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Neuronarrative
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- March 24, 2009
- 12:00 PM
- 1,658 views
Finding the Money Illusion in the Brain
by David DiSalvo in Neuronarrative
One of the daggers that have pierced the heart of the long-held economic rationality assumption (that we are all rational actors on the economic stage) is the “money illusion” proposition. Rather than only rationally considering the real value of money (the value of goods that it can buy), we actually consider a combination of the real value and the nominal value (the amount of currency) - and sometimes we ignore the real value altogether.
Using an example from the book Choices, Values and Frames by psychologist Daniel Kahneman, let’s say that you receive a 2% salary increase. Unfortunately, the rate of inflation when you receive this increase is 4%. In real terms, you are actually in the hole by 2%, which, under the rationality assumption, we’d expect would elicit a negative reaction — the same as we’d expect if someone got a 2% pay cut. But this isn’t how most people react. Rather, the reaction to the real loss of 2% is tempered by the reaction to the nominal gain of 2%. In effect, the nominal evaluation interferes with the real evaluation, resulting in the money illusion.
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Weber, B., Rangel, A., Wibral, M., & Falk, A. (2009) The medial prefrontal cortex exhibits money illusion. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0901490106
- March 23, 2009
- 02:46 PM
- 1,656 views
This is Your Brain on the Edge of Chaos
by David DiSalvo in Neuronarrative
What do our brains have in common with piles of sand, earthquakes, forest fires and avalanches? Each of those is a dynamic system in a self-organized critical state, and according to a new study in PloS Computational Biology, so is the brain.
Systems in a critical state are on the cusp of a transition between ordered and random behavior. Take a pile of sand for example: as grains of sand are added to the pile, they eventually form a slope. At a certain point, the sloping sand reaches a “critical state,” and at this point adding even a single grain can cause an avalanche that may be small or large. We can’t predict the moment or size of the avalanche, but we know that when the critical state is reached, there are several potential responses that may occur in the system (pile of sand).
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Manfred G. Kitzbichler, Marie L. Smith, Søren R. Christensen, Ed Bullmore. (2009) Broadband Criticality of Human Brain Network Synchronization. PLoS Computational Biology.
- April 13, 2009
- 12:00 PM
- 1,605 views
What Might Make You Trust a Stranger?
by David DiSalvo in Neuronarrative
It comes as no surprise that people tend to prefer others from their same in-group. If you’re a diehard supporter of a political candidate and someone drives by with a bumper sticker endorsing the candidate, you feel a hint of “inness” with that person. If someone drives by with a bumper sticker of the candidate’s opponent, you feel a twinge of “otherness” about that person. If asked why, you might say that the first person probably shares many of your views and you’re on the same team, more or less. The second driver is showing with the opponent’s bumper sticker that she’s on the other team. In effect, you feel a sense of in-group trust with the first person that you don’t feel with the second.
But why, exactly, trust a stranger any more than another stranger if you don’t really know either of them?
... Read more »
Foddy, M., Platow, M., & Yamagishi, T. (2009) Group-Based Trust in Strangers: The Role of Stereotypes and Expectations. Psychological Science, 20(4), 419-422. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9280.2009.02312.x
- May 4, 2009
- 02:00 PM
- 1,564 views
When Faced with Stereotypes, Picking the Positive Sidesteps a Psych-out
by David DiSalvo in Neuronarrative
A new study from researchers at the University of Indiana shows that women have grown wily to the effects of stereotypes. When faced with positive and negative stereotypes related to performance, they identify with the positive, avoiding the psych-out effects of the negative.
Take the mathematics stereotype, for example. Previous studies have shown that women perform worse on mathematical tasks if they’re only aware of the negative stereotype that women are weaker at math than men. In this study, however, lead researcher Robert Rydell took the analysis a step further by asking: what would happen if women were made aware of a positive stereotype at the same time as the negative?
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Rydell, R., McConnell, A., & Beilock, S. (2009) Multiple social identities and stereotype threat: Imbalance, accessibility, and working memory. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 96(5), 949-966. DOI: 10.1037/a0014846
- March 26, 2009
- 12:00 PM
- 1,537 views
What Does Expert Advice Really Do to Our Brains?
by David DiSalvo in Neuronarrative
A new study in PLoS suggests that expert advice causes the brain to “offload” calculations of expected utility (loss or gain) when making a financial decision under risk. This is an intriguing result, but we should take a closer look to see why this study really only examines one aspect of decision-making, and does not suggest, contrary to headlines, that expert advice causes the brain to “switch off rationality” or “shut down.”
... Read more »
Jan B. Engelmann, C. Monica Capra, Charles Noussair, Gregory S. Berns. (2009) Expert Financial Advice Neurobiologically “Offloads” Financial Decision-Making under Risk. PLoS.
- March 19, 2009
- 12:00 PM
- 1,519 views
You Can Be Afraid To Lose, But Don’t Lose Perspective
by David DiSalvo in Neuronarrative
Anyone who has ever stood to lose anything (all of us) knows that emotions play a big part in how we react to potential loss. Sweaty palms and upper lips, fidgety fingers and bouncing knees, frantic, racing thoughts – all are signs of emotional tumult when facing the risk of loss – and all seem involuntary. But a recent study indicates that we can influence the degree of emotional reaction, and our level of loss aversion. The solution, in short: think like a trader.
Seasoned traders are careful not to lose perspective when facing potential loss. They view loss as part of the game, but not the end of the game, and they rationally accept that taking a risk entails the possibility of losing. Researchers wanted to investigate whether cognitive regulation strategies (like those embodied by traders) could be used to affect loss aversion and the physiological correlates of facing loss.
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Sokol-Hessner, P., Hsu, M., Curley, N., Delgado, M., Camerer, C., & Phelps, E. (2009) Thinking like a trader selectively reduces individuals' loss aversion. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0806761106
- April 21, 2009
- 12:00 PM
- 1,501 views
Riding the Self-Regulation See Saw
by David DiSalvo in Neuronarrative
The April issue of Psychological Science includes an interesting paradoxical study on moral self-regulation. Building on previous research that examines why people act altruistically even when such action is costly, researchers wanted to take a closer look at the moral back-and-forth we all engage in when deciding how to act.
In the spotlight are two polar opposite terms: moral cleansing and moral licensing. Moral cleansing is the tendency to engage in a moral behavior to offset negative feelings of self worth. For example, if someone feels bad that they don’t regularly recycle, they might be strolling through a Home Depot one day and decide to buy a boxful of energy-efficient light bulbs to switch out all the less-efficient bulbs in their house. The self-worth deficit of the first lack-of-action is offset by the self-worth boost of the second.
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Sachdeva, S., Iliev, R., & Medin, D. (2009) Sinning Saints and Saintly Sinners: The Paradox of Moral Self-Regulation. Psychological Science, 20(4), 523-528. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9280.2009.02326.x
- March 17, 2009
- 12:42 PM
- 1,477 views
Why ‘Many’ Might be the Loneliest Number: An Interview with John Cacioppo
by DD in Neuronarrative
Right now we enjoy more ways to stay connected with people across the globe than at any time in history. What a remarkable irony, then, that “loneliness” is still a topic finding its way into headlines, perhaps now more than ever. How can oceans of distance no longer be an obstacle to communicating, and yet [...]... Read more »
Cacioppo, J., & Hawkley, L. (2003) Social Isolation and Health, with an Emphasis on Underlying Mechanisms. Perspectives in Biology and Medicine, 46(3). DOI: 10.1353/pbm.2003.0049
Hawkley, L., Masi, C., Berry, J., & Cacioppo, J. (2006) Loneliness Is a Unique Predictor of Age-Related Differences in Systolic Blood Pressure. Psychology and Aging, 21(1), 152-164. DOI: 10.1037/0882-7974.21.1.152
- June 10, 2009
- 01:00 PM
- 1,385 views
How a Dose of Drama Can Make a Donor Out of You
by David DiSalvo in Neuronarrative
A new study suggests that emotional involvement with our favorite television shows might be worth a kidney or two. Organ donation, when depicted favorably in popular television dramas, gets a boost in the public sphere. This might be good or bad, depending on how you look at it.
First, a bit about the study. For some time now research has been showing that television is a potent way to facilitate social learning, which is the tendency of people to model attitudes and behaviors of others under particular conditions. Two conditions are requisite: attention and memory. Engaging television dramas that draw the viewer into their narratives meet both conditions — they absorb attention and catalyze memory formation. When a viewer strongly identifies with a particular character in the drama, the effect is even more potent. (I recently discussed this narrative effect here regarding smoking, and a previous post looked at the emotional boost TV shows can provide.)
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Morgan, S., Movius, L., & Cody, M. (2009) The Power of Narratives: The Effect of Entertainment Television Organ Donation Storylines on the Attitudes, Knowledge, and Behaviors of Donors and Nondonors. Journal of Communication, 59(1), 135-151. DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-2466.2008.01408.x
- July 23, 2009
- 05:00 PM
- 1,322 views
Being in Someone Else’s Head is Exhausting
by David DiSalvo in Neuronarrative
More and more research suggests that our brains have difficulty differentiating between observing an action and actually participating in it. Empathy, for example, seems to hinge in part on our ability to “take on” another’s emotions through vicarious experience. I always think of this when watching a comedian fall flat. I can feel the embarrassment as if I’m standing there on stage looking at a room full of blank stares.
A new study in the journal Psychological Science investigated this dynamic, but from a different angle: researchers wanted to know if observing someone else exert self-control boosts or reduces one’s own self-control.
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Ackerman, J., Goldstein, N., Shapiro, J., & Bargh, J. (2009) You Wear Me Out: The Vicarious Depletion of Self-Control. Psychological Science, 20(3), 326-332. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9280.2009.02290.x
- August 21, 2009
- 09:30 AM
- 1,280 views
Judgments Get Heavy When Weight is on Your Mind
by David DiSalvo in Neuronarrative
A few years ago I was part of a group that was making a presentation to state health agencies on effective ways to educate the public about air quality. During our last practice session before the real presentation, one of the older, sly presenters brought in three massive bound documents and dropped them with a thud on the lectern. Before we started, I asked him what he was going to do with them. He replied, “You’ll see.”
When it was his turn to present, I did indeed see. Every time he made reference to research backing up his assertions, he lifted one of the documents high enough for the audience to see, and then judiciously dropped it onto the wood surface, just enough for everyone to feel the weight of it. I never asked him if the documents actually contained the research he was mentioning, but it really didn’t matter. The effect was potent.
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Jostmann, N., Lakens, D., & Schubert, T. (2009) Weight as an Embodiment of Importance. Psychological Science. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9280.2009.02426.x
- September 25, 2009
- 11:30 AM
- 1,248 views
Got Pain? Take Two Photos of Your Loved One and Call Me in the Morning
by David DiSalvo in Neuronarrative
Before our first son was born, my wife and I took labor preparation classes at the hospital. The instructor suggested that when the big day arrived, husbands (or partners) should bring to the hospital a photograph of someone or something that their wives love (kids, pets, family members, etc). While in labor, the instructor said, the photo will help the soon-to-be mother cope with the pain.
This seemed like decent counsel to me, though probably more of a “good feeling” suggestion than a scientific one. I’ve just come across a new study, however, that injects some sound science into the advice.
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Master, S., Eisenberger, N., Taylor, S., Naliboff, B., Shirinyan, D., & Lieberman, M. (2009) A Picture's Worth: Partner Photographs Reduce Experimentally Induced Pain. Psychological Science. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9280.2009.02444.x
- March 16, 2009
- 12:00 PM
- 1,244 views
For the Brain, Keeping it Real Means Keeping it Relevant
by David DiSalvo in Neuronarrative
How does the brain distinguish between reality and fiction — and more importantly, does the brain distinguish between reality and fiction?
These questions served as the jumping off point for a new fMRI study that attempted to identify how the brain responds when exposed to contexts involving real people or fictional characters. The study followed up on a similar study conducted in 2008 entitled: “Meeting George Bush versus meeting Cinderella: the neural response when telling apart what is real from what is fictional in the context of our reality“.
In the present study, researchers evaluated subjects’ brain regions–specifically the anterior medial prefrontal and posterior cingulate cortices (amPFC, PCC)–while they were exposed to contexts involving three groups: (1) family and friends (high relevance), (2) famous people (medium relevance), and (3) fictional characters (low relevance). The working hypothesis was that exposure to contexts with a higher degree of relevance would result in stronger activation of the amPFC and PCC.
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Anna Abraham, & Yves von Cramon. (2009) Reality . PLoS ONE.
- September 3, 2009
- 12:55 PM
- 1,244 views
If You’re Feeling Warm and Fuzzy, It Might Just be the Coffee
by David DiSalvo in Neuronarrative
If you have a falling out with someone and they start ignoring you, they’re “giving you the cold shoulder.” If you feel emotionally close to someone, you have “warm feelings” towards that person. We’re accustomed to using metaphorical language like this to describe human relationships, but do these words also imply more literal meanings?
A new study in the journal Psychological Science investigated whether the actual experience of warmth or coldness influences our perception of social relationships. In other words, are temperature differences tied to differences in social closeness and social distance?
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IJzerman, H., & Semin, G. (2009) The Thermometer of Social Relations: Mapping Social Proximity on Temperature. Psychological Science. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9280.2009.02434.x
- September 21, 2009
- 11:00 AM
- 1,225 views
When it Comes to Trusting Authority, Moral Conviction and Religiosity Part Ways
by David DiSalvo in Neuronarrative
One of the consistent elements in political discussions is the influence of religious belief on attitudes toward government. And typically it’s assumed that a high degree of religiosity is synonymous with a high degree of moral conviction – they’re popularly thought to go hand-in-hand. So, if someone’s attitude toward governmental auhtority is influenced by his or her religiosity, it should logically follow that this attitude is further buttressed by his or her moral conviction; the influence should be the same.
But is that true?
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Wisneski, D., Lytle, B., & Skitka, L. (2009) Gut Reactions: Moral Conviction, Religiosity, and Trust in Authority. Psychological Science, 20(9), 1059-1063. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9280.2009.02406.x
- August 14, 2009
- 12:30 PM
- 1,214 views
Dishonesty and Emotion have a Stronger Link than We Think
by David DiSalvo in Neuronarrative
Let’s say that you work in an office with several people, and everyone is expected to meet certain performance standards. You’re an outstanding performer, considered one of the best in the firm. A couple offices down from you is a guy named Wendel, and you feel sorry for Wendel because he’s not quite able to meet the performance standards and is always teetering on the edge of losing his job. Your sense of Wendel is that he’s a good guy who just never gets the right breaks, and if he were given more chances to succeed he could probably pull himself out of his slump.
One day, you’re working on a project team with Wendel and notice that he’s screwed up a major report bigtime—big enough that he’s sure to get fired if anyone else sees it—but so far only you have seen it and you have a brief opportunity to cover up Wendel’s mistakes. If you cover them up, in effect lying by passing off your work as Wendel’s, you’ll probably get away with it and Wendel will go on to work another day. If you don’t, he’s finished.
What will you do?
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Gino, F., & Pierce, L. (2009) Dishonesty in the Name of Equity. Psychological Science. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9280.2009.02421.x
- October 19, 2009
- 03:00 PM
- 1,206 views
Just How ‘Blind’ Are You When Talking on a Cell Phone?
by David DiSalvo in Neuronarrative
Everyday in the news we see stories decrying the use of cell phones while driving. Research reports aplenty have been released estimating the percentage of one’s attention siphoned by mobile jabber and how little is left to focus on the highway.
This is great and I’m glad the discussion is happening, but it might be useful to ask whether cell phone use in other (non-driving) venues has a similar effect on attention. What better way to make the point that cell phone use is dangerous when driving than showing its effect on someone doing something not nearly as focus intensive — like walking, for instance.
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Hyman, I., Boss, S., Wise, B., McKenzie, K., & Caggiano, J. (2009) Did you see the unicycling clown? Inattentional blindness while walking and talking on a cell phone. Applied Cognitive Psychology. DOI: 10.1002/acp.1638
- October 5, 2009
- 12:30 PM
- 1,202 views
Once You Start Trusting a Source, Beware the Trust Trap
by David DiSalvo in Neuronarrative
If you follow a news commentator closely, reading everything he or she writes in whatever venue it appears, you may unknowingly be in a trust trap. Studies have shown that once we invest trust in a particular source of knowledge, we’re less likely to scrutinize information from that source in the future.
Now a new study in the journal Applied Psychological Science has taken this investigation a step further, showing that the trust trap can also result in the creation of false memories — and not only in the short term.
... Read more »
Zhu, B., Chen, C., F. Loftus, E., Lin, C., & Dong, Q. (2009) Treat and trick: A new way to increase false memory. Applied Cognitive Psychology. DOI: 10.1002/acp.1637
- September 9, 2009
- 03:00 PM
- 1,171 views
The Closer You Are, the More I Believe You
by David DiSalvo in Neuronarrative
Let’s say that you’re watching a taped television show in which someone is being interviewed about an alleged theft she may or may not have committed. She offers a detailed explanation as to why she’s innocent, and you as one viewer among many are left to decide if she’s telling the truth.
Now let’s say that instead of watching her on broadcast television, you’re watching her live on closed circuit television. Only you can see her being interviewed about the alleged crime – it’s just you, a TV monitor and a woman in a room telling her story.
Finally, imagine that instead of watching her on any sort of television, you are sitting across the table from her, listening to her explain why she’s innocent.
Under which of those three conditions do you think you’d find the woman more believable?
... Read more »
Landström, S., & Granhag, P. (2009) In-court versus out-of-court testimonies: Children's experiences and adults' assessments. Applied Cognitive Psychology. DOI: 10.1002/acp.1606
- August 25, 2009
- 10:00 AM
- 1,163 views
I Must Be Guilty – the Video Says So
by David DiSalvo in Neuronarrative
A minor landslide of research from the past few years points to a dismaying fact about memory — it can be manipulated, far more often and extensively than previously thought. One implication of this realization is that eyewitness testimony, a stanchion of our criminal justice system, is no longer beyond reproach. Another is that in a world dominated by endlessly plyable electronic media, you can never be 100% sure that what you’re seeing is what really happened. Two recent studies from the journal Applied Cognitive Psychology illustrate that last point nicely.... Read more »
Wade, K., Green, S., & Nash, R. (2009) Can fabricated evidence induce false eyewitness testimony?. Applied Cognitive Psychology. DOI: 10.1002/acp.1607
Nash, R., & Wade, K. (2009) Innocent but proven guilty: Eliciting internalized false confessions using doctored-video evidence. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 23(5), 624-637. DOI: 10.1002/acp.1500
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