Human Behavior, features and articles | Educational Science

Nov 30, 2009

Conquering the Digital Data Overload

If you're feeling a little overwhelmed by all the information you have to keep track of, you're not alone. Between the proliferation of 'smart' devices — ranging from phones to power grids — and the ever-growing Internet, the world is drowning in data. But not to despair, computer scientists like...

Nov 30, 2009

Survey: The Worst Decade in 50 Years

When asked what they thought about the past decade, Americans by a 2-1 margin rated it negatively. In contrast, they rated every other decade since the 1960s positively. The results could be at least in part due to rose-colored glasses. The passage of time may affect the way people view...

Oct 31, 2009

For Football Fans, Almost Losing Is Ideal

The most exciting football games are those your team almost loses. No big news there. But a new study looked into the complex emotions of being a fan and reached some interesting conclusions. Researchers studied fans of two college football teams as they watched the teams' annual rivalry game on...

Sep 30, 2009

Balloon Boy Saga Offers Lesson in Eyewitness Testimony

A six-year-old boy named Falcon Heene was thought by many to have been floating alone through Colorado skies on Thursday in a silvery weather balloon created by his inventor father. It turned out that he was safe at home hiding from his parents (so goes one story), but the news...

Sep 30, 2009

Why Extremist Views Dominate

For many people — more than you might think — public and political dialogue seems dominated by extreme views that don't resonate. A new study suggests a possible reason: People with extreme views seem more willing to share their opinions than others, but only if they believe, even falsely, that...

Aug 31, 2009

Do Scientists and Journalists Get Along?

Do they even talk? I just ran across new study that suggests they do. First, my own observations, which as any scientist will tell you are very unscientific by virtue of being anecdotal: Scientists are, in general, interested in discussing their work and patient with our questions, which can range...

Aug 31, 2009

The Science in ‘Fringe’ 2nd Season

WASHINGTON -- Injecting the same dye used to make M&Ms and Gatorade blue into injured people to repair spinal injuries sounds more like something from a tale of science fiction than an idea coming straight out of a scientific journal. Yet this and other seemingly unlikely ideas from scientific journals...

Aug 31, 2009

Children Who Get Spanked Have Lower IQs

Spanking can get kids to behave in a hurry, but new research suggests it can do more harm than good to their noggins. The study, involving hundreds of U.S. children, showed the more a child was spanked the lower his or her IQ compared with others. All parents want smart...

Aug 31, 2009

Study Questions Whether Women Are More Selective at Dating

We’ve long been told that women are more selective when it comes to the men they choose to date. But what if at least a part of that selectivity is due simply to environmental factors and social norms — factors that could be easily manipulated? For instance, might approaching —...

Jul 31, 2009

Humans 2.0: Replacing the Mind and Body

When President Barack Obama said in his weekly radio address Saturday that innovation would be a key to the future of the nation, he probably was not thinking specifically of artificial brains or replacement eyeballs. But other researchers already have such goals in mind and are well on their way...

Jul 31, 2009

Temptation Harder to Resist Than You Think, Study Suggests

If you think you're generally good at resisting temptation, you're probably wrong, scientists now say. People are not good at anticipating the power of their urges, and those who are the most confident about their self-control are the most likely to give into temptation, said Loran Nordgren, senior lecturer of...

Jul 31, 2009

Jaycee Dugard Abduction Case Highlights Failure of Psychics

Jaycee Dugard, the woman who was abducted at the age of 11 in 1991, was recently discovered living in a virtual prison in the back yard of a couple's come in Antioch, Calif., as has been widely reported. She had been there for 18 years, confined and horrifically abused, even...

Jun 30, 2009

Could Michael Jackson Have Been Cloned?

Michael Jackson reportedly was very interested in being cloned. I really want to do it Uri, and I don’t care how much it costs, he is said to have told Uri Geller, a self-proclaimed psychic who claims to bend spoons with his mind (boy, if I had that power I'd...

Jun 30, 2009

Fiber Fabric Could Create Whole-Body Cameras

Flexible translucent fibers woven into a fabric can capture light and turn it into images without a camera lens, researchers announced this week. Scientists say the optoelectronic fiber could lead to bizarre new imaging products like a wall-sized, all-seeing camera or a soldier's uniform that captures 360-degree views. Fabric composed...

May 31, 2009

Conservatives Are More Easily Disgusted

People who squirm at the sight of bugs or are grossed out by blood and guts are more likely to be politically conservative, new studies find. In particular, the squeamish are more apt to have conservative attitudes about gays and lesbians. Lots of other research has tied politics to biology...