08 MAR 2015 by ideonexus
Professors Come from a Select Few Universities
The evidence is not only anecdotal. A recent study by Aaron Clauset, Samuel Arbesman, and Daniel B. Larremore shows that “a quarter of all universities account for 71 to 86 percent of all tenure-track faculty in the U.S. and Canada in these three fields. Just 18 elite universities produce half of all computer science professors, 16 schools produce half of all business professors, and eight schools account for half of all history professors.” This study follows the discovery by political s...
1 24 FEB 2014 by ideonexus
The Problem of Scientific Literacy
In 1905, at a gathering of the world’s greatest minds in the physical sciences, Henri Poincare´ reflected on the rapid progress of scientific inquiry and the means through which the scientific community at the turn of the twentieth century and beyond would refine our understanding of the world. In his historical address, Poincare´ warned against the seduction of reducing science to a domain of seeming facts, stating, "Science is built up of facts, as a house is built of stones; but an acc...Folksonomies: education scientific literacy
Folksonomies: education scientific literacy
1 
notes
notesWe are failing students by treating science as a collection of facts rather than a method of thought.
29 DEC 2013 by ideonexus
Chemical Cognitive Enhancers
Pharmaceutical amphetamines (such as Adderall and Ritalin)
These drugs have been used withouit a prescription, for their tirednessreducing and concentration-enhancing effects, by about 5% of students in U.S. colleges, according to a recent study, with some colleges reporting rates as high as 25%.
Modafinil
Modafinil is a nonamphetamine stimulant, marketed to help people with narcolepsy stay awake. It has been reported as popular with otherwise healthy individuals who are using it to mai... 1 notes
notesDrugs to improve cognition.
24 JUL 2013 by ideonexus
Potentially 90 Percent of Crime Rate Changes Explained by...
IN 1994, RICK NEVIN WAS A CONSULTANT working for the US Department of Housing and Urban Development on the costs and benefits of removing lead paint from old houses. This has been a topic of intense study because of the growing body of research linking lead exposure in small children with a whole raft of complications later in life, including lower IQ, hyperactivity, behavioral problems, and learning disabilities.
But as Nevin was working on that assignment, his client suggested they might b...23 years after lead was removed from gasoline, crime rates went up and down dramatically.
29 MAR 2013 by ideonexus
The Growth Mindset
In a recent study, a group of
psychologists decided to see if this
differential reaction is simply behavioral,
or if it actually goes deeper, to the level of
brain performance. The researchers
measured response-locked event-related
potentials (ERPs)—electric neural signals
that result from either an internal or
external event—in the brains of college
students as they took part in a simple
flanker task. The students were shown a
string of five letters and asked to quickly
identify the midd...Folksonomies: intelligence plasticity
Folksonomies: intelligence plasticity
1 notes
notesUnderstanding that intelligence is plastic and improvable increases performance on certain tests.
21 JUL 2011 by ideonexus
Tummy-Time Improves Infant Motor Skills
The recent trend of putting young babies to sleep on their backs also appears to be having an effect on their motor skill acquisition. This posture, which has proven advantageous in reducing the number of SIDS fatalities, does not permit babies to exercise their arm and neck muscles as much as and see the world. In one recent study, pediatricians found that babies who slept on their backs were significantly slower to roll over, sit, crawl, and pull to stand than babies who slept on their stom... 1 notes
notesBy forcing the infant to work their neck and back to look around while on their tummy, they strengthen these important muscles; however, the infant should still remain on their back while sleeping to prevent SIDS.
19 JUL 2011 by ideonexus
Mother's Hormones Impact a Child's Propensity for Shyness
As we learn more about maternal hormones and their influence on the developing brain, scientists are beginning to propose actual biological mechanisms for the kind of folk prophecies that have been around for ages. One recent study, for instance, suggests that a child's shyness is determined, in part, by maternal hormone fluctuations during gestation. Researchers who interviewed several thousand preschoolers in both the United States and New Zealand noted a significant relationship between th... 1 notes
notesThere appears to be a correlation between the amount of sunlight to which a mother is exposed mid-pregnancy and how shy her children are later on.
29 JUN 2011 by ideonexus
Stereotype of Fathers in Advertising
In a recent study of sitcoms, the National Fatherhood Initiative found that fathers were eight times more likely than mothers to be portrayed negatively. In fact, if you just think of the most prominent television dads, you'll find what In fact, if you just think of the most prominent television dads, you'll find what the NFI's study—and a lot of other research—has found: that most of them are outwitted or shown up by their wives, ridiculed by their children, and portrayed as complete inc...Folksonomies: fatherhood stereotypes
Folksonomies: fatherhood stereotypes
1 notes
notesFathers are portrayed as incompetent, bumbling idiots in advertising, which focuses on the importance of mothers, raising the question of cause and effect.
27 JUN 2011 by ideonexus
Sitters and Rovers
Once you know about sitters and rovers, you see them everywhere, especially among young children. Drop in on your local Mommy and Me music class: there are the sitters, intently watching the action from their mothers’ laps, while the rovers march around the room banging their drums and shaking their maracas.
Relaxed and exploratory, the rovers have fun, make friends and will take risks, both rewarding and dangerous ones, as they grow. According to Daniel Nettle, a Newcastle University ev... 1 notes
notesShy people bring much to the cultural table. If everyone were outgoing, society would miss out on the crucial benefits of introspection.
01 JAN 2010 by ideonexus
Generation @ is Not the Cultural Revolution Predicted
In purely statistical terms, it appears that ever-greater proportions of young people's days are focused on technology. According to a recent study carried out by the Stuttgart-based media research group MPFS, 98 percent of 12- to 19-year-olds in Germany now have access to the Internet. And by their own estimates, they are online for an average of 134 minutes a day -- just three minutes less than they spend in front of the television.
However, the raw figures say little about what these supp...Folksonomies: new media generation @
Folksonomies: new media generation @
1 notes
notesAlthough the media refer to them as "digital natives," "Generation @" or simply "the net generation." The current generation sees the Internet the same way my generation saw TV's, radio, and VCRs, something that was always there. Despite the potential, they don't use this medium for much else than communication and entertainment.
