behavioral science

7 Stories

Scientists Freak Out Fish to Find Out How Brave They Are

Guppies apparently have distinct personalities, researchers find

(Newser) - Frightening fish isn't something you'd find on most people's daily to-do lists, but for researcher Tom Houslay, it was all in a day's work. Per the Washington Post , the evolutionary biologist at the University of Exeter gave his team the task of determining if the fish...

Experiment Finds More Data Doesn't Always Help Wage Gap

'Knowing this information doesn’t make it easier to advocate for myself'

(Newser) - For Jessica Kirkpatrick, an astrophysicist-turned-data-scientist, information helps bridge gaps. But when she tried to use it to narrow the gender wage gap in her new role as chief data scientist at Hired, she learned that more data isn't always helpful—and that's at least in part down to...

Tell-Tale Sign of Alzheimer's: Personality Changes

Many patients who go on to develop dementia first exhibit mood problems

(Newser) - Scientists who currently look at mild cognitive impairment as an early indicator of Alzheimer's might have another tell-tale sign: Moodiness or behavioral changes, which they say show up in people who develop full-blown dementia. Researchers at the University of Calgary are proposing that doctors begin to use a 34-question...

Study: Why Kids With ADHD Need to Squirm

New study finds they perform better on cognitive tests when moving around

(Newser) - Parents and teachers who tell kids with ADHD to sit still and focus may have it all wrong. So report University of Central Florida researchers, who conclude in the latest issue of the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology that the kids they tested with ADHD performed better on cognitive tests...

Report Blames Army for Ivins' Anthrax Attacks

They should have realized Bruce Ivins was a time bomb, investigators conclude

(Newser) - The anthrax attacks that so spooked the country in 2001 “could have been anticipated—and prevented” had the Army paid enough attention to alleged perpetrator Bruce Ivins, a panel of behavioral analysts has concluded. In a new report obtained by the LA Times , analysts found that Ivins had an...

4-Second Silences Make Us Feel ... Awkward
4-Second Silences
Make Us Feel ... Awkward
study says
Dec 31, 2010 2:11 PM CST

4-Second Silences Make Us Feel ... Awkward

Researchers cite ancient fears of exclusion

(Newser) - Just four seconds of silence in the middle of a conversation can be excruciating, research finds: That pause can leave us feeling left out and awkward, reports Time . “Conversational flow is associated with positive emotions, and a heightened sense of belonging, self-esteem, social validation and consensus,” researchers report...

Volvo Promises Crash-Proof Car By 2020

Road deaths will be history, Swedes say

(Newser) - Volvo executives have vowed to create an un-crashable, injury-proof car by 2020, Reuters reports. The car manufacturer is adapting technology developed for commercial aviation to create a vehicle that will take over the controls in a dangerous situation and brake or steer out of harm's way. Engineers are hopeful such...

7 Stories