Psychology news

Exploring the puzzle of consciousness

24-01-2016 09:00

The Wellcome Collection’s new exhibition States of Mind uses science and art to unravel mysteries from memory loss to sleepwalkingOn a crumpled sheet of tin foil in the Wellcome Collection’s conservation studio lies an odd assortment of plasticine forms. One looks suspiciously like the footprint of a chicken, another like a deformed pot, while a large, red lump bears more than a passing resemblance to a gammon joint. But the comparisons are hopelessly wide of the mark. For these are,

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Why do we trust exam results?

24-01-2016 07:00

Poor results can wreck people’s lives, but the thinking behind exams is crude and simply out of dateWhen I was in high school I took the ACT, a college aptitude exam used as an admissions criterion by most American universities. My score was in the lowest third of all students. That was painful enough but, adding insult to injury, the ACT score report informed me that, based on my score, my expected probability of succeeding at my hometown college, the University of Utah, was around 15%. A

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How sensitive are you to unpleasantness?

24-01-2016 07:00

Measure your behavioural inhibition system to find out if you avoid things that are boring, painful, new and scaryWe can measure a key aspect of your personality with just seven questions. Please rate the following on a scale from 1 (very false) to 4 (very true): 1) If something bad is about to happen, I’m usually afraid or nervous.
2) I get quite hurt by criticism or getting told off.
3) I get quite worried or upset when somebody seems to be angry with me.4) I usually get quite worked up

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Wearing a bike helmet might make you more dangerous

24-01-2016 01:05

Wearing safety equipment boosts appetite for danger, even in unrelated activities, a study has foundPerhaps safety helmets should carry a health warning. Wearing them, it appears, encourages dangerous risk-taking. In an extraordinary study, Dr Tim Gamble and Dr Ian Walker, from the University of Bath’s department of psychology, have shown that wearing a helmet is likely to increase sensation-seeking and make people less safe – even in situations where headgear is not required.The aca

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