Psychology and Neuroscience Stack Exchange
Psychology and Neuroscience Stack Exchange

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Why does a neuron choose to connect to another?

I have been reading about neuron creation, guidance cues and all sorts of highly complex mechanisms used to allow one neuron axon to extend or connect - but to what end? Why does one neuron end up connecting to another? (instead of all the others)
James
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Number of presynaptic inputs per cell in primary visual cortex

I have been digging in the literature lately, but I haven't found a nice answer with clear cut numbers (avg +- std) to this question: How many presynaptic inputs receives a pyramidal cell in primary visual cortex (preferably in cat)? To be a bit…
SmCaterpillar
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Can an extravert suffer from social anxiety disorder?

Extraversion is a personality trait that, as the Wikipedia article describes, causes people "to enjoy human interactions", to be sociable, outgoing and love crowds. Social anxiety disorder (SAD), on the other hand, causes people to fear being judged…
Elizabeth
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What is it called to think without language? Are there studies around it?

I think there are two types of thinking: with and without language. For my entire life, in my opinion, I have always thought without language. Some people say it's impossible and that we think with language without knowing it. But the fact is that I…
Enoque Duarte
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Spiking Neural Network Simulation: Measuring and Classifying Bump Attractor States

I am currently working with Spiking Neural Networks and multi-(meta)-stable attractor states. What I observe in my simulations are 'bump' attractors that appear, disappear, and may wander around. Here is a screen shot from a simulation: Dark blue…
SmCaterpillar
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How to better remember your dreams?

Often times, I wake up with an amazing, yet fleeting glimpse of a dream I had. I would like to recollect those events I had in my dream, and try to adopt ways to better remember those dreams. There are a few (random) ways that I have tried, but I…
unclepete
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Why is it easier to fall asleep in the dark?

I'm curious if there is any neurological mechanism that explains why falling asleep is easier in the dark. I recognize that this isn't true universally -- a phobia of darkness might make it easier to sleep with the lights on -- but it seems to be…
Josh
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Cognitive (neuro)science and related mailing lists

I am looking for cognitive neuroscience (and related) mailing lists. For some time I have been subscribed to Visionlist and found it to be a tremendous source of information about conferences, PhD and postdoc opportunities. Does anybody else know…
Aleksander
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Why does autism sometimes impede the ability to produce speech?

My seventeen year old brother is severely autistic and unable to communicate. He can produce sounds, and imitate words, but he doesn't respond to words in a way that suggests he understands them. His imitations are always imperfect, and this is what…
Lou
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Why do scientists say brains are faster than computers?

Supposing that neurons function similarly to transistors: A neuron able to fire $200$ times per second and transistors can be switched on and off more than $100,000,000,000$ ($10^{11}$) times per second. Let's say it fires 1 out of 2 times in…
KugBuBu
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Are Rorschach (inkblot) tests still used as a diagnostic tool?

Are Rorschach tests still used as a diagnostic tool today, or are they just a relic from the 60's? If they are still in use, what sort of information do they provide?
IQAndreas
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Is there any standardized test / questionnaire to measure frustration?

I'm looking for a well-established standardized test to measure frustration (level) of humans. Is there such an instrument? I'm looking for a relatively short test that assesses frustration level at the point in time when the participant completes…
user6189
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Why does clickbait use numbers?

Around the Internet, especially in social media, we see examples of hyperlinks in a common format that has been cynically dubbed "click bait" or "link bait". The idea is that authors publish these links with evocative titles, trying to entice a…
Anthony
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How to assess participant awareness of experimental deception without inducing awareness?

I am designing a memory experiment with a deceptive critical trial, wherein an item is swapped without the participant's knowledge. What is the best way to determine if the participant has noticed the swap, without actually informing them of…
Charlie
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Method for evaluating how emotionally evocative a question is?

I would like to measure the change in emotional state in response to a question. For example, asking the question, "What is your favorite color?" would be fairly benign; I would not expect any change in emotional state. However, I would expect a…
Jim
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