MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'casual'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:22:30 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4445804&cid=t_323710_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-problem-with-casual-medical-advice%2F2011.02.07 It’s happening more frequently: Requests for medical advice by email. The more I do, the more people I meet. The network grows and friends of friends learn about what I do. So junior has a little pain and shows at the local ER where the requisite CT shows a little thickening of the ileum. Someone suggests that the family drop me a line. Here’s the problem: There’s more to this than digital correspondence will allow. While the statistical reality of this child’s situation is that this finding represents a little edema from a virus, the differential is precarious: Crohn’s disease, lymphoma, tuberculous ileitis, eosinophilic enteropathy. A case of this type requires the thorough exploration of a child’s story and a compulsive exam that takes into consideration the problems in the... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4445804 Mon, 07 Feb 2011 14:00:30 +0100 4445804 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4285227&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F12%2F23%2Fmeeting-again-for-the-first-time%2F It’s Friday afternoon, and that means clinic. It’s 1 p.m., and that means I’m walking to get Samantha from the waiting room for our therapy session. I take a deep breath before I open the door, and find myself looking forward to our session. “Hello, Samantha,” I say, “I’m Dr. Hufford. Come on back.” I always reserve the same room for our work, hoping that it will help her to remember that we’ve met before. Samantha and I have met many times before, but for her, every session is like meeting again for the first time. She is stuck in an unrelenting present, experiencing life about an hour at a time, before her anterograde amnesia — an inability to remember new events — sweeps the memories away, floating just out of her reach. “Cognitive difficulties”... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4285227 Thu, 23 Dec 2010 11:44:29 +0100 4285227 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3592309&cid=t_323710_122_f&fid=38275&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drjonathanreed.co.uk%2Fwordpress%2F2010%2F05%2Fcasual-games-that-are-educational%2F I recently wrote that too many educational computer games look too educational and are not fun to play.  I have recently, however, come across a couple of causal games that although they don’t set out to be educational actually are, but are also addictive and fun.   Casual games are simple, cheap games that are easy, yet compelling to play.   The first game Drop 7  by area/code is a game involving numbers but also works a bit like Tetris.  To play you have to drop different balls with numerals inside into rows or columns and try and ensure that the numerals and the number of balls match i.e. every time you line five balls up the ones with the numeral 5 in them disappears.  I think that this game, without intending to, actually reinforces numerosities,  which is the ability to ... Child Neuropsychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3592309 Sun, 23 May 2010 18:23:06 +0100 3592309 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3180409&cid=t_323710_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2F6-types-of-gamblers%2F Gambling can become compulsive People in recovery may recognise one or more of these types of gambler. 1 – Professional gamblers make their living by gambling and thus consider it a profession. They are skilled in the games they choose to play and are able to control both the amount of money and time spent gambling. Thus, professional gamblers are not addicted to gambling. They patiently wait for the best bet and then try to win as much as they can. 2 – In contrast to professional gamblers, antisocial or personality gamblers use gambling as a way to get money by illegal means. They are likely to be involved in fixing horse or dog races, or playing with loaded dice or marked cards. They may attempt to use a compulsive gambling diagnosis as a legal defence. 3 – Casual socia... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3180409 Sat, 16 Jan 2010 23:27:59 +0100 3180409 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3248578&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34761&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedblitz.com%2F%7E%2F4725198%2F12fm1y%2Fneuromarketing%7ENeuroMenus-and-Restaurant-Psychology.htm Restaurants are great test labs for testing neuromarketing techniques. It's easy to change offerings, menus, and pricing, and one gets immediate feedback on what's working and what's not. Today, many eateries are employing sophisticated menu psychology to maximize sales and profits. CommentsA great piece, Roger. Thanks. Twittered to the rest of our ... by Harold (SMM)Don't know how I missed this when you first wrote it. Good ... by Matches MalonePlus 8 more... (Source: Neuromarketing) Neuromarketing blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3248578 Mon, 04 Jan 2010 13:12:18 +0100 3248578 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3082433&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2Fa1os7i6Y5nA%2Fcasual_fridays_inside_everyone_1.php For last week's Casual Fridays study we asked respondents to answer James Lipton's famous ten questions from Inside the Actor's Studio. In case you've never seen the show, here are the questions: What is your favorite word? What is your least favorite word? What turns you on? What turns you off? What sound or noise do you love? What sound or noise do you hate? What is your favorite curse word? What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? What profession would you not like to do? If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? What we wanted to know is if we could identify any recognizable patterns in the answers. Are responses completely random, or do characteristics like age, gender, occupation, and so on, have an effect? The... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3082433 Fri, 11 Dec 2009 22:04:16 +0100 3082433 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3059744&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2FTnwnjfbNScM%2Fcasual_fridays_inside_everyone.php At the end of every episode of Inside the Actor's Studio, interviewer James Lipton asks his celebrity guests the exact same 10 questions, most notably, "What's your favorite curse word?" But why should celebrities have all the fun? We thought it would be neat to ask the same set of questions to our readers -- and then see if we can find interesting, statistically significant patterns. Does age affect the responses? Gender? Your chosen profession? Also, we're going to try something a little different this week. After you respond, you'll be able to check out the responses of others. While we aren't collecting any identifying information with this survey, just be aware that others will be able to view your responses. Click here to participate As usual, the study is brief, with about 15 qu... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3059744 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 16:52:17 +0100 3059744 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3015314&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2FaqLYEk9saCE%2Fcasual_fridays_what_makes_a_go_1.php We received an astonishing number of responses to last week's Casual Fridays study, which claimed to be able to identify what makes a good writer in just a few minutes. Of course, I wasn't actually very confident that a brief survey could actually identify the factors that make a good writer. But I did have a hunch that there were certain traits that were more likely to be associated with good writing. Was there a trick to the study? Some respondents had a hunch that writing wasn't the only thing we were interested in. You were right -- we were also studying a completely unrelated phenomenon -- more on that later. But we did want to know about your writing as well, so let's start with that. The study asked a few questions about writing ability: how much writing you do for work/study, ... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3015314 Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:38:14 +0100 3015314 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2992698&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2FqV7Nu17tf4M%2Fcasual_fridays_what_makes_a_go.php Some people just seem to be natural writers -- they can write perfect, elegant sentences with a minimum of effort. Some popular fiction novelists crank out 6 or more novels per year. Some bloggers write 10 or more posts per day. Others labor over every word, or simply choose careers that don't require a lot of writing. But are there universal characteristics that separate good writers from bad writers, and quick writers from slow writers? I think I may have come up with a quick study that can answer those questions -- and like all Casual Fridays studies, it can be completed in just a few minutes. With any luck, we may have some (non-scientific) insight into what makes a good writer -- or at least a quick one. Click here to participate As usual, the study is brief, with about 15 question... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2992698 Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:51:24 +0100 2992698 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2946952&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2Fqi35JlYXT0A%2Fcasual_fridays_is_political_wi.php Political opinion polls are very tricky. Answers to questions depend on the order they're asked in, and on precisely how they are phrased. If you ask people whether they're in favor of killing unborn children, you'll get a much different response than if you ask if there's any situation where women should be allowed to terminate a pregnancy. What's even more difficult is to assess public opinion on complex pending legislation. Most polls find that most Americans like the idea of requiring everyone to buy health insurance. But it's only a slim margin -- 56 to 41 percent. Kevin Drum cited a recent study that asked a follow up: would you change your mind if low-income families got government assistance to pay for insurance? Now 34 percent of naysayers changed their mind to support the requir... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2946952 Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:05:37 +0100 2946952 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2923305&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F-k6_cg8R5ig%2Fcasual_fridays_do_your_opinion.php Political opinion polls are funny things. A recent poll suggests that Americans are much less concerned about global warming than they were a couple years ago. What happened? The science hasn't changed, and the world isn't putting out any fewer greenhouse gases. It seems that respondents must simply be distracted by other things -- the economic crisis, perhaps, seems more important now. But when a pollster calls a survey respondent, other distractions are at play as well. There might be a screaming baby in the house. Or perhaps the respondent is missing his favorite TV show and isn't really thinking about his answers. We wondered if we could affect poll responses just by modifying the setting in which the poll is taken. We've created a couple different versions of the same poll. Some all... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2923305 Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:55:46 +0100 2923305 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2901670&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F91J7stkZEJQ%2Fcasual_fridays_who_says_hi_to.php Almost three years ago, we conducted our first-ever Casual Fridays study, where we asked who says "hi" to you while you're outside exercising. The results confirmed my suspicions: Runners report that they say "hi" to walkers 57.1 percent of the time. But looking back at the other graph, walkers claim runners only say "hi" only 31 percent of the time. That's a massive difference -- a statistically significant one. A similar -- and also significant -- disparity holds for bikers and walkers. But there were some unanswered questions back then. Are the people who answered our survey just friendlier than average? It's possible that they were telling the truth about how often they say "hi" and that others aren't so friendly. This time around, we have a larger sample (415 responses), and we've ... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2901670 Fri, 16 Oct 2009 22:12:06 +0100 2901670 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2879444&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F70onjYtVMR8%2Fcasual_fridays_revisiting_who.php For the first-ever Casual Fridays study nearly four years ago, we asked readers who said "hi" to them while they were out for a walk or run: Today's entry is a survey designed to test a hypothesis I've been developing during my daily run. I think I've noticed a pattern in the responses of people I see while I'm running, and I want to find out whether it's a local quirk in the way people react to me, or if it's a universal phenomemon. The question centers around who says "hi" to you while you engage in your regular outdoor fitness activity. If you've never thought about this before, you might want to go out for a run/skate/bike ride before you respond. Although we got some interesting results, with only 213 respondents, we weren't able to examine some key details, such as whether men or w... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2879444 Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:25:26 +0100 2879444 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2857447&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2FTf7ZuH0EocI%2Fcasual_fridays_troxlers_not_fo.php Whenever I create a demo for this site, there's always a balance: Do I make the demo dramatic, so it's most surprising when it works? Or do I make it less dramatic, so it works for more people? (There are other things to balance as well, such as my time and technical proficiency) The Troxler effect is a particularly dramatic and simple demonstration of how much our visual system adapts to the environment. Just stare at the center dot in this figure for about 15 seconds, and the outer ring should fade completely from view! But the illusion, like nearly all illusions, doesn't work for everyone. Some people only see a partial fading. For some people, the center region turns green, but they still see the outer ring. Others see a variety of effects, from double-vision to a pulsing, color-sh... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2857447 Fri, 02 Oct 2009 22:09:20 +0100 2857447 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2834292&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F3XifUBGIR74%2Fcasual_fridays_who_can_see_ill.php A couple weeks ago I discussed the Troxler Effect in my column on SEEDMAGAZINE.COM. Some people said they couldn't see the illusion, so I thought it might be interesting to play around with the effect and see if people can see it under different circumstances. For this week's Casual Fridays study you'll see a variety of different illusions, some of which will be easier to see than others. Give it your best shot at experiencing the illusion -- we'll see if we notice any patterns next week! Click here to participate As usual, the study is brief, with about 10 questions. However, because each illusion takes a little time, it might take as long as ten minutes to complete. Also, the study includes a vimeo video. If you can't see these at work, you might want to wait until you get home to res... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2834292 Fri, 25 Sep 2009 20:12:18 +0100 2834292 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2809715&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F2271FSBNOjU%2Fcasual_fridays_why_those_annoy.php Last week's Casual Fridays study was inspired by my annoyance at a website form which required me to constantly switch between typing in information and selecting it from a menu. I wondered if there was really any significant benefit to requiring the use of menus, when typing (for me, anyways) seemed so much faster. So we developed two versions of the same simple 8-question quiz, one of which required users to alternate between menu-responses and typed responses, and the other which allowed respondents to type in each response. We asked respondents to answer the questions as quickly as possible. About 1,200 people participated. The point of the quiz was to have obvious questions with easy answers, to simulate entering personal information on a form without requiring you to reveal a bunch ... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2809715 Fri, 18 Sep 2009 19:10:39 +0100 2809715 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2785971&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2FbymGIQe7weI%2Fcasual_fridays_how_fast_can_yo.php We've all had the experience of a completely infuriating electronic form. My "favorite" example is a calendar application I once had that wouldn't let me delete numbers in certain places: there had to be something in the box, and you couldn't even delete a number temporarily to replace it with a new one. The only way to change a number was to carefully select the whole number with the mouse, then type the new number in. This is a very annoying step when you're trying to schedule an appointment with someone over the phone. But I'm wondering if some of us are better than others at filling in electronic forms. Do some people just have a knack for getting it right? What makes them better? Typing speed? Age? Or does the design of the form itself make a bigger difference? To find out, I've cre... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2785971 Fri, 11 Sep 2009 17:02:12 +0100 2785971 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2768663&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2Fj_PxReC3WVU%2Fcasual_fridays_we_believe_were.php Last week we asked readers how far they'd go to save a little money. Would you wash and re-use disposable plastic silverware? Get a "Doggie Bag" for your restaurant leftovers? Over 5,000 people responded to our Casual Fridays thriftfest last week -- the most popular Casual Friday ever, thanks to a link from Consumerist.com. In fact, I was a little concerned that the large response from an external site would skew our results, but I couldn't find much indication of that -- we had over 600 responses before the link appeared on The Consumerist, and responses didn't change significantly afterwards. So how thrifty are we? This chart offers a general summary of the results: While most respondents are quite likely to get a doggy bag or re-use the back side of printed paper, for the other que... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2768663 Fri, 04 Sep 2009 22:17:14 +0100 2768663 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2744116&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F80s5CkINDf4%2Fcasual_fridays_returns_whos_th.php Greta and I are back from a busy summer, the school year has started, and today's high temperature here in North Carolina will only be in the 70s! I can actually wear long pants again. You know what that means: It's time to ramp up Survey Monkey for another season of Casual Fridays studies. This week's study was inspired by a memory from my childhood. I always hated it when my mom used to mash the tiny remaining fragments of the old bar of soap into a brand-new bar, so we never got that "new soap" feeling. I realized that it was just a way of saving money, but I vowed that when I grew up and was buying my own soap, I'd toss the residual scrap into the trash and enjoy a fresh new bar. Greta, of course, thought that was the silliest thing she'd ever heard, so we continue my (and her) mom'... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2744116 Fri, 28 Aug 2009 18:52:47 +0100 2744116 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2441738&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2FpENcNztVDFA%2Fcasual_fridays_what_does_an_em.php Last week we asked readers to rate a set of statements they might see on Twitter. The premise of our study was that sometimes it's difficult to decide whether someone is insulting you or complimenting you. But we were actually examining a slightly different question: what effect does an emoticon have on a statement? Can you make a negative comment seem "nice" just by adding a smiley or a wink afterwards? Everyone saw the same 13 statements, presented in random order: That's the most incisive comment I've ever seen You are just so *interesting* Yawn You're as brilliant as you are attractive I agree That is teh roxxors A statement like that seems like it should be obvious. Why has no one figured that out before? Some people just don't understand what a wonderful person you are Oh, ... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2441738 Fri, 29 May 2009 21:16:21 +0100 2441738 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2441743&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2FO0FbFVfTF-0%2Fcasual_fridays_twinsult_or_two.php It's never been easy to communicate clearly online (or in person, for that matter). Often a statement meant as a compliment can be taken the wrong way. Or someone can mistake a statement made in jest for a serious statement. Now with tools like Twitter and texting limiting the total number of characters in a message, it may be even more difficult to convey nuance. Does everyone read these messages the same way? Or are some of us better-prepared to understand the nuances of online communication? I think I may have come up with a (non-scientific) way to shed some light on those questions. You'll see a series of short statements you should imagine were sent to you on Twitter (or via email, if you're not familiar with Twitter). Your job is to decide whether you think the sender was compliment... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2441743 Fri, 22 May 2009 20:43:41 +0100 2441743 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2414891&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2FvKUqVBnDUxg%2Fcasual_fridays_whats_sexist_de.php Last week, we asked our readers whether certain characters or "stories" were sexist. I said that the survey was inspired by the story I had told the previous day: Joe and Michelle are having dinner at a romantic restaurant. It's their first anniversary, and everything is perfect -- until an attractive woman walks past the table. Michelle notices that Joe casts a quick glance at the woman. Michelle flashes an annoyed glare at Joe, who knows he's in trouble. "I didn't mean to look at her," he pleads, "guys just can't help it when a pretty woman walks by." Michelle gasps. "B-but she's not as pretty as you," Joe stammers, unpersuasively. Many readers felt that this story was sexist because it promotes unfair stereotypes about men and women. So, I said, we'd put it to the test and ask our rea... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2414891 Fri, 15 May 2009 21:43:29 +0100 2414891 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2398827&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2FlNQ8XVRJMl8%2Fcasual_fridays_what_makes_some.php In this study, you'll see eleven different scenarios, and you'll be asked to evaluate how sexist a person in the scenario is, or the scenario as a whole is. Next week, we should be able to have some idea of what types of things are seen as most obviously sexist, and whether there are differences in individuals' perceptions of sexism. Click here to participate As usual, the survey is brief, with just 14 questions. It should take only a few minutes to complete. You have until Thursday, May 14 to complete your response. There is no limit on the number of respondents. Don't forget to come back next week for the results! Read the comments on this post... (Source: Cognitive Daily) Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2398827 Fri, 08 May 2009 22:22:19 +0100 2398827 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2386957&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2FGBZ1Sqop1uA%2Fcasual_fridays_we_cant_tell_wh.php Listen to the following music clip. Last week on Casual Friday, we asked our readers to explain what it's about, in concrete terms. Did you get it right? Chances are, you did not. It's a selection from Claude Debussy's La Mer, from the movement intended to represent the wind and the sea. Only 36 of 357 respondents answered correctly. Even when I gave half-credit for mentioning either the wind, or a storm, or waves, or a boat, only an additional 90 got it. Most respondents -- over 200, in fact, got it completely wrong. I picked seven different clips like this, from seven different works that were all intended by their composers to represent specific things, not just emotions or adjectives. I tried to pick pieces that seemed relatively obvious, based on the composer's initial intention... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2386957 Fri, 01 May 2009 19:58:00 +0100 2386957 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2382565&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2FGBZ1Sqop1uA%2Fcasual_fridays_we_cant_tell_wh.php Listen to the following music clip. Last week on Casual Friday, we asked our readers to explain what it's about, in concrete terms. Did you get it right? Chances are, you did not. It's a selection from Claude Debussy's La Mer, from the movement intended to represent the wind and the sea. Only 36 of 357 respondents answered correctly. Even when I gave half-credit for mentioning either the wind, or a storm, or waves, or a boat, only an additional 90 got it. Most respondents -- over 200, in fact, got it completely wrong. I picked seven different clips like this, from seven different works that were all intended by their composers to represent specific things, not just emotions or adjectives. I tried to pick pieces that seemed relatively obvious, based on the composer's initial intention... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2382565 Fri, 01 May 2009 19:58:00 +0100 2382565 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2365139&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2Fk7sJjTrrJ3Q%2Fcasual_fridays_can_we_really_t.php On Tuesday I got to see Greta and Nora performing with the Davidson College Symphony Orchestra. As usual, they did a fantastic job playing and the orchestra received a standing ovation. One of the pieces they played was Bedřich Smetana's tone poem "The Moldau," which, as the conductor explained, took us on a journey across what is now the Czech Republic. We heard two streams converging into a river, a peasant dance, the city of Prague, and finally the end of the river as it empties into a large one. Or did we just think that's what we heard because that's what the conductor told us to hear? A tone poem is supposed to tell a story, but generally the composer tells us what the story is about, in advance. Can we actually tell what a musical work is "about" without someone telling us? Are pe... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2365139 Fri, 24 Apr 2009 21:42:48 +0100 2365139 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2348580&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2FRg7RBfqqapQ%2Fcasual_fridays_is_test-preppin.php Last week I created a survey that was truly humbling. The goal was to find out if time and money invested in preparing for the SAT and other standardized college admission tests is worth it. The first thing I learned from the study was that Cognitive Daily readers are incredibly smart -- much smarter than me, for example. Take a look at this graph of high-school class ranking among survey respondents: As you can see, nearly half of survey respondents were in the top 4 percent of their high school class, and over 70 percent were in the top 10 percent. Only 15 percent of respondents ranked lower than me. Of those who gave their SAT or ACT scores (the two major college admissions tests in the U.S.), their average percentile ranking was 93, which means they scored better than 93 percent of... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2348580 Fri, 17 Apr 2009 22:41:38 +0100 2348580 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2348583&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2FY5OovwlvzeU%2Fcasual_fridays_does_sat-prep_r.php It's test-taking season for high-school juniors in the U.S. Most students take the SAT test, which claims to assess mathematical, verbal, and writing ability to help the college/university admissions process. The pressure to succeed on this and other tests has led to the creation of a whole cottage industry, selling books, software, classes, and even summer camps devoted to getting better scores on the tests. Some parents spend thousands of dollars preparing their children to take the test, in addition to the hundreds they might spend to take and retake the test, searching for the elusive perfect score. But does all this preparation really matter? Are students who work harder on the test rewarded with better college educations -- and better careers, later on? We may be able to answer some... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2348583 Fri, 10 Apr 2009 19:32:34 +0100 2348583 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2313576&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F_lC5w9U_-rs%2Fcasual_fridays_are_we_irration.php Last week we asked our readers about their reasoning behind decisions they and others make about personal security. Are some of us just paranoid? Or do the decisions we make about security and safety reflect the real threats around us? Actually, since this is just a casual study, we're not going to measure real threats -- we'll have to use a proxy: people's own perceptions of the threats facing them in their community. How safe do our readers feel their communities are? Here's how they rated the crime rates where they live: Nearly 80 percent of respondents said crime rates were average or lower than average where they live -- so actually there's not a whole lot of difference in perception of safety among our respondents. Do their actions match these perceptions? Not so much. Take a loo... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2313576 Fri, 03 Apr 2009 21:47:10 +0100 2313576 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2313579&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2FImliTqdwoCs%2Fcasual_fridays_paranoid_or_res.php Most of us believe that the things we do to stay safe make a lot of sense. But some other people clearly are being unreasonably careful. One might even call them "paranoid." But is there a general consensus about how to stay safe in the modern world? Or does it depend -- on your age, where you live, or just your own personality quirks? Maybe this little survey will help us find out. Click here to participate As usual, the survey is brief, with 20 or so questions. It should take just a few minutes to respond. You have until Thursday, April 2 to complete your response. There is no limit on the number of respondents. Don't forget to come back next week for the results! Read the comments on this post... (Source: Cognitive Daily) Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2313579 Fri, 27 Mar 2009 22:25:05 +0100 2313579 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2313580&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2FB1r7_ASGmbs%2Fcasual_fridays_how_does_star_w.php Here's a bonus bit of analysis from last week's Casual Fridays study. In addition to asking respondents how familiar they were with our selection of stories, we also asked them to describe some detail of the story that was independently verifiable, like how the story ended. The reason we did this was to double-check the self-reported responses. If everyone had said they were familiar with the Fox and the Grapes fable, but then half of the respondents got the ending wrong, we would have had a reason to discount the self-reported responses. As it turned out, for most of the stories, people who said they were familiar with the stories got the question about the story's detail right. For The Fox and the Grapes, the correlation between getting the ending right and familiarity with the story wa... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2313580 Fri, 27 Mar 2009 20:27:04 +0100 2313580 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2287255&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F1oa3JGvC6Tk%2Fcasual_fridays_generation_gap.php Last week's Casual Fridays study was inspired by an event in Greta's classroom. She had assumed that most of her students would be familiar with the story of the Fox and the Grapes, which goes as follows: ONE hot summer's day a Fox was strolling through an orchard till he came to a bunch of Grapes just ripening on a vine which had been trained over a lofty branch. "Just the things to quench my thirst," quoth he. Drawing back a few paces, he took a run and a jump, and just missed the bunch. Turning round again with a One, Two, Three, he jumped up, but with no greater success. Again and again he tried after the tempting morsel, but at last had to give it up, and walked away with his nose in the air, saying: "I am sure they are sour." In addition to being the source of the common expression... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2287255 Fri, 20 Mar 2009 21:27:14 +0100 2287255 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2266693&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F8z6gBY3XgiE%2Fcasual_fridays_what_stories_do.php Last week Greta was telling her class about a study that related to a well-known story. She started off the discussion with a reference to the story, indicating that "of course you all have heard the story of _______" (I can't tell you the name of the story now because it's the subject of our study). As you may have guessed by now, she was greeted by a roomful of blank stares. She was surprised, because she grew up hearing this story and assumed that her students would have heard it as well. So the question is, why? Do the common stories we all know go in and out of fashion over the course of generations? Or was this story just less familiar than Greta thought? We think we've devised a way to find out. Click here to participate As usual, this week's study is brief, with about 20 questio... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2266693 Fri, 13 Mar 2009 19:43:22 +0100 2266693 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2240904&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2FSxjnLLsKfbg%2Fcasual_fridays_whats_worse_--.php Last week we asked readers to rate two hypothetical job candidates for a communications assistant position in a large neuroscience lab. The task seemed to pit education against experience. Everyone saw some version of these two resumes: (click for a larger image) Emily was Magna Cum Laude at Harvard, while Suzanne was an average student at a regional state college. But Emily appeared to have never held a paying job, padding her resume with activities like "Botanical Garden Society President" and "Varsity Tennis." Meanwhile, Suzanne had held an impressive internship and had three years of related job experience. Most respondents -- nearly 80 percent out of over 800 who completed the survey -- selected experience over education, preferring Suzanne over Emily. But that wasn't the real pu... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2240904 Fri, 06 Mar 2009 19:26:50 +0100 2240904 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2240905&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2Fb52EbnNC89k%2Fa_very_quick_survey.php After taking a first look at last week's survey responses, I realize there's one more question I should have asked. So if you have a couple minutes, whether or not you participated last week, could you respond quickly to this short survey? You'll just be asked to look at two resumes and answer two quick questions about each. Click here to take survey Thanks! Update: Okay, got what I need. You can still take the survey if you're curious, but I'm not going to tabulate any additional data. Read the comments on this post... (Source: Cognitive Daily) Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2240905 Fri, 06 Mar 2009 11:17:52 +0100 2240905 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2232559&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2FN0an4CTzxNg%2Fcasual_fridays_--_what_makes_a.php There's a lot of advice online about what makes a good resume, and in these tough economic times, getting a job is tougher than ever. So this week, I thought we'd test some different resumes and see which factors are most important in picking a good candidate. You'll be asked to read two resumes very carefully, then answer a few questions evaluating each candidate. I've changed just a few items on each resume, so make sure you read them closely. Then next week we'll see which factors matter the most. Click here to participate As usual, the study has just a few questions, and should only take a few minutes to complete. There is no limit on the number of respondents. You'll have until Thursday, March 5 to complete your response. Don't forget to come back next Friday for the results! Read ... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2232559 Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:13:04 +0100 2232559 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2210442&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2FdQi5ckXqQg4%2Fcasual_fridays_how_random_are.php This week's Casual Fridays study was inspired by this comment on the Random Number thread: When a freshman at Penn State too many years ago to count, the intro psychology prof did an amazing demonstration. I wonder if anyone knows the answer to this which I have long forgotten. He said he had written the numbers 1 through 5 in random order on a piece of paper. He then asked the very large class to read his mind and write down his number order. When the class compiled the answers, more than 50% of the class had his order, and so proved that telepathy was possible!!! The class was ecstatic, until he then told us that humans more often than not arrange those numbers in that particular sequence that he had. Does anyone know what that sequence order is? I have puzzled over this for years ... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2210442 Fri, 20 Feb 2009 20:31:39 +0100 2210442 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2210446&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2FFxVFBZW13l0%2Fcasual_fridays_just_a_random_s.php Just a random Casual Friday survey this week. Click here to take survey. As usual, the survey is brief, and should take only a minute or two to complete. You have until Thursday, February 19 to respond. There is no limit on the number of responses. Don't forget to come back next Friday for the results. Read the comments on this post... (Source: Cognitive Daily) Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2210446 Fri, 13 Feb 2009 15:08:14 +0100 2210446 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2210451&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F1QZQuhlwRnc%2Fcasual_fridays_you_think_that.php Last week's Casual Fridays study started out innocently enough: A contact on Twitter asked if most women would prefer fresh fruit or chocolates as a romantic gift. That's a fascinating question, I said -- maybe even interesting enough to merit study on Casual Friday. With Valentine's Day coming up, it might be a valuable service to our readers, preventing them from making a big mistake on the big day. But once we're asking, I figured, why not ask about a few other possible gifts, like jewelry or perfume. And maybe we should ask about sexy lingerie and sex toys, just to make things more interesting. And so we did, and so the study ballooned into the largest Casual Friday survey ever. Do you want to know if any of our readers think sex toys or lingerie would be a romantic gift for the first... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2210451 Sat, 07 Feb 2009 22:25:12 +0100 2210451 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2147549&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2FFSNt7pPUQZI%2Fcasual_fridays_what_gifts_are.php Valentines' Day is coming up in just a few weeks, so we thought we'd help our readers prepare by assessing the romance level of a few common gifts they might consider getting for their significant others. I've noticed that there's often a fine line between a romantic gift and a disappointing downer. Does a box of chocolates signal true love or the fact that you've given up on your lover ever having a perfect figure? Is a cooking a romantic dinner an event in itself or just a way to guilt your date into "putting out" later on? What gift strikes the right balance? Maybe we can determine the ideal romantic gift. Or maybe we'll learn that everyone has different ideas as to what constitutes "romantic." Click here to participate As usual, the study should take just a few minutes to complete. ... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2147549 Fri, 30 Jan 2009 19:38:46 +0100 2147549 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2128892&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2FtSHixkt8CR8%2Fcasual_fridays_are_workplace_i.php Last week's Casual Fridays study was supposed to be about distractions and distractibility. Many of us struggle to keep our minds on work when the whole wide internet is available to entertain and inform us. So I wondered: Are people who are more easily distracted by the temptations of the internet actually better-informed? Do they know more about current events, tempted as they are by the incessant flow of news update not just hour by hour, but minute by minute? The answer: not really. We asked respondents several questions about how easily distracted they were, and how much time they spend at work doing non-work-sanctioned activities (such as, perhaps, responding to our survey). Then we quizzed them on recent national and international news events. Were people who spent more time surfin... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2128892 Fri, 23 Jan 2009 22:21:41 +0100 2128892 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2110607&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F0wBarCcWQto%2Fcasual_fridays_--_how_interrup.php One of my most difficult challenges as I work at home on Cognitive Daily and other projects is to keep focused on the task at hand. The internet, with its myriad distractions, is just a click away. It used to be that I could just head to a coffee shop with my laptop to get away from the internet, but now even that refuge is gone: My home internet service provider now offers free access from most coffee shops. I've had to discover new ways to remove myself from the distraction of the internet. I'm often surprised when the latest "convenient" device is unveiled allowing unprecedented internet access from your car, boat, or even your restroom. Do others find the internet as distracting as I do? What do you do to keep focused on the work you need to get done? Or is the internet an indispensa... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2110607 Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:02:21 +0100 2110607 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2092551&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F507389313%2Fcasual_fridays_who_can_use_the.php Last week we asked readers to tell us under what circumstances they would be likely to use a public restroom reserved for the other gender. We've all been in the situation where there's a long line for one restroom and a very short or non-existent line for the other (although this tends to happen more for women's rooms, which lack urinals). If you're a woman, is it okay to use the men's room? If you're a man, is it okay to use the women's room? Should there even be separate restrooms based on gender? We asked about the situation where there's a short line at the other gender's restroom and a long line at their own. Most of our readers, it turns out, would just wait it out, as this graph shows: Male or female, everyone is significantly less likely to use the opposite-gender room when ... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2092551 Fri, 09 Jan 2009 17:53:25 +0100 2092551 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2077765&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F501282631%2Fcasual_fridays_is_it_okay_to_u.php Yesterday on our way back from a vacation in New York, we stopped to get coffee and use the bathroom. There was a long line at the women's room, and a much shorter line at the men's restroom. These were both one-seat restrooms with locks on the door. A man in line for the men's room gallantly suggested that Greta use the men's toilet. By the time I had purchased our coffee, the situation had reversed and there was no line for the women's room. Would it be okay for me to use the women's facility? Or would it be rude? After all, I might surprise a woman later on when I emerge. Is it okay for women to use the men's room, but not the reverse? Should there even be separate restrooms for men and women? And what type of person is more willing to use the opposite-gender's restroom? This week's ... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2077765 Fri, 02 Jan 2009 21:20:00 +0100 2077765 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2067398&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F495663673%2Fcasual_fridays_christmas_procr_1.php [Originally posted in December, 2006] So it's December 22, and you are one of the few people who hasn't already bagged out of work to get ready for the holidays. You've been absolutely deluged -- swamped with work -- the entire month of December. You've hardly had time to think about Christmas, let alone shop. But now, with the holiday just a couple short days away, you're faced with the shocking truth. You'll be attending three different Christmas parties (or whatever alternative you prefer). Gifts will be exchanged. What's an overworked procrastinator to do? Would gift certificates be appropriate? What about cash? Everyone can use cash, can't they? Well, maybe they can, but what will "everyone" think of your thoughtfulness when it's obvious that you spent very little time thinking abou... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2067398 Fri, 26 Dec 2008 15:52:46 +0100 2067398 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2052702&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F490080189%2Fcasual_fridays_whos_tabhappy_a.php Last week's Casual Fridays study was inspired by my (incorrect) observation that the latest beta version of Firefox always displays tabs. (Actually, while it defaults to that setting, it's possible to disable it.) When I pointed this out on Twitter, the reaction was one of astonished disbelief that I might ever not want to be viewing multiple tabs. Am I the only person left who doesn't always use tabs? And who uses the most tabs? We asked readers how many tabs they currently had open, as well as several other questions about their internet habits and opinions. As it turns out, I'm in a substantial minority: Nearly all of over 1,300 study respondents had more than one tab open when they answered the survey. Just 9.2 percent said they had one or no tabs open. But our readers don't use tabs... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2052702 Fri, 19 Dec 2008 22:45:47 +0100 2052702 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2033105&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F482964212%2Fcasual_fridays_how_many_browse.php A few days ago after downloading the latest beta version of the FireFox web browser, I posted what I thought was an innocuous complaint on Twitter: The software assumes you will always have multiple web pages open. Even if you're only reading one web page, the browser puts it in a tab, thus taking up valuable screen real estate. Immediately I started getting replies: "how can you work with just one tab? I've got 37 open now!" "Does anyone not use tabs anymore?" Actually, it's not that I never use tabs, it's that sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. But perhaps I'm the only one. But still, it got me to thinking -- is there a certain type of person who uses a lot of tabs? Does it have to do with how busy you are? Or maybe some other factor is involved. This week's Casual Fridays study see... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2033105 Fri, 12 Dec 2008 19:15:59 +0100 2033105 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2017565&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F476094849%2Fcasual_fridays_who_stops_for_p.php The last place I lived before small-town Davidson, North Carolina, was New York City. One thing that seemed extremely different to me when I moved from New York to Davidson was the behavior of pedestrians and drivers. In New York, drivers honk at you at a stoplight to remind you that the light's going to turn green in five seconds, so you'd better get moving. In Davidson, it's rude to honk for any reason other than to say "hello." Pedestrians, too, behaved differently. In New York, they seemed to openly defy cars, almost daring them to run them down. There's a New York look that seems to say, "my brother's a [lawyer/hit man/cop -- insert relevant choice here] and I'm not afraid to use him." In Davidson the look was more like "I'm sorry for being on the road, Mr. Earnhardt. I'll try and be... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2017565 Fri, 05 Dec 2008 21:36:57 +0100 2017565 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1996279&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F468740779%2Fcasual_fridays_when_do_you_sto.php Greta walks a mile to work every day. I work at home, so I don't walk around town much. I'm much more likely to be driving down the street where we live than walking on it. Does this affect our attitude towards pedestrians when we drive? Greta and I have also both noticed that there are certain situations where drivers seem more likely to stop for pedestrians than others. Is it a universal rule? Or are our own observations biased by our personal experience? This week's study may give us a way to find out. I've taken several photos of a pedestrian at/approaching a crosswalk. Your job is to imagine you're driving a car and describe how you would react in each situation. Be honest! If you have your own theory about when drivers will and will not respond, be sure to let us know about it in t... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1996279 Fri, 28 Nov 2008 21:10:45 +0100 1996279 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1980632&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F461202628%2Fcasual_fridays_does_having_kid_1.php Last week we wondered how having kids affects our own childhood memories. In many ways, our kids remind us of our own childhood, allowing us to relive our favorite memories. But kids also distract us by being so adorable (or not so adorable), and with new memories that might become more prominent than the old ones. My own experience suggests that kids do remind me of my own childhood. Now that Jim and Nora are teenagers I find myself thinking about my own experience in high school -- sometimes about memories I hadn't considered for decades. But maybe that's an illusion. What I would have remembered if I didn't have kids? This week's Casual Friday study does offer a tentative -- and surprising -- answer. We asked our readers how many of their teachers' names they could remember. We also ... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1980632 Fri, 21 Nov 2008 21:30:21 +0100 1980632 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1960649&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F453256098%2Fcasual_fridays_does_having_kid.php This morning I was having a conversation with Nora about her AP European history class, and it got me thinking about my own experience taking the same class about 25 years ago (yes, kids, they did have AP classes back then). Mainly it reminded me that I can't remember much at all about the class. I remember lots of facts about European history, but I can't track any of them specifically to that class. But it also made me wonder if I would have thought about that class at all if it hadn't been for Nora taking the class now. On the other hand, I seem to remember my other AP classes from high school better (in case you're not familiar with the US high school curriculum, an AP class is a "college-level" class that's taken during high school), even though Nora hasn't taken any of those classes... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1960649 Fri, 14 Nov 2008 18:48:25 +0100 1960649 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1945211&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F445920627%2Fcasual_fridays_electoral_predi.php Last week we asked our readers to predict the result of the election. How did they do? Out of the 474 people who guessed the results of this year's presidential election, only six got the electoral vote right - 365 votes for Obama (assuming Missouri goes for McCain and Omaha goes for Obama). None of these respondents was accurate on the popular vote, but one anonymous respondent got close, guessing that McCain would get 47 percent (the actual figure was 46.3 percent). Only one person who guessed 365 left his name, so let's give Wayland credit as the unofficial "winner" of our prediction contest. What we were really interested in is how information sources relate to predictions. Do people rely on these sources, or do they just give it a guess? Several websites attempted to analyze poll re... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1945211 Fri, 07 Nov 2008 21:37:37 +0100 1945211 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1926410&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F438354666%2Fcasual_fridays_who_makes_the_b.php This study is a little longer than normal, but it's still fairly short, with about 25 questions. You'll have until 5 p.m. Eastern time on Election Day to make your response (that's when exit pollsters are released from their quarantine, so it's likely that early leaks of actual election results will occur after that time). There is no limit on the number of responses. Don't forget to come back next week to see the results! Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post... (Source: Cognitive Daily) Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1926410 Fri, 31 Oct 2008 19:50:15 +0100 1926410 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1905855&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F431026604%2Fcasual_fridays_is_your_relatio.php Aren't grandparents adorable? They're sweet and kind, they've been married for decades, and they've got wonderful archaic 1920s names like Edward and Edwina. Last week, based on the anecdotal evidence of my own grandparents and a couple from an NPR report, we speculated that couples from that older generation were more likely to have similar names than couples from the current generation. It seems plausible, but is it really true? We invited readers to give us the names of their own grandparents, as well as their current significant others, and they responded with over 3,000 names. Then we took a look at data from the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) about the distribution of names in the population. Do people pair up with people with the same name more frequently than if they we... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1905855 Fri, 24 Oct 2008 20:22:05 +0100 1905855 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1888110&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F423829618%2Fcasual_fridays_are_people_with.php My grandfather's name was Vern, and he married a woman named Verna. They were together for more than 30 years until she died. Then he married Elvira. That's them (and great-granddaughter Nora) off to the right. They were together another 20 years. Yesterday we profiled a couple named Ben and Bernice. Is it a coincidence that these happily-married couples each had similar names? Are people more likely to marry others with first names similar to their own? If so, was this phenomenon something that was more common decades ago, or does it still happen today? We just might be able to find out. In today's study we'll ask you for your first name, your partner's (or most recent partner's) first name, and your grandparents' first names. We'll also ask how long you (and they) stayed together. Cli... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1888110 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 16:52:22 +0100 1888110 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1870671&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F417078734%2Fcasual_fridays_tk421_why_cant.php Last week we asked our readers about an illusion that's been circulated very widely recently: While the illusion can't actually determine whether you're "right-brained" or "left-brained," we were curious about what actually affects people's perception of the illusion. Over 1,600 readers took our online survey about the illusion. What's interesting about the illusion is that it's ambiguous -- it can appear to be spinning both clockwise and counter-clockwise. Here's how our readers saw it: So roughly two-thirds of viewers initially saw it spinning clockwise, while a third saw it spinning counter-clockwise. About two thirds of viewers were able to reverse the direction of rotation from clockwise to counter-clockwise or vice-versa. Interestingly, this ability was affected by the init... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1870671 Fri, 10 Oct 2008 19:38:36 +0100 1870671 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1852541&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F410469900%2Fcasual_fridays_what_makes_the.php You've probably seen the "spinning woman" illusion as it circulated around the internet, complete with bogus claims that it can somehow be used to determine whether you're "right-brained" or "left-brained" (themselves concepts of amorphous meaning and validity). But nonetheless it's an interesting illusion, and vision scientist Michael Bach (who has a great illusions page) suggested a Casual Fridays study based on the illusion. Some people see it spinning in one direction, some people see it spinning in reverse, and some can see it both ways. Do the people who can see the illusion have anything in common? Or is the ability to experience it/reverse it pretty much random? We've designed a quick study that may shed some light on the problem. Click here to participate As usual, the study is... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1852541 Fri, 03 Oct 2008 18:46:25 +0100 1852541 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1834592&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F404019432%2Fprius_owners_just_like_mac_own.php Last week we sought to uncover the truth behind the stereotype: Are Prius owners really just like Mac owners? In a non-scientific fashion, we quizzed our readers about several of the most common stereotypes that seem to follow these two trendy groups: They're arrogant, they think they're better informed than the rest of us, not to mention smarter, more attractive, and more concerned about the environment. They're Obama-supporting, latte-drinking, iPhone-toting snobs who always favor style over substance. Or are they? Over 1,600 readers responded to our survey -- the most responses to a Casual Friday ever. We asked readers what kind of cars they drive, what kind of computers they use, and then we asked them to rate their agreement (on a scale of 1 to 5) with a few statements that are typic... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1834592 Fri, 26 Sep 2008 19:27:09 +0100 1834592 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1809738&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F397294819%2Fcasual_fridays_are_mac_owners.php A few days ago I noticed a comment on an online forum: "Prius owners are just like Mac owners." As a Mac owner and Prius owner, I felt that this comment needlessly stereotyped me. Were they implying that there was something wrong with me? That I was superficial? That I thought I was better than other people? On the other hand, as a Mac owner and a Prius owner, wasn't I confirming the stereotype? Perhaps there is something to this stereotype, and Casual Friday may be just the time to find out. I've created a brief survey that asks you a few questions about your car, your computer, and your attitudes. If enough of you respond, perhaps we'll be able to (non-scientifically) settle the question once and for all! Click Here to participate As usual, the survey is brief, with about 20 questions... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1809738 Fri, 19 Sep 2008 16:09:16 +0100 1809738 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1788692&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F390930469%2Fcasual_fridays_whos_losing_sle.php Last week we asked readers how much sleep they lost staying up to watch the political coverage of the Democratic and Republican conventions, and how that compared to the sleep they lost a few weeks earlier watching the coverage of the Beijing Olympics. Do people stay up later to watch politics, or sports? Or are sports fans less likely to watch politics, and vice versa? First off, let's take a look at how much sleep was lost overall. The Olympics were clearly a much bigger diversion than politics, with an average of an hour lost sleep per night for those who watched during the first week. But among our readers, Obama's speech also resulted in significantly more lost sleep than any of the other speeches.But what about the larger question: are the people who stay up late for sports al... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1788692 Fri, 12 Sep 2008 20:22:56 +0100 1788692 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1768869&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F384283017%2Fcasual_fridays_returns_politic.php I've been dragging for the last few days -- I just can't seem to resist watching the latest speeches from the Republican National Convention. I was similarly distracted by the Democratic Convention last week. It's affected my sleep habits: I got 1 to 2 hours less sleep than normal each night I stayed up to watch the politicians pontificate. Greta, on the other hand, is content to watch the wrap-up coverage on the news the next morning while she works out on the treadmill. But even Greta couldn't resist the temptation of another recent event: the Olympic Games in Beijing. For the first week of the games, she and I stayed up an extra two hours every night, just to see if Michael Phelps would win another medal or the Chinese diving team would attain perfection. By the second week of the game... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1768869 Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:44:51 +0100 1768869 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1551329&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F321536622%2Fcasual_fridays_summer_break.php This is just a brief note to let our loyal Casual Friday readers know that we'll be going on a break for the summer. We should be able to maintain a semi-reasonable pace with the regular Cognitive Daily posts, but with all of our travel, it generally becomes a logistical nightmare to keep up with Casual Fridays over the summer. See you in August! In the meantime, you might want to use the comments section of this post to suggest Casual Friday topics you'd like to see in the Fall. Read the comments on this post... (Source: Cognitive Daily) Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1551329 Fri, 27 Jun 2008 20:02:23 +0100 1551329 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1535729&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F316903571%2Fcasual_fridays_bonus_round_doe.php One of the things that motivated Nora and me to conduct the Casual Friday nuts study was our intense ambivalence toward the Brazil nut. It's so much bigger than the other nuts that it tends to dominate any mixture, even when present in small quantities. And, to our palate, it just doesn't taste good. It seems to be there only to waste space. As Jonah Lehrer put it in his comment on our original survey, "I've long believed that nobody actually likes Brazil nuts." Indeed, it was the lowest-rated nut of any nut in our survey, as you can see in this graph of the ratings: With an average rating of 2.21 on a scale of 0 to 5, there's not much love for the Brazil nut. The rating was significantly lower than the rating for any other nut. So why do the nut companies even bother with the Brazi... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1535729 Sat, 21 Jun 2008 15:00:45 +0100 1535729 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1535730&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F316455692%2Fcasual_fridays_do_grocery_stor.php Last week we asked our readers what their favorite types of mixed nuts were. Does the mixture that comes in the can actually approximate real-world preferences, or are the nut-packagers just giving us the cheapest nuts, with no allowances for our actual likes and dislikes? We received over 600 responses. Readers rated seven types of nuts typically found in jars of mixed nuts on a scale 0 (don't like at all) to 5 (like very much). This morning I bought two cans of nuts from the grocery store and Nora carefully sorted, counted, and measured the contents of each can. Here are the contents of the $5 store-brand can of mixed nuts: And here's the Planters "Deluxe" mixture of mixed nuts, which cost $7 for about 25 percent fewer nuts. Does paying a premium buy a mixture that more closel... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1535730 Fri, 20 Jun 2008 21:24:16 +0100 1535730 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1516481&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F311244657%2Fcasual_fridays_the_right_mixtu.php Last weekend Nora and I went on a hike in the Smoky Mountains. Whenever we go hiking, we make trail mix -- usually just cashews and raisins. This time, however, we had some mixed nuts left over from a party so we decided to use those instead. But there's a problem with mixed nuts: invariably there are too many of the nuts you don't like, and not enough of the ones you do like. Since we had plenty of time to think as we hiked along, Nora and I wondered if it was even possible to create a mixture of nuts that would satisfy everyone. Do the nut manufacturers attempt to do this? Or do they just fill their nut-jars with the cheapest nuts, tossing in a few of the more expensive varieties just to keep people interested? This, we decided, would be a great question for a Casual Friday. We'll coll... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1516481 Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:49:04 +0100 1516481 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1480659&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F301438163%2Fcasual_fridays_mac_users_dont.php A few weeks ago, Greta got a new iPod. I was, naturally, interested to see how it worked since it was supposed to be the latest technology, but Greta would hardly let me touch it: "It's mine, and I want to learn how to use it before you do," she told me. This was surprising to me, since I generally let people try out my new toys right away -- I'd even say it's part of my own enjoyment of them. It got me to thinking whether there was some pattern to who lets others use their gadgets and who doesn't. So of course, we did something about it. Two weeks ago, we posted a quick survey that we hoped would get to the heart of the matter. The key question in the survey was this one: "When you have a brand-new product (cell phone, iPod, etc.), how willing are you to let others use it?" There were ... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1480659 Fri, 30 May 2008 19:30:53 +0100 1480659 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1449306&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F291803288%2Fcasual_fridays_technology_quir.php Greta and I have very different approaches to technology. I like to read all the latest technology news and learn about new products; she just buys the products she needs. That's not to say she doesn't like technology: she has a lab full of computers and uses them extensively in her research. We've also found that we have different quirks about how we use technology, like how we organize our desks and who we'll let use our stuff. That got us wondering if there are any patterns to people's technology quirks. Are technophiles less likely to let other people play with their toys, for example? So, naturally, we've prepared a short survey for you, to see if we can find any commonalities in the ways people use technology. Click here to participate There are just 16 questions, so the survey sh... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1449306 Fri, 16 May 2008 19:02:36 +0100 1449306 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1433741&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F287648216%2Fcasual_fridays_special_saturda.php Things got a little crazy yesterday, with Greta headed off to VSS and the kids needing to be at three different places at once, so I'm presenting this week's Casual Friday results on Saturday. Last week we asked our readers who their most important mentors were. We didn't mention it at the time, but the survey was inspired by the headlines that week about Barack Obama's pastor's seemingly unpatriotic sermons, and how those sermons reflected on Obama. Do pastors really have a huge influence on people's lives? Can we actually evaluate a presidential candidate based on something his pastor says? By asking our readers who their most important mentors are, we thought we might get a better picture of what the actual role of a mentor is. Of course, our readers might not have the same religious ... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1433741 Sat, 10 May 2008 20:07:21 +0100 1433741 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1416223&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F282310611%2Fcasual_fridays_your_most_impor.php This week's Casual Friday is about mentors. We're curious who constitutes the most important influence on our readers, and whether we can identify any patterns in the results. So we've created a brief study that we hope will answer our questions. Simple as that. Click here to participate There are just a few questions, so the survey should only take a couple minutes to complete. There is no limit on the number of respondents. You have until Thursday, May 8 to respond. Then don't forget to check back on Friday, May 9 for the results! Read the comments on this post... (Source: Cognitive Daily) Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1416223 Fri, 02 May 2008 20:27:15 +0100 1416223 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1399133&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F277798223%2Fcasual_fridays_what_does_it_ta.php Last week's Casual Friday study was all about money. The basic question was simply what it means to be reach -- how much income and net worth does it take before you consider someone to be wealthy? We received over 1,000 responses. Perhaps our most interesting finding was simply the diversity of opinions about what "rich" is. Here's how the responses broke down: While most responses fell between $100 thousand per year and $500 thousand per year, 95 people said an income of below $100 thousand was still "rich," and 75 people said it would take $1 million or more per year to be wealthy! Another way to measure wealth is net worth -- the value of assets (bank account, stocks, real estate) minus debts. Here are those results: The most common response was the traditional $1 million. Bu... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1399133 Fri, 25 Apr 2008 20:07:33 +0100 1399133 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1382335&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F272985686%2Fcasual_fridays_semisecret_mone.php After spending all last weekend preparing our income tax return, I must have money on my mind. So this week's Casual Fridays study is about money. I don't want to tell you much more about it before you participate in the survey because it may affect the results, so just go ahead and click. Click here to participate There are just a few questions, so the survey should only take a couple minutes to complete. There is no limit on the number of respondents. You have until Thursday, April 24 to respond. Then don't forget to check back on Friday, April 25 for the results! I'm not going to close comments on this entry because I think we could have an interesting discussion on this topic. However, please don't read the comments until you've participated! Read the rest of this post... | Read the... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1382335 Fri, 18 Apr 2008 16:53:14 +0100 1382335 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1367154&cid=t_323710_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F268131761%2F This study challenges the theory that depression and dementia are caused by another factor. It therefore adds weight to, but does not prove, the theory that depression is a risk factor for dementia. However, this study has shortcomings, and further research that is free of these should provide a clearer picture. Until more is known, depression sufferers should not be overly worried that they will develop dementia." Comment: I guess that last sentence offers good news...   aging brain, Alzheimers Association, Alzheimers Tests, baby boomers, Baycrest, Brain games, Brain Training, brain training game, Casual Games, Centre for Brain Fitness, cognitive ability, cognitive deficits, Cognitive tests, Depression and Alzheimers, executive skills, fit brains, High blood pressure, Humana, life... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1367154 Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:37:51 +0100 1367154 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1365102&cid=t_323710_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F268131761%2F This study challenges the theory that depression and dementia are caused by another factor. It therefore adds weight to, but does not prove, the theory that depression is a risk factor for dementia. However, this study has shortcomings, and further research that is free of these should provide a clearer picture. Until more is known, depression sufferers should not be overly worried that they will develop dementia." Comment: I guess that last sentence offers good news...   aging brain, Alzheimers Association, Alzheimers Tests, baby boomers, Brain games, Brain Training, brain training game, Casual Games, cognitive ability, cognitive deficits, Cognitive tests, Depression and Alzheimers, executive skills, fit brains, High blood pressure, Humana, lifestyle, Medicaid, Medicare, memory cl... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1365102 Fri, 11 Apr 2008 04:31:36 +0100 1365102 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1352027&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F264171158%2Fcasual_fridays_who_spotted_ric.php Do you recognize this man? If so, you're not alone: over three-quarters of our readers were able to spot Richard Dawkins as he flashed by in a QuickTime video. So does this mean that the gatekeepers at Expelled who ejected the much-less-famous PZ Myers but not Dawkins two weeks ago are a bunch of incompetent oafs? Not necessarily. Many of those participating in the study came via Greg Laden's post on the subject, which included jumbo-sized pictures of both Dawkins and Myers. Maybe they had an unfair advantage over the harried gatekeepers for Expelled, who didn't have photos as a reference -- though it should be noted they did have Dawkins' larger-than-life image in the film itself. Fortunately our study included some controls that may be able to help establish just how big a gaffe was ... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1352027 Fri, 04 Apr 2008 20:20:17 +0100 1352027 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1319332&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F255673450%2Fcasual_fridays_can_you_recogni.php Everyone on ScienceBlogs seems to be talking about the latest Intelligent Design debacle. Apparently the extremely famous blogger PZ Myers attempted to attend a free screening of Expelled, a Ben Stein screed against "Darwinists." The security folks at the screening had been alerted that he would be there, and refused him admission. Yet the even more famous writer and anti-religion activist Richard Dawkins was allowed in. Oh, the embarrassment! How could the ID movement neglect to ID one of its greatest enemies? Are they really that stupid? On the other hand, maybe it's not so easy to identify even famous people when you're scanning a crowd. Put yourself in the position of one of the guards at the event. How easy would it be for you to pick your enemies out of the crowd? This week's Casu... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1319332 Fri, 21 Mar 2008 19:22:09 +0100 1319332 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1303249&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F251582271%2Fcasual_fridays_music_fans_favo.php Music has been associated with drug use for decades -- from the flower children smoking weed at Woodstock to jazz great Charlie Parker getting hooked on heroin, it seems that every type of music has a drug that we associate with it. Last month we discussed a study where college students were asked what type of substances they thought music fans of 14 different genres of music were likely to use. Here are the results: But are these stereotypes accurate? Rentfrow and Gosling ran into an ethical barrier when they tried to confirm whether the stereotypes they found were accurate: They didn't want to ask under-age college students about their alcohol and illegal drug preferences. Assisted by the anonymity of the internet, we decided to see if we could fill the void in Rentfrow and Goslin... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1303249 Fri, 14 Mar 2008 20:10:52 +0100 1303249 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1286215&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F247492926%2Fcasual_fridays_what_music_goes.php A couple weeks back we discussed a study examining stereotypes about music fans and how they related to actual fans' real preferences. Unfortunately, the researchers couldn't test one of the most intriguing stereotypes about music fans: the types of drugs and alcohol preferred by fans of particular genres. So while we know the stereotype of rock fans is that they prefer beer and marijuana to wine and cocktails, the Rentfrow and Gosling study can't tell us whether the stereotype is true. Today's study addresses that limitation. We're also addressing (in a limited way) the complaint that the genres Rentfrow and Gosling studied are too restrictive -- we're allowing respondents to type in their most and least favorite subgenres of their favorite musical genre. I'm not sure how much we'll be ... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1286215 Fri, 07 Mar 2008 16:53:35 +0100 1286215 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1268383&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F243457692%2Fcasual_fridays_driving_like_ma_1.php [I've been sick the past couple days, so I'm not going to be able to post a new Casual Friday today. But here's an old one that many of our readers probably haven't seen.] Last week's Casual Friday survey asked readers to describe how they expect other drivers to behave when merging onto the freeway. Now that the survey has been completed, I can let you in on a bit more of the observations that motivated the survey. I live in North Carolina, and I like to visit the big cities on the East coast, especially Washington and New York. This means I've done a lot of driving through Virginia, and I thought I'd noticed a peculiarity about Virginia drivers. In Virginia, it seemed to me, like no place else, the other drivers always expect you to get out of the way when they're merging onto the freew... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1268383 Fri, 29 Feb 2008 18:19:16 +0100 1268383 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1251107&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F239631404%2Fcasual_fridays_calendar_quirks.php Last week we asked readers how they used their calendars: we were curious if the way people used their calendars said anything about how busy their lives were. We found out an awful lot about how readers use calendars, but we also found that there may not be much of a pattern to how calendars are used. First, the basics: what type of calendars do CogDaily readers use? It was a little surprising for me to see that over a third of our tech-savvy readers still rely on printed calendars -- 208 out of 612 respondents. Even if readers said they used one or the other type of calendar, we allowed them to indicate what type of printed and electronic calendar they used -- and over two-thirds of readers do use some form of printed calendar, even if their primary calendar is electronic. Most ele... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1251107 Fri, 22 Feb 2008 21:27:56 +0100 1251107 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1234609&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F235555783%2Fcasual_fridays_how_do_you_use.php Just a few months ago, I finally convinced Greta to convert her old paper appointment calendar to an electronic version. Now instead of writing her appointments down in a little book, she enters it in her computer or her PDA. It's now possible for me to see her schedule on my computer, and vice versa. But even though we're both computerized, we use our calendars differently. I need an alarm to remind me of any event, but Greta simply checks her calendar every day to remind herself of her plans for the day. This leads to endless possibilities for confusion. She might enter an item on the calendar that I'm supposed to remember, but if there's no alarm, from my perspective, it might as well not be on the calendar. So, we were wondering if there was any pattern to calendar use. Do busier peo... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1234609 Fri, 15 Feb 2008 13:30:36 +0100 1234609 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1217924&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F231805127%2Fcasual_fridays_music_reliably.php Last week's Casual Fridays study elicited quite a few confused reactions. Listeners heard short music clips and then were asked to indicate which color they associated with each piece from a list of 13 colors. So were we able to come up with consistent results? Yes. For some of the clips, our 377 listeners were more likely to associate particular colors with that clip. Consider this clip: Here are the survey responses: Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post... (Source: Cognitive Daily) Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1217924 Fri, 08 Feb 2008 19:35:17 +0100 1217924 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1194749&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F227453016%2Fcasual_fridays_do_music_and_co.php A while back we did a little non-scientific study on whether people experience different colors based on their emotions, and indeed found a very small effect. For this week's study, we thought we'd see if we could extend those results to music. All we're asking you to do is listen to eight short audio clips, then say what color you associate the clips with. Click here to participate As usual, the study is short, with just 8 questions. The 8 clips range from 10 seconds to 70 seconds long. Most are shorter than one minute, so the whole thing should take less than 10 minutes to complete. You have until Thursday, February 8 to participate. There is no limit on the number of respondents. Don't forget to come back next Friday to see the results! Read the comments on this post... (Source: Cog... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1194749 Fri, 01 Feb 2008 20:46:25 +0100 1194749 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1177673&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F223100164%2Fcasual_fridays_buffetstyle_res.php Last week we asked readers how often they eat at buffet-style restaurants, where diners serve themselves unlimited portions of food from heated serving tables. The question was inspired by a post by ScienceBlogs editor Virginia Hughes, which was inspired by an innocuous comment I made as we were heading to our hotel restaurant table: "People in North Carolina are really into buffets." So, is North Carolina the champion state for buffets? Nope. In fact, North Carolina ranked 20th on our list. The number one state for buffets was Kansas, averaging 6 visits per month. Second on the list was New Mexico, followed by Indiana, Connecticut, and Nevada. Unfortunately, there's one problem with this list: the results aren't even close to statistically significant. Despite over 400 total responses, ... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1177673 Fri, 25 Jan 2008 19:43:26 +0100 1177673 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1160990&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F219084087%2Fat_the_science_blogging_confer.php I'm at the North Carolina Science Blogging Conference this weekend, and I wasn't planning on doing a Casual Friday this week. But Virginia Hughes gave me an idea for a really quick one. What state boasts the most-frequent buffet-style restaurant diners? Click here to respond This survey has a mere two questions, and you have until Thursday, January 24, to respond. Read the comments on this post... (Source: Cognitive Daily) Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1160990 Fri, 18 Jan 2008 21:23:02 +0100 1160990 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1146287&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F215169393%2Fcasual_fridays_more_new_years.php Last week we asked our readers about New Years' resolutions. We said we wanted to know whether resolutions made on New Years' Day were any more effective than commitments made at other times of the year. We are interested in that question, but we didn't tell you about the question that interested us the most: How many different resolutions should you make? Our son Jim made so many resolutions this year that he actually organized them into subcategories. This struck us as not a very good idea -- if you make lots and lots of resolutions, then you may not be as committed to each one. At the time, we didn't have any data to back up our hunch. Now we do. We asked readers which of 13 common New Years' resolutions they had made this year, and we also asked how successful they had been so far in ... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1146287 Fri, 11 Jan 2008 19:53:29 +0100 1146287 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1130979&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F211255039%2Fcasual_fridays_whats_a_resolut.php This year Greta and I rang in the new year with a couple of good friends, some good wine, and not a lot of fuss or formality. We quietly noted when the clock struck midnight and went on with whatever we were talking about at the time. Our son Jim marked the occasion much more seriously, with several resolutions directed at improving his fitness, eating habits, and school work. It got us to wondering: what kind of people are most likely to make New Years' resolutions? Are New Years' resolutions any more successful than pledges for personal improvement made at other times of the year? And what are the most popular resolutions to make? I've seen a number of "top ten lists" for resolutions, but they seem all to be based on anecdotes. We should be able to do a little better than that, even on... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1130979 Fri, 04 Jan 2008 18:48:45 +0100 1130979 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1096137&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F200431963%2Fcasual_fridays_does_the_label.php A few weeks ago, I was excited to learn that a project I'm working on got written up on NPR's News Blog. However, I was less excited when I saw the way my own status was described: Dave Munger, a science blogger and stay-at-home dad in Davidson, N.C., wanted to find a way to show people that some blog posts are meant to carry more weight than a rant or an off-hand comment. Would people consider my project to be less noteworthy if they thought of me as a "stay-at-home dad"? Technically, I guess I am a stay-at-home parent because my office is in my house, but since my primary occupation has nothing to do with childrearing or housekeeping, I felt the characterization was a little unfair, and it might make my work seem less serious than it is. But maybe that's just me. That's why I decided... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1096137 Fri, 14 Dec 2007 18:53:39 +0100 1096137 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1079708&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F196741983%2Fcasual_fridays_reading_compreh.php This week's Casual Fridays study is just a quick reading comprehension test. Is that all it is? I can't tell you. Why not just try it and find out for yourself? Click here to participate As usual, the survey is quite short, with just 8 questions. It should take only a minute or two to complete. You have until the morning of Thursday, December 13, to complete your response. There is no limit on the number of respondents. Don't forget to come back next Friday to see the results! [Since there are a few "secret" details to this study, I'm going to close the comments for now.] (Source: Cognitive Daily) Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1079708 Fri, 07 Dec 2007 17:30:48 +0100 1079708 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1062788&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F193133269%2Ffew_listeners_can_distinguish.php Two weeks ago, we challenged our readers to see if they could discern the difference between MP3 recordings at different sampling rates. Nearly 700 completed our study. So does a very high sampling rate result in a noticeable difference? Here our are basic results: Respondents rated two recordings, one by rock guitarist Carlos Santana, and another by orchestral composer Aaron Copland. Each recording was encoded into an MP3 file at three different sampling rates: 64, 128, and 256 kbps. For both recordings, there was a significant difference between ratings of the 64 kbps sampling rate and the 128 kbps sampling rate, but no difference between ratings of the 128 and 256 kbps sampling rate. It's looking like the 256 kbps MP3s offer no advantage over the much smaller 128 kbps MP3s. If you... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1062788 Fri, 30 Nov 2007 20:09:48 +0100 1062788 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1032931&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F185916418%2Fcasual_fridays_are_all_mp3s_eq.php There's a lot of debate online about whether people can really tell the difference between the various audio formats -- AAC, MP3, you name it. Does it really make a difference? Recently I saw a blog post suggesting that the methodology for many so-called studies on the phenomenon was flawed. If you're going to test this sort of thing, listeners shouldn't be aware of the format they're listening to. And they shouldn't be asked to compare two versions of a song, they should simply rate how good each particular recording sounds. According to this post, few studies take the time to be rigorous about testing. (Unfortunately, I can't find the post now -- if you wrote it, or if you know who did, please let me know in the comments and I'll link to it from here.) Anyway, even on a Casual Friday, ... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1032931 Fri, 16 Nov 2007 18:39:15 +0100 1032931 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1017632&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F182375621%2Fcasual_fridays_who_cleans_up_a.php Last week's Casual Friday study focused on messes around the home. We identified eight common household messes, and then asked readers how annoying they were, and who cleaned up. An interesting thing happened: for the first time ever, we had significantly more female respondents than male respondents: Nearly 60 percent of the 490 responses to the study came from women. We've had as many as 70 percent male respondents to Casual Fridays studies, and the previous best showing for women was right about 50 percent. My best guess at the gender ratio in our readership is about 60-40 (male-female), which means that women responded to this survey at a dramatically higher rate than men. Clearly, 18 years after Arlie Hochschild's book The Second Shift revealed that women then bore a disproportionat... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1017632 Fri, 09 Nov 2007 20:37:26 +0100 1017632 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1000976&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F178846848%2Fcasual_fridays_who_makes_the_m.php I'll fess up: I leave coffee grounds on the kitchen counter when I make coffee. It bugs Greta, but it doesn't bother me. Meanwhile, it bothers me when Greta leaves her shoes next to the stools in the kitchen, and it drives both of us crazy when the kids pile their backpacks at the bottom of the stairs -- then immediately head up to their rooms without their stuff. This week's study is about household messes. It just the messes that other people make that bother us? Or are we sometimes annoyed by our own messes? Maybe the messes we dislike the most are the ones we think someone else should be taking care of. Yesterday we collected dozens of people's most hated messes. For today's study I combined them into eight categories. You'll be answering a few questions about each type of mess, plus... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1000976 Fri, 02 Nov 2007 18:43:06 +0100 1000976 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=996508&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F178212929%2Fcasual_fridays_help_me_prepare.php Tomorrow's Casual Fridays study will be about messes: who makes messes, and who cleans them up. In order to do this right I'm going to need a little help from you. What I need to know are the typical sorts of messes people (including you) create in your home or workplace. Everything from dirty socks on the living room floor, to coffee grounds on the kitchen counter, to muddy footprints in the entry hall. Just help me out by listing some of the messes that particularly bother you in the place you live or work. Read the comments on this post... (Source: Cognitive Daily) Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=996508 Thu, 01 Nov 2007 13:01:03 +0100 996508 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=964551&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F172249614%2Fcasual_fridays_what_charity_gi.php With hundreds of seemingly worthy charities out there, how do we decide which ones to donate to? Even if we eliminate charities that aren't effective, there are still too many choices, and too little money, to donate to all of them. In the Donors Choose campaign, bloggers are going to impressive lengths to coax their readers into giving. But do incentives such as this really work? We asked our readers, and 261 of them responded. That's the lowest response rate we've had this year, suggesting that many readers aren't much interested in charity, even when motivated by a cute photo of a child. Still, even among those responses, we found some interesting results. First off, let's take a look a the comparative merits of a few charity marketing strategies: Clearly asking your friends and ... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=964551 Fri, 19 Oct 2007 22:07:14 +0100 964551 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=947306&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F169034157%2Fcasual_fridays_would_you_donat.php When I was a kid, I participated in all sorts of fund raisers for charity. It wasn't hard to get people to donate -- all I had to do was go door to door and ask for donations. One year I raised over $1,500 for a local children's hospital. Who can resist a face like this? Typically at least half the people I asked would donate $10 or $15. Somehow I don't think the same strategy would work as well today, now that I'm a big, bearded adult. Clearly my charitable efforts aren't as effective over the internet, where fewer than one percent of our readers donate. That got me to wondering: what sorts of gimmicks are most effective in getting people to donate to charity? Some of them are quite expensive: Jim and Nora's school raffled off a $40,000 BMW last year -- nearly half the money raised ... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=947306 Fri, 12 Oct 2007 18:46:47 +0100 947306 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=932604&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F166238615%2Fcasual_fridays_most_citizens_d.php Last week we wondered how thorough news reporters were being when they conducted "person on the street" interviews with questions from the U.S. citizenship test. We decided to administer the test a bit more systematically (but still not scientifically). Over 680 people responded to our study, allowing us to get some pretty solid results. The headline is what we stated above: Most U.S. citizens didn't get a passing grade on the test -- even though we were very generous in grading the tests. We didn't even count off for spelling errors and accepted answers that were only partially correct. But how did U.S.-born citizens compare to naturalized citizens, who themselves had to take the test at some point? This graph shows test results by citizenship status: No group's average exceeded the... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=932604 Sat, 06 Oct 2007 19:01:50 +0100 932604 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=911848&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F162606602%2Fcasual_fridays_whos_qualified.php The U.S. Department of Immigration unveiled its new U.S. citizenship test today. Whenever these tests come out, news organizations inevitably send reporters out to find out if actual U.S. citizens know the answers we expect immigrants to know. The results, as you might expect, are generally not impressive. But these reporters generally aren't tackling the issue in a very scientific manner: typically they just ask random people in a train station or on the street, then report the most amusing answers. We thought we'd be a little more systematic about it. This week, our casual study asks our readers to take the ten sample test questions printed in the New York Times today, then answer a few questions about citizenship status and education. Do people who've lived longer in the U.S. have an ... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=911848 Fri, 28 Sep 2007 20:59:19 +0100 911848 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=891480&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F159600386%2Fcasual_fridays_does_it_pay_to_1.php You might have thought we'd have a new study for you to participate in this week. You're half right. If you've read CogDaily, Terra Sigillata, Uncertain Principles, or Chaotic Utopia in the past two weeks, you've actually been participating in today's non-scientific study. ScienceBloggers have a private forum where we can discuss technical issues with the blogs, talk about our latest successes or failures, and even coordinate super-secret studies of our readers. Many of us have observed that a blogger can spend 5 minutes posting a YouTube link or a cartoon, and somehow that will be their most popular post of the month. Sometimes it seems futile to spend hours crafting thoughtful posts when the herds from Digg and Slashdot seem more excited by a quick photo or a user poll. But it also see... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=891480 Fri, 21 Sep 2007 20:15:13 +0100 891480 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=872143&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F156574958%2Fcasual_fridays_who_eats_desser.php Last week's Casual Friday study had a secret: We weren't just interested in whether you like light desserts; we also wanted to know if the weight and/or gender of the dessert chef influenced your opinion of a dessert. Each survey participant saw two different versions of a dessert recipe: Each recipe was randomly credited to one of four chefs: Then readers rated the recipes for taste, creativity, and healthiness. We wanted to know the dessert chef would influence the ratings. Maybe the heavier chefs would be seen as less credible in presenting the "light" recipes. Maybe heavier chefs would be perceived as having better taste when it comes to sweets. So what did we find? Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post... (Source: Cognitive Daily) Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=872143 Fri, 14 Sep 2007 21:06:52 +0100 872143 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=868195&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F155893968%2Fdesserts_study_followup_and_se.php We got a great response to last week's Casual Friday study on dessert preferences. However, I've realized that there's one more bit of information I need. Ideally I should have put this question in the survey itself, but it's too late for that, so this follow-up will have to do. I need to know what CogDaily readers think of the celebrity chefs we featured -- so I'd appreciate it if you responded to this poll (whether or not you took the survey). Here are the chefs that were featured in the survey: Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post... (Source: Cognitive Daily) Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=868195 Thu, 13 Sep 2007 11:29:02 +0100 868195 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=849969&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F153560794%2Fcasual_fridays_do_you_like_lig.php Some people suck down diet soft drinks, eat diet potato chips, even put diet creamer in their coffee. Others say part of the enjoyment of these things is knowing they're not "good for you." When it comes to eating dessert, that dividing line can seem even stronger. Some people say that if you want to watch your weight, you shouldn't be eating dessert in the first place, while others argue that dessert's an important part of every meal, so it's a good idea to come up with low-fat, low-calorie desserts that still taste good. So how prevalent is each of these schools of thought? What type of person is happy to eat "healthy" desserts, and who prefers the full-calorie version? This week's non-scientific study hopes to shed some light on these questions. Click here to participate The survey ... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=849969 Fri, 07 Sep 2007 19:59:26 +0100 849969 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=835427&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F150660123%2Fcasual_fridays_does_anyone_wat.php Last week we asked our readers about where they got their news. I haven't watched local news for years, and I was wondering if anyone else in the blogosphere did. As several respondents pointed out, our results aren't going to be exactly a cross-section of society at large, but it may be useful to see the relative importance of different news sources among our readers. Here's a snapshot of the results: As you can see, only two sources of local news were less important to our readers than television, and only one of those ("other print source") was significantly less important. The only news source our readers felt was significantly more important for local news compared to national news was the printed newspaper -- significantly more CogDaily readers prefer online newspapers for natio... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=835427 Fri, 31 Aug 2007 20:28:44 +0100 835427 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=821326&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F147816147%2Fcasual_fridays_who_watches_the.php The other day I got a phone call from a marketing research firm. I'm a sucker for these things, so I agreed to answer the questions, even though the caller said it might take up to 20 minutes. CALLER: Can you tell me which local news shows you watch on TV from 5 a.m. to 6 a.m. on Monday through Friday? ME: I don't watch any local news. CALLER: Okay. Now can you tell me which local news you watch from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. on Monday through Friday? ME: Actually, I don't watch any local news on TV, at any time. CALLER: Oh. I guess this is going to be a short survey. But the call got me wondering about how many of the market researcher's calls went like that. When I was a kid, the whole family watched the local news, every day. But between graduate school, moving around the country, having small... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=821326 Fri, 24 Aug 2007 19:34:18 +0100 821326 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=637888&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F119691183%2Fcasual_fridays_the_greek_ideal.php Last week we wondered whether sports fans and arts buffs were nonintersecting groups. I knew there were some exceptions to the idea that an arts snob wouldn't set foot inside an athletic complex. For example, a friend of mine is an art history professor, but also such a big football fan that in his spare time he serves as an equipment manager (read "cleans soiled jockstraps") for the Carolina Panthers. Despite exceptions like this, we wanted to know if on the whole the stereotype was true. There's also a second possibility, one which was borne out by our results: perhaps some people like to go out, and others like to stay in; whether they attend a gallery opening or a football game is a less important difference than extraversion or introversion. 424 readers responded to our survey, indic... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=637888 Fri, 25 May 2007 21:51:44 +0100 637888 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=623408&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F117778597%2Fcasual_fridays_sports_versus_t.php Are sports fans ignorant about the arts? Do opera buffs have trouble distinguishing a fastball from a slider? Greta has never been much of a sports fan, but she loves taking in the arts, cultural events, and Broadway shows. I know lots of sports fans who've never heard an opera. Are sports and fine art mutually exclusive? If this is a rule, there's at least one exception: I love sports, but I also enjoy visiting museums and listening to the symphony. But maybe I'm not as uncommon as it seems. Maybe lots of people enjoy both fine arts and sports. Now's our chance to find out. This week's Casual Fridays study asks you both what type of arts activities you like, and what sports. Perhaps we'll find that certain types of sports fans are more amenable to the arts. Or perhaps we'll find there's... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=623408 Fri, 18 May 2007 19:31:32 +0100 623408 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=600083&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F115907855%2Fcasual_fridays_how_to_type_fas.php I'm a fast typist, but Greta types much faster than me. I've taken a few years of piano lessons, but Greta could read music before she could read, and she still plays oboe and English horn with the Davidson College Symphony Orchestra. Could her 30+ years of musical training be the reason she's a faster typist? This week's Casual Fridays study was inspired by my observations about my personal typing quirks, but it quickly morphed into a new justification for music lessons. Commenter (and perception of music blogger) Scott Spiegelberg felt his musical training might have had something to do with his typing ability, so I added a question about musical training to the study. 541 participants took a typing test and then responded to 12 questions about their typing quirks (and musical training... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=600083 Fri, 11 May 2007 15:24:11 +0100 600083 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=590951&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F114205905%2Fcasual_fridays_typing_quirks.php It used to be that everyone who needed to type took typing class in school. I was probably part of the last generation that actually learned on a typewriter rather than a computer: we clacked for 55 minutes a day in Mr. Butler's room full of IBM Selectrics. No correction keys, either: if you made a mistake, you had to retype the whole thing. But even though Mr. Butler drilled us incessantly about proper typing form, I still have a few typing quirks. I don't use the proper finger to type "backspace," and I'm not properly ambidextrous with the space bar. This got me to thinking. Does "proper form" bear any relationship to typing speed? Or do those quirks actually speed us up? For this week's study, I'm going to ask everyone to take a quick typing test, then respond to a few quick questions... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=590951 Fri, 04 May 2007 19:24:01 +0100 590951 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=579208&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F113149276%2Fhow_badly_does_the_curse_word.php Context. It can make all the difference in the world. The word "suck" can describe the action of a vacuum cleaner or a sex act that is illegal in the state of North Carolina. Following our analysis of last Friday's curse word study, several of the commenters pointed out that without the context for a particular curse word, it's difficult to say whether or not the word is offensive. Heck, calling someone a "cow" can be awfully offensive in the right (or, should I say wrong) context. There's no question these people are right. Yet on the other hand, the U.S. government has often ruled that certain words are profane and should not be broadcast during certain hours on radio or TV, regardless of context. The Bono F-bomb at the Golden Globe awards is just one notable example. And if context wa... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=579208 Mon, 30 Apr 2007 18:52:24 +0100 579208 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=575025&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F112528582%2Ftotally_uncensored_casual_frid.php Last week's Casual Fridays study was the most popular ever: Despite its grueling 58-question length, over 750 respondents completed the entire thing. We got so much data on foul language that I probably won't finish writing all of it up today. As you might suspect, in reporting these results it's really impossible to avoid using the offensive words themselves, so if you think you might be offended, I'd recommend not reading any further. One thing our results confirmed, however: if you're like most people who completed the survey, you don't find most of these words generally offensive, so read on! Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post... (Source: Cognitive Daily) Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=575025 Fri, 27 Apr 2007 22:02:13 +0100 575025 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=569283&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F111830875%2Fing_a_nows_your_chance_to_take.php Last week's Casual Fridays study filled up so quickly that many of those who wanted to participate weren't able to. This was due to our survey provider's limits on the number of responses. After a preliminary look at the data, it does look like it would be helpful if we could get more respondents. Now I've located a survey provider that allows us to collect unlimited responses, so for $15, it seemed worth it to give this new provider a shot. If everyone likes the new survey site, we'll ditch the old one and go with this one. However, I'd ask that if you've participated in this study previously, please don't participate again. As a reminder, here's the description from last Friday: #@*& it if I couldn't come up with a shorter Casual Friday study this week. When we started doing Casual F... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=569283 Wed, 25 Apr 2007 12:40:12 +0100 569283 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=556821&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F110566850%2Fsemicasual_fridays_what_curse.php #@*& it if I couldn't come up with a shorter Casual Friday study this week. When we started doing Casual Fridays a year and a half ago, the goal was to keep them short -- less than five questions, if possible. They've gradually expanded from week to week, but we've typically been able to keep to around ten questions. But this week I came up with a *@&&ing good idea for a study that just wouldn't cooperate with the length limits. Fortunately, the subject matter tends to be quite arousing: offensive language. What words really get you *&#$ing angry? Now we'll finally be able to find out. I've picked out 11 of the foulest, most shocking words I can imagine, and I'm going to ask you to rate them along 5 different dimensions. There'll be a total of 58 questions. If you don't have that *%#&ing... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=556821 Fri, 20 Apr 2007 11:00:00 +0100 556821 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=542594&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F108880828%2Fcasual_fridays_how_closely_do.php There was a lot of talk on the ScienceBlogs back channel last week about Mike Dunford's post on President Bush's wrangling with Congress over funding the Iraq war. The post attracted a lot of attention, including many comments from readers who claimed Dunford didn't "support the troops." If they had actually read the post they would have realized that the "troops" include Mike's wife and two brothers. Bora Zivcovic remembered a post by Chris Clarke, which argued that very few readers were willing to read very long blog posts. In the past, he had written several three-part articles, requiring readers to click from page to page. He found that the first page got fifty times as much traffic as the second page, which got fifty times as much traffic as the third page. So that brought up the qu... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=542594 Fri, 13 Apr 2007 21:11:11 +0100 542594 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=525255&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F107153054%2Fcasual_fridays_political_attit.php This week's Casual Fridays study plays off a post written by Mike Dunford. The question is, how are political attitudes affected by legal knowledge? Do you let the law get in the way of a political position, or do political goals trump legal ones? In fact, you might what to read Mike's post before you participate. It's an excellent post, and it really highlights the kind of issues I'm talking about. Mike Dunford's Post The link bring up the article in a new tab or window (because we want you to come back and take the survey!). Click here to participate. The study is brief, with just 10 quick questions, and should take just a minute or two of your time. You have until 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday, April 11 to participate -- or until we have 333 responses, whichever comes first. ... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=525255 Fri, 06 Apr 2007 19:05:37 +0100 525255 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=512183&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F105435014%2Fcasual_fridays_who_turned_that_1.php This week's Casual Friday study attempted to get to the bottom of the age-old thermostat battle. In every office, classroom, and home, it seems, no one can agree on the proper temperature to set the thermostat. While one person is shivering like a wet poodle, their office-mate is sweating like fountain. I've talked with a few of my (now over-40) friends about the issue, and several of us agree that we seem to be getting more sensitive to temperature as we age. A much more common stereotype, however, is that men tend to run hot while women run cold. When my family watches TV together, Jim and I are often in shorts and T-shirts while Greta and Nora huddle together under an afghan. We asked 333 readers how often they felt cold indoors when the room was a "normal" temperature, and the respons... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=512183 Fri, 30 Mar 2007 19:53:27 +0100 512183 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=497134&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F103935562%2Fcasual_fridays_who_turned_that.php Last weekend Greta and I had a joint party celebrating our fortieth birthdays (my birthday was in January, Greta's is in May, so we split the difference). Naturally, the conversation turned to the changes that occur as we get older. I said that I thought I felt cold more often than when I was younger, and one friend, just a couple years older than me, said the same thing happened to him. I can recall a time just seven or eight years ago when I was always the warmest person in the office -- I was the guy who constantly wanted to turn the thermostat down, while everyone else wanted it much warmer. Now I frequently get the chills. Is this just a by-product of age, or is something else going on? I've also lost about 30 pounds since then, so maybe that's to blame. This week's study might help ... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=497134 Fri, 23 Mar 2007 20:59:26 +0100 497134 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=478316&cid=t_323710_109_f&fid=34741&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fcognitivedaily%2F%7E3%2F102258579%2Fcasual_fridays_is_us_southern_1.php The general consensus about last week's world accent test is that it was very difficult, but also quite fun. Everyone also wanted to know the answers to the quiz. I'm not going to make it that easy for you, but at the end of the post I will offer a way for you to figure out which is which. The test required participants to listen to ten people from different parts of the world reading the same English text sample (via the fantastic Speech Accent Archive). Then they had to choose which accent was which from a list of 15 countries (actually 15 countries and 2 U.S. states). Which accent was easiest to recognize? Alabama! Eighty-eight percent of respondents correctly identified this accent (though this result was statistically indistinguishable from Wisconsin, with 86.5 percent correct). Here... Cognitive Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=478316 Fri, 16 Mar 2007 17:13:20 +0100 478316