Psychology
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HumansVisual illusion stumps adults but not kids
Finding suggests that sensitivity to visual context develops slowly.
By Bruce Bower -
AnthropologyFor Hadza, build and brawn don’t matter for choosing mates
Study of hunter-gatherer community in Tanzania shows that, across human groups, mating criteria vary.
By Bruce Bower -
HumansNewborn babies may cry in their mother tongues
Days after birth, French and German infants wail to the melodic structure of their languages.
By Bruce Bower -
PsychologyMental disorders don’t hinder headache treatment
Headache patients may benefit from drug treatment even if they also suffer from depression or anxiety.
By Bruce Bower -
PsychologyJoint attention provides clues to autism and cooperation
Psychologists and philosophers convene to discuss the roots of shared knowledge at a meeting in Waltham, Mass.
By Bruce Bower -
Health & MedicineThe Mesmerized Mind
Scientists are unveiling how the brain works when hypnotized
By Susan Gaidos -
HumansAutism may include aptitude for analogy
Contrary to what had been thought, some kids with this disorder recognize and compare relationships among objects in visual scenes
By Bruce Bower -
PsychologyRates of common mental disorders double up
New, higher prevalence rates for certain mental disorders fuel a debate over how to revise psychiatric diagnoses.
By Bruce Bower -
Health & MedicineJournal bias: Novelty preferred (which can be bad)
Negative findings in a drug trial may seem ho hum, but they're too important to ignore or leave unpublished.
By Janet Raloff -
AnimalsPlay that monkey music
Man-made music inspired by tamarin calls seems to alter the primates’ emotions, a new study suggests.
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PsychologyMorality Play
Universal concerns, not cultural values, may shape kids’ developing notions of right and wrong.
By Bruce Bower -
HumansGirls have head start on snake and spider fears
At 11 months of age, girls quickly learn to associate fearful faces with images of snakes and spiders, a new study suggests.
By Bruce Bower