3, 2014...
February 17, 2015
There is an old adage, “Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow?” And indeed, many of us do just that because time is a precious commodity of which there is never enough. As a result, we address the issues or tasks that are the most pressing, figuring that we will get to the less pressing ones later when “there is more time.” (We have yet to accept the notion that there will never be enough time!) We are not alone in our thinking. A recent study discussed in the October 3, 2014...
TEDx Talk on “The Dark Side of Free Will”
January 24, 2015
Gregg Caruso on "The Dark Side of Free Will"
January 24, 2015
Gregg Caruso on "The Dark Side of Free Will"
The Teen Brain “Shuts Down” When It Hears Mom’s Criticism
November 30, 2014
We all know that teen-parent relations can be a tricky business. Now neuroscientists from several leading US universities think they’ve found some new brain evidence that helps explain why. * * * Here’s the main take-away: when listening to Moms’ criticism, and for a period afterwards, the teens’ brains showed more activity in areas involved in negative emotions (no surprise there), but they actually showed reduced activity in regions involved in emotional control and in taking other...
November 30, 2014
We all know that teen-parent relations can be a tricky business. Now neuroscientists from several leading US universities think they’ve found some new brain evidence that helps explain why. * * * Here’s the main take-away: when listening to Moms’ criticism, and for a period afterwards, the teens’ brains showed more activity in areas involved in negative emotions (no surprise there), but they actually showed reduced activity in regions involved in emotional control and in taking other...
Can Neuroscience Debunk Free Will?
November 9, 2014
Some research shows that brain activity behind a decision occurs before a person consciously apprehends the decision One of the lively debates spawned from the neuroscience revolution has to do with whether humans possess free will, or merely feel as if we do. If we truly possess free will, then we each consciously control our decisions and actions. If we feel as if we possess free will, then our sense of control is a useful illusion—one that neuroscience will increasingly dispel as it gets...
November 9, 2014
Some research shows that brain activity behind a decision occurs before a person consciously apprehends the decision One of the lively debates spawned from the neuroscience revolution has to do with whether humans possess free will, or merely feel as if we do. If we truly possess free will, then we each consciously control our decisions and actions. If we feel as if we possess free will, then our sense of control is a useful illusion—one that neuroscience will increasingly dispel as it gets...
Can You Actually Erase Bad Memories?
November 8, 2014
What if you could delete specific memories? ASAPScience shows you how it may already be possible in their new video!
November 8, 2014
What if you could delete specific memories? ASAPScience shows you how it may already be possible in their new video!
Why Your Brain Loves Good Storytelling
November 8, 2014
It is quiet and dark. The theater is hushed. James Bond skirts along the edge of a building as his enemy takes aim. Here in the audience, heart rates increase and palms sweat. I know this to be true because instead of enjoying the movie myself, I am measuring the brain activity of a dozen viewers. For me, excitement has a different source: I am watching an amazing neural ballet in which a story line changes the activity of people’s brains. Many business people have already discovered the power...
November 8, 2014
It is quiet and dark. The theater is hushed. James Bond skirts along the edge of a building as his enemy takes aim. Here in the audience, heart rates increase and palms sweat. I know this to be true because instead of enjoying the movie myself, I am measuring the brain activity of a dozen viewers. For me, excitement has a different source: I am watching an amazing neural ballet in which a story line changes the activity of people’s brains. Many business people have already discovered the power...
