cognitivescience
Changes in personality following a heart transplant have been noted pretty much ever since transplants began. In one case, a person who hated classical music developed a passion for the genre after receiving a musician’s heart. The recipient later died holding a violin case. In another case, a 45-year-old man remarked how, since receiving the heart of a 17-year-old boy, he loves to put on headphones and listen to loud music – something he had never done before the transplant. A recent study suggests that heart transplant recipients may not be unique in experiencing personality changes. These c...
PsyPost (UK)
Recent research has found that playing video games regularly is linked to better navigation skills, while relying on GPS systems does not appear to impact one’s ability to find their way. The new study provides insight into how modern technology influences our cognitive functions, specifically in terms of wayfinding ability. The study was published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology. Navigation is a critical cognitive function that involves complex processes such as planning routes, reading maps, identifying landmarks, and maintaining a sense of direction. The ability to navigate effec...
PsyPost (UK)
A recent study published in Nature Human Behaviour has found that certain visual properties of scenes — like their size, clutter, and memorability — can distort our perception of time. Specifically, larger and more memorable scenes appear to stretch time, while cluttered scenes seem to compress it. The primary motivation behind this research was to explore a less-studied aspect of sensory perception: time. While time is integral to all sensory processes, its perception—how we gauge the passage of time and how it influences the processing of other sensory information—has remained somewhat enigm...
PsyPost (UK)
New research published in Cognition reveals that repeated exposure not only makes people more likely to believe information is true but also falsely remember knowing it beforehand. The “truth effect’ demonstrates how repeated exposure to a statement can significantly influence our belief in its truthfulness, regardless of its actual accuracy. The ease with which our brain processes these repeated statements—a concept known as processing fluency—is often mistakenly interpreted as a signal of truth. This effect takes on greater significance with the proliferation of fake news through social medi...
PsyPost (UK)
Scientists have discovered that individuals who are particularly good at learning patterns and sequences tend to struggle with tasks requiring active thinking and decision-making. Their new research, published in npj Science of Learning, found a negative correlation between statistical learning and executive functions, suggesting that as one strengthens, the other may diminish slightly. This finding provides valuable insights into the competitive interactions that underpin our cognitive skills. The motivation behind the study originated from a desire to deepen our understanding of how differen...
PsyPost (UK)
New research published in Nature has revealed a strong link between diet and brain health. The study found that older individuals who maintain a balanced diet exhibit enhanced mental health, superior cognitive functions, and increased grey matter volume in the brain, which is often associated with intelligence. Researchers have long observed the profound impacts of dietary choices not only on physical health but also on mental well-being and cognitive function. However, a detailed understanding of how specific dietary elements influence brain structure and function had remained underexplored. ...
PsyPost (UK)
Recent research has shed light on how different levels of illuminance—the measure of the amount of light—can enhance alertness and cognitive performance in humans. The study found that higher light levels affect specific areas of the brain region known as the hypothalamus, enhancing certain cognitive functions during tasks that involve executive and emotional processing. The findings were published in the journal eLife. The primary motivation behind the study was to understand how varying intensities of light impact the human brain, particularly the hypothalamus, which plays a crucial role in ...
PsyPost (UK)
Puzzle fans are hooked on Connections, the latest word game from the New York Times that launched in June 2023, following the success of Wordle. The premise of the Connections game is deceivingly simple: from a grid of 16 words, find four groups of four that each have something in common. So why does this game spark so much delight and frustration among players? To solve Connections puzzles, players need to draw on different aspects of word knowledge like a word’s meaning, grammar (e.g. a noun or verb), and how the word is spelled or pronounced. This information is stored in what cognitive sci...
PsyPost (UK)
A study using the mobile video game Sea Hero Quest found that men, but not women, who reported shorter sleep durations tended to perform worse on wayfinding tasks in the game. The association disappeared when men who reported sleeping fewer than 6 or more than 9 hours per night were excluded from the analysis. The findings were published in Scientific Reports. Sleep quality refers to how well a person sleeps. It encompasses aspects such as how long it takes to fall asleep, the amount of time spent in different sleep stages, the number of awakenings during a night, and how rested a person feels...
PsyPost (UK)
New research published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General suggests reading fiction offers small but meaningful cognitive benefits, particularly for verbal skills, empathy, and the ability to understand others’ perspectives. Despite the longstanding popularity of fiction, its cognitive benefits have remained a topic of debate among educators, psychologists, and the general public. Fiction is often seen primarily as a source of entertainment, but there’s a growing body of research suggesting it might also play an important role in enhancing cognitive abilities. The new study aime...
PsyPost (UK)
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