15
POPSTo Trust or Not to Trust? It has been hypothesized that oxytocin, a hormone recognized for its role in social attachment and facilitation of social interactions, is also important in the formation of trust. For instance, application of oxytocin to “investors” in experimental games increases their tendency to engage in social risks and trust someone else with their money (see this and this). The study by Baumgartner and his colleagues highlights the neural mechanisms through which oxytocin acts to facilitate trust behavior by investigating what happens in the brain when trust breaks down.
11
POPSDo We Think That Machines Can Think? This study is the first ever to investigate the neuronal basics of direct human-robot interaction on a higher cognitive level such as mentalizing. Thus, the researchers expect the results of the study to impact long-lasting psychological and philosophical debates regarding human-machine interactions and especially the question of what causes humans to be perceived as human.
22
POPSIntuition can be explained However, these memories are stored only if they affect us. In other words, for experience to be built up, there must be commitment. This means, according to Lars-Erik Björklund, that we can never read or calculate our way to all the knowledge and abilities we need in our professional life. Practical experience is indispensable and needs to be reevaluated.
4
POPSWhen Craving Is Better Than Getting The calming strategy cut the physiological arousal (measured by skin conductance response) nearly in half. Additionally, they found marked reductions in the activity of the left and right striatum—a brain region involved in reward processing.
13
POPSGet Out of Your Own Way In ways we are only beginning to understand, the synapses and neurons in the human nervous system work in concert to perceive the world around them, to learn from their perceptions, to remember important experiences, to plan ahead, and to decide and act on incomplete information. In a rudimentary way, they predetermine our choices.
15
POPSWhat It's Like To Be A Bat Researchers are able to draw correlations between how bats and humans process information to perform functions. Both are mammals having the same basic brain organization, which leads to obvious comparisons.
24
POPSGet Out of Your Own Way Conscious thought may well be largely overrated according to some of these studies. Alternatively, however, perhaps we do not fully understand the function of consciousness. For example, perhaps it is important in reflective thought which is not time bound and goal oriented. Some of our most profound thought processes of self description and self definition, might be of such kind. At any case, in matters of clear cut decision making and choice, consciousness seems to be more of a disturbing factor than anything else.
0
POPSYou Thought Wrong. Here's Why. From The New York Times, by neuroscientist Sam Wang and Sandra Aamodt, a former editor in chief of Nature Neuroscience. A quick explanation of why rumors get remembered as facts.
21
POPSThe Body Thinks One of the dangers of some current excitement about AI etc is that it sees the brain as a supercomputer with a bit of meat hanging from it. The last couple of decades in reality show far more research and philosophy into the body as a major, inseparable aspect of thinking, and more importantly feeling, the latter, it has been cogently argued, itself the foundation of reflective thinking.
16
POPSWant to Enhance Your Brain Power? Give Your Neurons an Electrical Jolt Very little is known about how TDCS works. Scientists theorize that the mild current primes the neurons for action but does not trigger the voltage spikes that neurons use to communicate. "Presumably, it is polarizing neurons and making them more or less likely to respond to inputs," Cognitive enhancement with drugs such as Ritalin, prescribed for attention deficit disorder, is already widespread, of course. A survey published online at Nature in April found that one in five respondents, most of whom were academics and scientists, reported using such drugs for nonmedical use. Electrical stimulation may prove even easier to access. "Half the people in this room could build this type of device with parts from RadioShack," Wassermann told a crowd at a neurotechnology conference in Cleveland last week.
2
POPSMen And Women Respond Differently To Stress The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine is reporting research that shows that different parts of the brain are activated in males and females when confronted with a stressful situation. The researchers examined the activity of participant's brains using fMRI while exposed to stress.
2
Pops
Newest Clips
Latest Comments
Most Pops
Print
Save
Turn on live update