Most Popular
1500 questions
7
votes
1 answer
A study about preference for making relatively vs. absolute more money?
I remember reading about a study. I forgot the actual details of it, but the gist of it was: people were asked in what situation they would prefer to live, one where they make \$100,000 dollars and the neighbours all make \$200,000 dollars, or one…
rumtscho
- 540
- 2
- 14
7
votes
2 answers
What does daytime actigraphy reveal about an active and awake brain?
I have interest in the study of human motion (
Actigraphy), and have built a couple of smartphone apps using its principles. The apps look at gross motor activity of an individual. Up until now, most of my reading into the field has been focused on…
Alex Stone
- 9,390
- 2
- 30
- 79
7
votes
1 answer
Does homosexuality correlate with narcissism or finding yourself attractive?
I'm a heterosexual male. Male bodies do not appeal to me much. I find my own (average) body mediocre. At the same time I find average female bodies rather interesting and attractive. The same goes for faces and "male" and "female" character traits.…
user3116
7
votes
2 answers
Can the effectiveness of antidepressants be explained by a placebo effect?
A friend of mine showed me a paper (Kirsch, 2014) where the author claims that antidepressants work mostly through a placebo effect (backed up with relevant citations). Antidepressants are generally serotonin enhancers and their mechanism of action…
Janus Boffin
- 203
- 1
- 4
7
votes
1 answer
Applying signal detection theory to single-stimulus presentations
Normally, signal detection theory (SDT) is applied to data that involves giving two-alternative forced choice (2AFC) responses to pairs of stimuli, for instance saying whether stimulus B was the same or different from stimulus A.
I am wondering if…
z8080
- 919
- 2
- 7
- 13
7
votes
1 answer
How to efficiently get a sense of the meaning of a score on a non-aptitude test that you encounter in a journal article?
Context: When reading research articles in psychology, you often encounter new non-aptitude self-report psychological tests (e.g., measures of personality, well-being, psychopathology, learning style, stress, goal orientation, etc.). Most of these…
Jeromy Anglim
- 30,741
- 11
- 93
- 221
7
votes
1 answer
How to measure stress quantitatively?
I am wondering what the most straightforward way is to measure stress levels objectively and quantitatively *, and specifically, cognitive load. I am open to suggestions, but my understanding is that pupil dilation and increased skin conductivity…
AliceD
- 20,583
- 8
- 49
- 140
7
votes
2 answers
What if people understand or interpret words differently in their mind?
Let's think about it, we have all adopted to learn the meaning of words through experiences or emotions. We didn't learn each and every word from a dictionary. What if I understand a word slightly differently in my complex mind? Could it result in…
dark silence
- 71
- 5
7
votes
1 answer
How are movements stored in the brain?
The high level flow of information through the brain for the purpose of motor control is well established. It is also known the cerebellum stores many different movements, while also participating in the fine-tuning and coordination of movements.…
Seanny123
- 8,853
- 3
- 25
- 61
7
votes
1 answer
Under what circumstances does the brain devote resources to only the "when" of sensory events?
In a recent review article (Arnal & Giraud, 2012), the authors delve into changes in cortical oscillations which assist in predicting the causes of a sensory stimulus (the "what", via predictive coding) and its timing (the "when", via predictive…
Chuck Sherrington
- 7,112
- 4
- 43
- 83
7
votes
1 answer
Is the ordering of Brodmann areas arbitrary?
A single Brodmann area is defined based off cellular composition. Are the Brodmann areas ordinal, and if so for what reason? (e.g. is there something that makes Brodmann area 1 the "first one", and area 2 the "second one"?)
RECURSIVE FARTS
- 626
- 1
- 6
- 16
7
votes
4 answers
What is the easiest way to memorize big amounts of information (a.k.a. learning for exams)?
I consider myself a person with above average intelligence, that is, I am able to understand complex systems with relative ease. My weak point however is that I've always struggled with memorizing. Back in school I excelled in math and physics, but…
Zsolt Szatmari
- 179
- 4
7
votes
1 answer
Find the panda among snowmen!
I just saw this picture puzzle, and found it easily by doing a row-by-row scan, but it seems harder to find it just by looking around. I was thinking that the puzzle was intentionally designed to draw attention away from the correct location, by…
user21820
- 170
- 1
- 4
7
votes
2 answers
Why do Spiritual people try to sleep less?
In Monasteries and other spiritual contexts, there seems to be a "rule" that sleep is wasted time, and so the usual daily schedule only allows for about 4-5 hours of sleep. This might be enough for an 80-year-old, but anyone else will probably be…
user9634
7
votes
1 answer
Can two neurons in the brain be connected more than once?
Can two given neurons in the human brain can be directly connected more than once, either mutually or in the same or direction? Also, can the same neuron have transitive connections to itself (in order to amplify itself for example)?
danijar
- 771
- 3
- 12