<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	xmlns:georss="http://www.georss.org/georss" xmlns:geo="http://www.w3.org/2003/01/geo/wgs84_pos#" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>Peter H Brown Clinical Psychologist</title>
	<atom:link href="http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com</link>
	<description>Resources from the World of Psychology</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Fri, 28 Dec 2012 10:55:53 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
	<generator>http://wordpress.com/</generator>
<cloud domain='peterhbrown.wordpress.com' port='80' path='/?rsscloud=notify' registerProcedure='' protocol='http-post' />
<image>
		<url>http://1.gravatar.com/blavatar/160e50c9cbeb896d0f6ae13763549ac5?s=96&#038;d=http%3A%2F%2Fs2.wp.com%2Fi%2Fbuttonw-com.png</url>
		<title>Peter H Brown Clinical Psychologist</title>
		<link>http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com</link>
	</image>
	<atom:link rel="search" type="application/opensearchdescription+xml" href="http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/osd.xml" title="Peter H Brown Clinical Psychologist" />
	<atom:link rel='hub' href='http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/?pushpress=hub'/>
		<item>
		<title>The Science Of &#8220;Baby Brain&#8221;</title>
		<link>http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/2012/06/11/the-science-of-baby-brain/</link>
		<comments>http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/2012/06/11/the-science-of-baby-brain/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 11 Jun 2012 09:29:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>peterhbrown</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[brain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cognition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health Psychology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Parenting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[research]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[stress]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Association for Psychological Science]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[baby brain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chapman University]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[child development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fetal movement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Glynn]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Maternal bond]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mother]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[motherhood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pregnancy]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/?p=1984</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Source credit: ScienceDaily (Dec. 21, 2011) We know a lot about the links between a pregnant mother&#8217;s health, behavior, and moods and her baby&#8217;s cognitive and psychological development once it is born. But how does pregnancy change a mother&#8217;s brain? &#8220;Pregnancy is a critical period for central nervous system development in mothers,&#8221; says psychologist Laura M. [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=peterhbrown.wordpress.com&#038;blog=8514305&#038;post=1984&#038;subd=peterhbrown&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Source credit: <a class="zem_slink" title="Science Daily" href="http://www.sciencedaily.com" rel="homepage" target="_blank">ScienceDaily</a> (Dec. 21, 2011)</p>
<p><a href="http://peterhbrown.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/images.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-1985" title="images" src="http://peterhbrown.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/images.jpg?w=276&#038;h=183" alt="" width="276" height="183" /></a>We know a lot about the links between a pregnant mother&#8217;s health, behavior, and moods and her baby&#8217;s cognitive and psychological development once it is born. But how does pregnancy change a mother&#8217;s brain? &#8220;Pregnancy is a critical period for central nervous system development in mothers,&#8221; says psychologist Laura M. Glynn of <a class="zem_slink" title="Chapman University" href="http://www.chapman.edu" rel="homepage" target="_blank">Chapman University</a>. &#8220;Yet we know virtually nothing about it.&#8221;</p>
<p>Glynn and her colleague Curt A. Sandman, of <span id="GRmark_6aa373c8c48c0afea2828cf178afaf46bdcd0041_University:0" class="GRcorrect">University</span> of the California Irvine, <span id="GRmark_6aa373c8c48c0afea2828cf178afaf46bdcd0041_are doing:1" class="GRcorrect">are doing</span> something about that. Their review of the literature in <em><a class="zem_slink" title="Association for Psychological Science" href="http://www.psychologicalscience.org" rel="homepage" target="_blank">Current Directions in Psychological Science</a></em>, a journal published by the Association for Psychological Science, discusses the theories and findings that are starting to fill what Glynn calls &#8220;a significant gap in our understanding of this critical stage of most women&#8217;s lives.&#8221;</p>
<p>At no other time in a woman&#8217;s life does she experience such massive hormonal fluctuations as during pregnancy. Research suggests that the reproductive hormones may ready a woman&#8217;s brain for the demands of motherhood &#8212; helping her becomes less rattled by stress and more attuned to her baby&#8217;s needs. Although the hypothesis remains untested, Glynn surmises this might be why moms wake up when the baby stirs while <span id="GRmark_7306954dec88ebee14f0c3b4ec9dc4dec97bb9b3_dads:0" class="GRcorrect">dads</span> snore on. Other studies confirm the truth in a common complaint of pregnant women: &#8220;Mommy Brain,&#8221; or impaired memory before and after birth. &#8220;There may be a cost&#8221; of these reproduction-related cognitive and emotional changes, says Glynn, &#8220;but the benefit is a more sensitive, effective mother.&#8221;</p>
<p>The article reviews research that refines earlier findings on the effects of the prenatal environment on the baby. For instance, evidence is accumulating to show that it&#8217;s not prenatal adversity on its own &#8212; say, maternal <span id="GRmark_2872fd995f97d72664d91ed5da245c7843f90c6c_malnourishment:0" class="GRcorrect">malnourishment</span> or depression &#8212; that presents risks for a baby. Congruity between life <em>in <span id="GRmark_7daacda21064843c206da301bf9eafd93fd43ace_utero:0" class="GRcorrect">utero</span></em> and life on the outside may matter more. A fetus whose mother is malnourished adapts to scarcity and will cope better with a dearth of food once it&#8217;s born &#8212; but could become obese if it eats normally. Timing is critical <span id="GRmark_19ef9c4b38c95bd6137a97a9e442801946f79744_too:0" class="GRcorrect">too</span>: maternal anxiety early in gestation takes a toll on the baby&#8217;s cognitive development; the same high levels of stress hormones late in pregnancy enhance it.</p>
<p>Just as Mom permanently affects her fetus, new science suggests that the fetus does the same for Mom. Fetal movement, even when the mother is unaware of it, raises her heart rate and her skin conductivity, signals of emotion &#8212; and perhaps <span id="GRmark_bd891a204e1dc469dba5762ef652d426886dded1_of:0" class="GRcorrect">of</span> pre-natal preparation for mother-child bonding. Fetal cells pass through the placenta into the mother&#8217;s bloodstream. &#8220;It&#8217;s exciting to think about whether those cells are attracted to certain regions in the brain&#8221; that may be involved in optimizing maternal behavior, says Glynn.</p>
<p>Glynn cautions that most research on the maternal brain has been conducted with rodents, whose pregnancies differ enormously from women&#8217;s; more research on human mothers is needed. But she is optimistic that a more comprehensive picture of the persisting brain changes wrought by pregnancy will yield interventions to help at-risk mothers do better <span id="GRmark_40bf5a1f85477466974f18019ff28c0b59dd82aa_by:0" class="GRcorrect">by</span> their babies and themselves.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h6 class="zemanta-related-title" style="font-size:1em;">Related articles</h6>
<ul class="zemanta-article-ul">
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.enfamil.com/app/iwp/enf10/content.do?dm=enf&amp;id=/Consumer_Home3/Prenatal3/Prenatal_Articles/pregnancyMonth2&amp;iwpst=B2C&amp;ls=0&amp;csred=1&amp;r=3490036715" target="_blank">What&#8217;s Your Baby Up to This Month?</a> (enfamil.com)</li>
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.livescience.com/20256-5-amazing-facts-motherhood.html" target="_blank">Super Women: 5 Amazing Facts About Motherhood</a> (livescience.com)</li>
</ul>
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="margin-top:10px;height:15px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" title="Enhanced by Zemanta" href="http://www.zemanta.com/?px"><img class="zemanta-pixie-img" style="border:none;float:right;" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=506e807c-2116-470d-a399-262f69262a86" alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" /></a></div>
<br />  <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gocomments/peterhbrown.wordpress.com/1984/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/comments/peterhbrown.wordpress.com/1984/" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=peterhbrown.wordpress.com&#038;blog=8514305&#038;post=1984&#038;subd=peterhbrown&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/2012/06/11/the-science-of-baby-brain/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	
		<media:content url="http://1.gravatar.com/avatar/d83561d00d7fc09d8f53d5ff9d687b24?s=96&#38;d=wavatar&#38;r=G" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">peterhbrown</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://peterhbrown.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/images.jpg" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">images</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=506e807c-2116-470d-a399-262f69262a86" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Enhanced by Zemanta</media:title>
		</media:content>
	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Weapons Of Mass Persuasion</title>
		<link>http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/2012/04/28/weapons-of-mass-persuasion/</link>
		<comments>http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/2012/04/28/weapons-of-mass-persuasion/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 28 Apr 2012 10:36:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>peterhbrown</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Books]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cognition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Positive Psychology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[research]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Resources]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Arizona State University]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[art of persuasion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cialdini]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[influence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mitt Romney]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[persuasion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[psychology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Robert Cialdini]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Psychology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Steve Martin]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/?p=1967</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Source Credit:  Chris Woolston, Special to the Los Angeles Times April 28, 2012 Mitt Romney on the stump, singles at the bar, car salesmen on the lot: All sorts of people are practicing the art of persuasion, with varying degrees of success. We like to think that we make our own decisions, that we&#8217;re in control. [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=peterhbrown.wordpress.com&#038;blog=8514305&#038;post=1967&#038;subd=peterhbrown&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>
<p><a href="http://peterhbrown.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/fotolia_13984998_xs.jpg"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-1970" title="3d puppet with an megaphone" src="http://peterhbrown.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/fotolia_13984998_xs.jpg?w=366&#038;h=328" alt="" width="366" height="328" /></a>Source Credit:  Chris Woolston, Special to the <a href="http://http://www.latimes.com" target="_blank">Los Angeles Times</a> April 28, 2012</p>
</div>
<div></div>
<div id="story-body-text">
<p><a id="PEPLT007376" title="Mitt Romney" href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/politics/government/mitt-romney-PEPLT007376.topic">Mitt Romney</a> on the stump, singles at the bar, car salesmen on the lot: All sorts of people are practicing the art of persuasion, with varying degrees of success.</p>
<p>We like to think that we make our own decisions, that we&#8217;re in control. But we&#8217;re all open to persuasion by others, says <a class="zem_slink" title="Robert Cialdini" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Cialdini" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">Robert Cialdini</a>, professor emeritus of <a id="13003003" title="Psychology" href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/health/medical-specialization/psychology-13003003.topic">psychology</a> at <a id="OREDU0000567" title="Arizona State University" href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/education/colleges-universities/arizona-state-university-OREDU0000567.topic">Arizona State University</a> and author of &#8220;<a class="zem_slink" title="Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (Collins Business Essentials)" href="http://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Business-Essentials/dp/006124189X%3FSubscriptionId%3D0G81C5DAZ03ZR9WH9X82%26tag%3Dpethbroclipsy-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D006124189X" rel="amazon" target="_blank">Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion</a>.&#8221;</p>
<p>Humans have been testing their own trial-and-error persuasion techniques forever, Cialdini says. Now, for better or worse, the professionals are moving in. Or, as he puts it, &#8220;the art of persuasion has turned into a science.&#8221;</p>
<p>Through experiments and real-world observations, researchers have unlocked some of the mysteries of persuasion: what works, what doesn&#8217;t work and why so many of us end up with candidates, dates and cars that we never really wanted.</p>
<p>People who learn these secrets can keep themselves from getting duped, Cialdini says. With practice, they can even reach the ultimate goal: getting others to do their bidding.</p>
<p>Strategic persuasion can pay huge dividends, adds <a id="PECLB003133" title="Steve Martin" href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/entertainment/steve-martin-PECLB003133.topic">Steve Martin</a> (not the guy you&#8217;re thinking of, but Cialdini&#8217;s colleague and the British director of the consulting company Cialdini founded, Influenceatwork.com). For example, the <a class="zem_slink" title="Government of the United Kingdom" href="http://www.number10.gov.uk/" rel="homepage" target="_blank">British government</a> recently asked him for advice to encourage delinquent taxpayers to pay up. Martin suggested a simple tactic: Instead of threatening people with fines, the government should send out a letter saying that the great majority of Brits pay their taxes on time.</p>
<p>That kind of peer pressure works. &#8220;So far, they&#8217;ve collected about $1 billion more than they would have otherwise,&#8221; Martin says.</p>
<p>Cialdini&#8217;s own research has identified six &#8220;weapons of persuasion&#8221; that can bring people to your side. Read and learn:</p>
<p><strong>A rare find:</strong> Job seekers should do more than make the case that they&#8217;re right for a job; according to Cialdini, they should present themselves as a unique fit. As he explains, nobody wants to miss out on a scarce opportunity. The allure of scarcity explains why people line up at <a id="ORCRP001825" title="Best Buy Company Inc." href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/economy-business-finance/best-buy-company-inc.-ORCRP001825.topic">Best Buy</a> at 4:30 a.m. on <a class="zem_slink" title="Black Friday (shopping)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Friday_%28shopping%29" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">Black Friday</a> and why inside info is valued more than common knowledge.</p>
<p><strong>Count on payback:</strong> &#8221;Reciprocity is a part of every society,&#8221; Cialdini says. A classic experiment from the 1970s found that people bought twice as many raffle tickets from a stranger if he first gave them a can of Coke — proof that even tiny favors can work to your advantage. Likewise, your buddy is more likely to help you move that couch if you&#8217;ve ever given him a ride to the airport.</p>
<p><strong>Be likable:</strong> A tough assignment for some, that&#8217;s for sure. But Cialdini&#8217;s research has found that a little easygoing pleasantness can be just as persuasive as talent or actual ability. Perhaps unfairly, looks count too: A study of <a class="zem_slink" title="Elections in Canada" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elections_in_Canada" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">Canadian elections</a>, for example, found that attractive candidates received more votes than their less-blessed opponents,, even though voters claimed they didn&#8217;t care about appearances.</p>
<p><strong>Society&#8217;s seal of approval:</strong> Your friend is more likely to try something — recycle, eat at the new tapas place, watch &#8220;Glee&#8221; — if you mention that lots of other people are doing it. That&#8217;s why his letter to Brit taxpayers was a billion-dollar success, Martin says. People may not want to follow the herd, Cialdini adds, but they do assume that other people make choices for a reason.</p>
<p><strong>Play the consistency card:</strong> People will go to great lengths to avoid seeming flaky or wishy-washy. As Cialdini explains in his book, car salesmen exploit this trait by making fantastic &#8220;lowball&#8221; offers to potential customers. Once a customer decides to buy a car, he&#8217;s unlikely to want to flake out on the deal even if the price mysteriously balloons — Oops! There was a mistake! — before he gets the keys. Or, for a less slimy example, you&#8217;re more likely to get that raise or a promotion if you remind your boss that she has a long history of treating her employees well. (Surely she wouldn&#8217;t want to change her tune now.)</p>
<p><strong>Speak from authority:</strong> Your suggestions will go a lot further if people think you&#8217;re pulling them from somewhere other than thin air. Martin has an example: In a recent study, a real estate company significantly increased home sales when the receptionist took a moment to inform potential customers of each agent&#8217;s credentials and experience. &#8220;The statements were true,&#8221; Martin says, &#8220;they didn&#8217;t cost anything — and they worked.&#8221;</p>
<p><em><a href="mailto:health@latimes.com">health@latimes.com</a></em></p>
</div>
<h6 class="zemanta-related-title" style="font-size:1em;">Related articles</h6>
<ul class="zemanta-article-ul">
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://christopherscottblog.typepad.com/blog/2010/12/influence-science-and-practice-by-robert-cialdini.html" target="_blank">Influence: Science and Practice by Robert Cialdini (part 1 of 6)</a> (christopherscottblog.typepad.com)</li>
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://blog.oup.com/2012/03/mad-men-psychology-persuasion-cialdini/" target="_blank">Mad Men and the dangerous fruit of persuasion</a> (oup.com)</li>
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://marketingconversation.com/2012/03/01/yes-50-scientifically-proven-ways-to-be-persuasive-by-robert-cialdini-video-book-review-by-grendle-the-puppet/" target="_blank">Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways To Be Persuasive by Robert Cialdini &#8211; Video Book Review by Grendle The Puppet</a> (marketingconversation.com)</li>
</ul>
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="margin-top:10px;height:15px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" title="Enhanced by Zemanta" href="http://www.zemanta.com/"><img class="zemanta-pixie-img" style="border:none;float:right;" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=16394020-9974-4c20-a9d6-dee9e8815dc3" alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" /></a></div>
<br />  <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gocomments/peterhbrown.wordpress.com/1967/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/comments/peterhbrown.wordpress.com/1967/" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=peterhbrown.wordpress.com&#038;blog=8514305&#038;post=1967&#038;subd=peterhbrown&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/2012/04/28/weapons-of-mass-persuasion/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
	
		<media:content url="http://1.gravatar.com/avatar/d83561d00d7fc09d8f53d5ff9d687b24?s=96&#38;d=wavatar&#38;r=G" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">peterhbrown</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://peterhbrown.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/fotolia_13984998_xs.jpg" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">3d puppet with an megaphone</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=16394020-9974-4c20-a9d6-dee9e8815dc3" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Enhanced by Zemanta</media:title>
		</media:content>
	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Depression: Young People Respond Well To Computer Based Intervention</title>
		<link>http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/2012/04/21/depression-young-people-respond-well-to-computer-based-intervention/</link>
		<comments>http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/2012/04/21/depression-young-people-respond-well-to-computer-based-intervention/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 21 Apr 2012 10:50:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>peterhbrown</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Adolescence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bullying]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Child Behavior]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[depression]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[research]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[therapy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[computer games]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[computers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Disorders]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[How to Be]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mental health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New Zealand]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[psyblog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SPARX]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/?p=1954</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Source: BMJ Read The Original Research Article Here A computerized self help intervention may help adolescents who suffer from depression. The specialized computer therapy acts much the same way as they do from one-to-one therapy with a clinician, according to a study published on BMJ. Depression is common in adolescents, but many are reluctant to [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=peterhbrown.wordpress.com&#038;blog=8514305&#038;post=1954&#038;subd=peterhbrown&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://peterhbrown.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/1198063_computer_danger_3-e1268797887332.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-1957" title="1198063_computer_danger_3-e1268797887332" src="http://peterhbrown.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/1198063_computer_danger_3-e1268797887332.jpg?w=225&#038;h=148" alt="" width="225" height="148" /></a></p>
<p>Source: <a class="zem_slink" title="BMJ" href="http://www.bmj.com/" rel="homepage" target="_blank">BMJ</a></p>
<p><a href="http://peterhbrown.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/sparxstudy.pdf">Read The Original Research Article Here</a></p>
<p>A computerized self help intervention may help adolescents who suffer from depression. The specialized computer therapy acts much the same way as they do from one-to-one therapy with a clinician, according to a study published on BMJ.</p>
<p>Depression is common in adolescents, but many are reluctant to seek professional help. So researchers from the University of <a class="zem_slink" title="Auckland" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=-36.8404166667,174.739869444&amp;spn=0.1,0.1&amp;q=-36.8404166667,174.739869444 (Auckland)&amp;t=h" rel="geolocation" target="_blank">Auckland, New Zealand</a>, set out to assess whether a new innovative computerized <a class="zem_slink" title="Cognitive behavioral therapy" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_behavioral_therapy" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">cognitive behavioral therapy</a> intervention called SPARX could reduce depressive symptoms as much as usual care can.<br />
<span class='embed-youtube' style='text-align:center; display: block;'><iframe class='youtube-player' type='text/html' width='420' height='315' src='http://www.youtube.com/embed/wgocT0YyV8M?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;wmode=transparent' frameborder='0'></iframe></span><br />
SPARX is an interactive 3D fantasy game where a single user undertakes a series of challenges to restore balance in a virtual world dominated by GNATs (Gloomy Negative Automatic Thoughts). It contains seven modules designed to be completed over a four to seven week period. Usual care mostly involved face-to-face counseling by trained clinicians.</p>
<p>The research team carried out a <a class="zem_slink" title="Randomized controlled trial" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randomized_controlled_trial" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">randomized controlled trial</a> in 24 <a class="zem_slink" title="Primary health care" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_health_care" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">primary healthcare</a> sites across New Zealand. All 187 adolescents were between the ages of 12 and 19, were seeking help for mild to moderate depression and were deemed in need of treatment by primary healthcare clinicians. One group underwent face-to-face treatment as usual and the other took part in SPARX.</p>
<p>Participants were followed up for three months and results were based on several widely used mental health and quality of life scales.</p>
<p>Results showed that SPARX was as effective as usual care in reducing <a class="zem_slink" title="Depression (mood)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depression_%28mood%29" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">symptoms of depression</a> and anxiety by at least a third. In addition significantly more people recovered completely in the SPARX group (31/69 (44%) of those who completed at least four homework modules in the SPARX group compared with 19/83 (26%) in usual care).</p>
<p>When questioned on satisfaction, 76/80 (95%) of SPARX users who replied said they believed it would appeal to other teenagers with 64/80 (81%) recommending it to friends. Satisfaction was, however, equally high in the group that had treatment as usual.</p>
<p>The authors conclude that SPARX is an “effective resource for help seeking adolescents with depression at primary healthcare sites. Use of the program resulted in a clinically significant reduction in depression, anxiety, and hopelessness and an improvement in quality of life.” They suggest that it is a potential alternative to usual care and could be used to address unmet demand for treatment. It may also be a cheaper alternative to usual care and be potentially more easily accessible to young people with depression in primary healthcare settings.</p>
<p><a href="http://peterhbrown.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/sparxstudy.pdf">Read The Original Research Article Here</a></p>
<h6 class="zemanta-related-title" style="font-size:1em;">Related articles</h6>
<ul class="zemanta-article-ul">
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://r.zemanta.com/?u=http%3A//www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2012/04/20/health-sparx-computer-depression.html%3Fcmp%3Drss&amp;a=85161015&amp;rid=5c9c6a4d-2d0f-4e51-973c-002dc314640d&amp;e=15455ff4057466817b02a1fdf78fd1bb" target="_blank">Computer game effective in treating adolescent depression</a> (cbc.ca)</li>
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/2012/02/11/there-is-hope-effective-treatment-for-borderline-personality-disorder/" target="_blank">There IS Hope: Effective Treatment For Borderline Personality Disorder</a> (peterhbrown.wordpress.com)</li>
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/metro/blood-test-detects-depression-teenagers-treatment-20120417" target="_blank">Blood Test Detects Depression in Teens</a> (myfoxchicago.com)</li>
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.education.com/reference/article/bullying-depression/" target="_blank">Bullying and Depression</a> (education.com)</li>
</ul>
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="margin-top:10px;height:15px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" title="Enhanced by Zemanta" href="http://www.zemanta.com/"><img class="zemanta-pixie-img" style="border:none;float:right;" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=5c9c6a4d-2d0f-4e51-973c-002dc314640d" alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" /></a></div>
<br />  <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gocomments/peterhbrown.wordpress.com/1954/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/comments/peterhbrown.wordpress.com/1954/" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=peterhbrown.wordpress.com&#038;blog=8514305&#038;post=1954&#038;subd=peterhbrown&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/2012/04/21/depression-young-people-respond-well-to-computer-based-intervention/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
	
		<media:content url="http://1.gravatar.com/avatar/d83561d00d7fc09d8f53d5ff9d687b24?s=96&#38;d=wavatar&#38;r=G" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">peterhbrown</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://peterhbrown.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/1198063_computer_danger_3-e1268797887332.jpg" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">1198063_computer_danger_3-e1268797887332</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=5c9c6a4d-2d0f-4e51-973c-002dc314640d" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Enhanced by Zemanta</media:title>
		</media:content>
	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Why Soccer (Football) IS A &#8220;Real Man&#8217;s&#8221; Game :)</title>
		<link>http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/2012/04/20/1949/</link>
		<comments>http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/2012/04/20/1949/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 20 Apr 2012 13:57:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>peterhbrown</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Cognition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Exercise]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[research]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sex & Sexuality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[stress]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Creativity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Emotion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[football]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[How to Be]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[libido]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Netherlands]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[psyblog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[soccer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sociology of sport]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sport psychology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sports]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[testosterone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[University of Valencia]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/?p=1949</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Via Medical News Today Read The Original Research Article Here Soccer fans&#8217; testosterone and cortisol levels go up when watching a game, but don&#8217;t further increase after a victory, according to a study published in the open access journal PLoS ONE. The study was conducted with 50 Spanish soccer fans watching the finals between Spain and [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=peterhbrown.wordpress.com&#038;blog=8514305&#038;post=1949&#038;subd=peterhbrown&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_1947" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 210px"><a href="http://peterhbrown.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/streetsoccer_by_calvinhollywood.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1947" title="STREETSOCCER_by_CalvinHollywood" src="http://peterhbrown.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/streetsoccer_by_calvinhollywood.jpg?w=200&#038;h=300" alt="" width="200" height="300" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">STREETSOCCER_CalvinHollywood</p></div>
<p>Via <a title="Medical News Today" href="http://medicalnewstoday.com" target="_blank">Medical News Today</a></p>
<p><a href="http://peterhbrown.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/journal-pone-00348141.pdf">Read The Original Research Article Here</a></p>
<p>Soccer fans&#8217; <a class="zem_slink" title="Testosterone" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Testosterone" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">testosterone</a> and <a class="zem_slink" title="Cortisol" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortisol" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">cortisol</a> levels go up when watching a game, but don&#8217;t further increase after a victory, according to a study published in the <a class="zem_slink" title="Open access journal" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_access_journal" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">open access journal</a> <em><a class="zem_slink" title="PLoS" href="http://www.plos.org" rel="homepage" target="_blank">PLoS</a> ONE.</em></p>
<p>The study was conducted with 50 Spanish <a class="zem_slink" title="Association football" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_football" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank">soccer</a> fans watching the finals between <a class="zem_slink" title="Spain" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=40.4333333333,-3.7&amp;spn=10.0,10.0&amp;q=40.4333333333,-3.7 (Spain)&amp;t=h" rel="geolocation" target="_blank">Spain</a> and the <a class="zem_slink" title="Netherlands" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=52.3166666667,5.55&amp;spn=10.0,10.0&amp;q=52.3166666667,5.55 (Netherlands)&amp;t=h" rel="geolocation" target="_blank">Netherlands</a> in the 2010 World Cup. The researchers, led by Leander van der Meij of the <a class="zem_slink" title="University of Valencia" href="http://www.uv.es" rel="homepage" target="_blank">University of Valencia</a> in Spain and <a class="zem_slink" title="Vrije Universiteit" href="http://www.vu.nl/en" rel="homepage" target="_blank">VU University Amsterdam</a> in the Netherlands, measured testosterone and cortisol levels for fans of different ages, genders, and degree of interest in the game. They found that the increase in testosterone was independent of all these factors, but the increase in cortisol level was more pronounced for dedicated, young, male fans.</p>
<p>The authors write that the testosterone effect is in agreement with the &#8220;challenge hypothesis,&#8221; as testosterone levels increased to prepare for the game, and the cortisol effect is consistent with the &#8220;social self-preservation theory,&#8221; as higher cortisol secretion among young and greater soccer fans suggests that they perceived a particularly strong threat to their own social esteem if their team didn&#8217;t win.</p>
<p><a href="http://peterhbrown.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/journal-pone-00348141.pdf">Read The Original Research Article Here</a></p>
<h6 class="zemanta-related-title" style="font-size:1em;">Related articles</h6>
<ul class="zemanta-article-ul">
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.drjosephkaye.com/2012/03/15/replace-testosterone-low-t-men/" target="_blank">How to Replace Testosterone in &#8220;Low-T&#8221; Men</a> (drjosephkaye.com)</li>
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-04/plos-hlh041612.php" target="_blank">Hormone levels higher for soccer fans watching a game, but not upon win</a> (eurekalert.org)</li>
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://socyberty.com/sexuality/attractive-women-are-bad-for-health/" target="_blank">Attractive Women are Bad for Health</a> (socyberty.com)</li>
</ul>
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="margin-top:10px;height:15px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" title="Enhanced by Zemanta" href="http://www.zemanta.com/"><img class="zemanta-pixie-img" style="border:none;float:right;" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=0eb56e69-714d-4bae-8979-d11f1adc5c80" alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" /></a></div>
<br />  <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gocomments/peterhbrown.wordpress.com/1949/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/comments/peterhbrown.wordpress.com/1949/" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=peterhbrown.wordpress.com&#038;blog=8514305&#038;post=1949&#038;subd=peterhbrown&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/2012/04/20/1949/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	
		<media:content url="http://1.gravatar.com/avatar/d83561d00d7fc09d8f53d5ff9d687b24?s=96&#38;d=wavatar&#38;r=G" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">peterhbrown</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://peterhbrown.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/streetsoccer_by_calvinhollywood.jpg?w=200" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">STREETSOCCER_by_CalvinHollywood</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=0eb56e69-714d-4bae-8979-d11f1adc5c80" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Enhanced by Zemanta</media:title>
		</media:content>
	</item>
		<item>
		<title>There IS Hope: Effective Treatment For Borderline Personality Disorder</title>
		<link>http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/2012/02/11/there-is-hope-effective-treatment-for-borderline-personality-disorder/</link>
		<comments>http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/2012/02/11/there-is-hope-effective-treatment-for-borderline-personality-disorder/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 11 Feb 2012 03:31:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>peterhbrown</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Cognition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dialectical Behavior Therapy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Identity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personality Disorder]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[research]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Resilience]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spirituality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[borderline personality disorder]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bpd]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dbt]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[personality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[treatment]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/?p=1936</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Source Credit: Mental Health Grace Alliance The Good News about Borderline Personality Disorder Date: 06 Feb 2012 Guest Blog: Amanda Smith, Founder of Hope For BPD After being diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder in 2004, she started her path of recovery. As she oversees the programs of Hope for BPD, she has also served as [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=peterhbrown.wordpress.com&#038;blog=8514305&#038;post=1936&#038;subd=peterhbrown&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://peterhbrown.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/20120211-133218.jpg"><img src="http://peterhbrown.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/20120211-133218.jpg" alt="20120211-133218.jpg" class="alignnone size-full" /></a></p>
<p>Source Credit: <a href="http://www.mentalhealthgracealliance.org/mental-illness/good-news-about-borderline-personality-disorder/">Mental Health Grace Alliance</a></p>
<p>The Good News about Borderline Personality Disorder<br />
Date: 06 Feb 2012<br />
Guest Blog:<br />
Amanda Smith, Founder of  Hope For BPD<br />
After being diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder in 2004, she started her path of recovery. As she oversees the programs of Hope for BPD, she has also served as Executive Director of a NAMI affiliate in Florida and currently serves on a local NAMI board of directors in Texas.</p>
<p>Harvard-based researcher Mary Zanarini, PhD has called borderline personality disorder (BPD) the “good prognosis diagnosis” and there are many reasons to be hopeful about the long-term outlook.</p>
<p>Borderline personality disorder—most frequently characterized by rapidly-changing mood swings, unstable relationships, identity disturbance, and chronic feelings of emptiness—is a mental illness with a lifetime prevalence rate of almost 6% among the general population.</p>
<p>Time and again, research has shown that individuals who have been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder can feel better about themselves and their world, are able to work towards academic and vocational goals, sustain healthy relationships, and experience a sense of purpose or meaning in their lives.  We also know more now about the neuroplasticity of the brain and understand that our brains continue to change and adapt so that we can learn new behaviors and process information in healthier ways.</p>
<p>But there are many things that increase the likelihood of recovery. These include:</p>
<p>• taking part in an evidence-based treatment that was created specifically to treat BPD such as dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and mentalization-based treatment (MBT)<br />
• reading books and articles that actively promote recovery<br />
• getting steady support and encouragement from family, friends, church leaders, and other people who have been diagnosed with BPD<br />
• making a commitment to self-care that includes getting enough sleep, eating balanced meals, exercising, and treating physical illnesses<br />
• being brave and asking for help before things become a crisis or an emergency</p>
<p>Family members who are in need of education and support can connect with organizations such as NEA-BPD and take part in their free Family Connections classes or NAMI’s Family-to-Family program.</p>
<p>Remember, the vast majority of people with BPD get better and go on to create lives worth living. If you’re someone who has been diagnosed with the disorder, that means you!</p>
<p>For more information about BPD, please visit Hope for BPD.</p>
<p>Amanda L. Smith<br />
Treatment Consultation for Borderline Personality Disorder and Self-Injury</p>
<p><a href="http://www.hopeforbpd.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.hopeforbpd.com</a></p>
<br />  <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gocomments/peterhbrown.wordpress.com/1936/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/comments/peterhbrown.wordpress.com/1936/" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=peterhbrown.wordpress.com&#038;blog=8514305&#038;post=1936&#038;subd=peterhbrown&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/2012/02/11/there-is-hope-effective-treatment-for-borderline-personality-disorder/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>6</slash:comments>
	
		<media:content url="http://1.gravatar.com/avatar/d83561d00d7fc09d8f53d5ff9d687b24?s=96&#38;d=wavatar&#38;r=G" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">peterhbrown</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://peterhbrown.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/20120211-133218.jpg" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">20120211-133218.jpg</media:title>
		</media:content>
	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Forget What You&#8217;ve Learnt About Learning</title>
		<link>http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/2012/01/29/forget-what-youve-learnt-about-learning/</link>
		<comments>http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/2012/01/29/forget-what-youve-learnt-about-learning/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 29 Jan 2012 02:20:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>peterhbrown</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[ADHD /ADD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[brain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cognition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[research]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[stress]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chunking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cognitive science]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[habit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[learning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[learning theory]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[memory]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[study]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[study habits]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/?p=1926</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Source and authorship credit: Everything you thought you knew about learning is wrong Psychology Today http://www.psychologytoday.com/ Everything You Thought You Knew About Learning Is Wrong How, and how NOT, to learn anything Published on January 28, 2012 by Garth Sundem in Brain Candy Learning through osmosis didn’t make the strategies list Taking notes during class? [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=peterhbrown.wordpress.com&#038;blog=8514305&#038;post=1926&#038;subd=peterhbrown&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://peterhbrown.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/20120129-121719.jpg"><img src="http://peterhbrown.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/20120129-121719.jpg" alt="20120129-121719.jpg" class="alignnone size-full" /></a></p>
<p>Source and authorship credit: Everything you thought you knew about learning is wrong Psychology Today</p>
<p><a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.psychologytoday.com/</a></p>
<p>Everything You Thought You Knew About Learning Is Wrong How, and how NOT, to learn anything Published on January 28, 2012 by Garth Sundem in Brain Candy</p>
<p>Learning through osmosis didn’t make the strategies list</p>
<p>Taking notes during class? Topic-focused study? A consistent learning environment? All are exactly opposite the best strategies for learning. Really, I recently had the good fortune to interview Robert Bjork, director of the UCLA Learning and Forgetting Lab, distinguished professor of psychology, and massively renowned expert on packing things in your brain in a way that keeps them from leaking out. And it turns out that everything I thought I knew about learning is wrong. Here’s what he said.</p>
<p>First, think about how you attack a pile of study material.</p>
<p>“People tend to try to learn in blocks,” says Bjork, “mastering one thing before moving on to the next.” But instead he recommends interleaving, a strategy in which, for example,instead of spending an hour working on your tennis serve, you mix in a range of skills like backhands, volleys, overhead smashes, and footwork. “This creates a sense of difficulty,” says Bjork, “and people tend not to notice the immediate effects of learning.”</p>
<p>Instead of making an appreciable leap forward with yourserving ability after a session of focused practice, interleaving forces you to make nearly imperceptible steps forward with many skills.</p>
<p>But over time, the sum of these small steps is much greater than the sum of the leaps you would have taken if you’d spent the same amount of time mastering each skill in its turn.</p>
<p>Bjork explains that successful interleaving allows you to “seat” each skill among the others: “If information is studied so that it can be interpreted in relation to other things in memory, learning is much more powerful,” he says.</p>
<p>There’s one caveat: Make sure the mini skills you interleave are related in some higher-order way. If you’re trying to learn tennis, you’d want to interleave serves, backhands, volleys, smashes, and footwork—not serves, synchronized swimming, European capitals, and programming in Java.</p>
<p>Similarly, studying in only one location is great as long as you’ll only be required to recall the information in the same location. If you want information to be accessible outside your dorm room, or office, or nook on the second floor of the library, Bjork recommends varying your study location.</p>
<p>And again, these tips generalize. Interleaving and varying your study location will help whether you’re mastering math skills, learning French, or trying to become a better ballroom dancer.</p>
<p>So too will a somewhat related phenomenon, the spacing effect, first described by Hermann Ebbinghaus in 1885. “If you study and then you wait, tests show that the longer you wait, the more you will have forgotten,” says Bjork. That’s obvious—over time, you forget. But here’s thecool part:</p>
<p>If you study, wait, and then study again, the longer the wait, the more you’ll have learned after this second study session.</p>
<p>Bjork explains it this way: “When we access things from our memory, we do more than reveal it’s there. It’s not like a playback. What we retrieve becomes more retrievable in the future. Provided the retrieval succeeds, the more difficult and involved the retrieval, the more beneficial it is.” Note that there’s a trick implied by “provided the retrieval succeeds”: You should space your study sessions so that the information you learned in the first session remains just barely retrievable. Then, the more you have to work to pull it from the soup of your mind, the more this second study session will reinforce your learning. If you study again too soon, it’s too easy.</p>
<p>Along these lines, Bjork also recommends taking notes just after class, rather than during—forcing yourself to recall a lecture’s information ismore effective than simply copying it from a blackboard. “Get out of court stenographer mode,” says Bjork. You have to work for it.</p>
<p>The more you work, the more you learn, and the more you learn, the more awesome you can become.</p>
<p>“Forget about forgetting,” says Robert Bjork.</p>
<p>“People tend to think that learning is building up something in your memory and that forgetting is losing the things you built.</p>
<p>But in some respects the opposite is true.” See, once you learn something, you never actually forget it. Do you remember your childhood best friend’s phone number? No? Well, Dr. Bjork showed that if you were reminded, you would retain it much more quickly and strongly than if you were asked to memorize a fresh seven-digit number. So this oldphone number is not forgotten—it lives somewhere in you—only, recall can be a bit tricky.</p>
<p>And while we count forgetting as the sworn enemy of learning, in some ways that’s wrong, too. Bjork showed that the two live in a kind of symbiosis in which forgetting actually aids recall.</p>
<p>“Because humans have unlimited storage capacity, having total recall would be a mess,” says Bjork. “Imagine you remembered all the phone numbers of all the houses you had ever lived in. When someone asks you your current phone number, you would have to sort it from this long list.” Instead, we forget the old phone numbers, or at least bury them far beneath theease of recall we gift to our current number. What you thought were sworn enemies are more like distant collaborators.</p>
<p>* Excerpted from  Brain Trust: 93 Top Scientists Dish the Lab-Tested Secrets of Surfing, Dating, Dieting, Gambling, Growing Man-Eating Plants and More (Three Rivers Press, March 2012)</p>
<p>@garthsundem<br />
Garth Sundem is the bestselling author of Brain Candy, Geek Logik, and The Geeks’ Guide to World Domination.  more…</p>
<br />  <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gocomments/peterhbrown.wordpress.com/1926/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/comments/peterhbrown.wordpress.com/1926/" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=peterhbrown.wordpress.com&#038;blog=8514305&#038;post=1926&#038;subd=peterhbrown&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/2012/01/29/forget-what-youve-learnt-about-learning/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
	
		<media:content url="http://1.gravatar.com/avatar/d83561d00d7fc09d8f53d5ff9d687b24?s=96&#38;d=wavatar&#38;r=G" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">peterhbrown</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://peterhbrown.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/20120129-121719.jpg" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">20120129-121719.jpg</media:title>
		</media:content>
	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Maslow&#8217;s Hierarchy Of Facebook</title>
		<link>http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/2012/01/20/maslows-hierarchy-of-facebook/</link>
		<comments>http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/2012/01/20/maslows-hierarchy-of-facebook/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 20 Jan 2012 13:18:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>peterhbrown</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Addiction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cognition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Identity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Internet]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Intimate Relationshps]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[research]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Psychology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[facebook]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hierarchy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Maslow]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[psychology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social psychologyhy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[twitter]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/?p=1919</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Author Credit: futurecomms.co.uk The Psychology Behind Facebook A new study from Boston University has looked at why people use Facebook. But not in the conventional ‘to keep in touch with friends’ or ‘to share photos’ sense. Oh no, this is FAR more interesting. The study looks at human needs (think Maslow) and attempts to explain [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=peterhbrown.wordpress.com&#038;blog=8514305&#038;post=1919&#038;subd=peterhbrown&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Author Credit: <a href="http://futurecomms.co.uk">futurecomms.co.uk</a></p>
<p><a href="http://peterhbrown.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/20120120-232546.jpg"><img src="http://peterhbrown.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/20120120-232546.jpg" alt="20120120-232546.jpg" class="alignnone size-full" /></a></p>
<p>The Psychology Behind Facebook<br />
A new study from Boston University has looked at why people use Facebook. But not in the conventional ‘to keep in touch with friends’ or ‘to share photos’ sense. Oh no, this is FAR more interesting.</p>
<p>The study looks at human needs (think Maslow) and attempts to explain where Facebook fits within that context. The authors’ proposition is that Facebook (and other social networks) meets two primary human needs. The first is the need to belong to a sociodemographic group of like-minded people (linked to self-esteem and self-worth). Given this ‘need to belong’, it is hypothesised that there are differences in the way people use and share on Facebook according to cultural factors (individualistic v collectivist cultures). The thing is, some studies have suggested that being active on Facebook may not improve self-esteem, so we may be kidding ourselves if that’s (partly) why we use it!<br />
The second need is the need for self-presentation. Further studies suggest that the person people portray on Facebook IS the real person, not an idealised version. BUT, it’s a person as seen through a socially-desirable filter. In other words, we present ourselves as highly sociable, lovable and popular even if we sit in our bedrooms in the dark playing World of Warcraft ten hours a day. There’s an aspirational element to our online selves. And hey, for me that’s certainly true &#8211; I’m a miserable sod in real life!</p>
<p>It’s a fascinating topic area, an understanding of which could really help marketers. Click the Source link below to read more about this study and lots of associated material. But in the meantime, stop showing off on Facebook and start just being yourself <img src='http://s1.wp.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_surprised.gif' alt=':o' class='wp-smiley' /> )</p>
<p>(Source: readwriteweb.com)</p>
<br />  <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gocomments/peterhbrown.wordpress.com/1919/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/comments/peterhbrown.wordpress.com/1919/" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=peterhbrown.wordpress.com&#038;blog=8514305&#038;post=1919&#038;subd=peterhbrown&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/2012/01/20/maslows-hierarchy-of-facebook/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	
		<media:content url="http://1.gravatar.com/avatar/d83561d00d7fc09d8f53d5ff9d687b24?s=96&#38;d=wavatar&#38;r=G" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">peterhbrown</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://peterhbrown.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/20120120-232546.jpg" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">20120120-232546.jpg</media:title>
		</media:content>
	</item>
		<item>
		<title>iPhone Addiction: Does Smart Phone = Dumber You?</title>
		<link>http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/2011/10/24/iphone-addiction-does-smart-phone-dumber-you/</link>
		<comments>http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/2011/10/24/iphone-addiction-does-smart-phone-dumber-you/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 24 Oct 2011 07:39:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>peterhbrown</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Addiction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[brain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cognition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health Psychology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Identity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Internet]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[research]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[apple]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Global Positioning System]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GPS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[iPhone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[McGill University]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mental health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Siri]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Smartphone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Telephone number]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/?p=1908</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Source: Psychology Today, Susan Krauss Whitbourne, Ph.D. The smartphone is quickly becoming an extension of the human brain. The latest entry into the market, the iPhone 4S, contains a feature named Siri that (according to the Apple website): &#8220;understands what you say, knows what you mean, and even talks back. Siri is so easy to [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=peterhbrown.wordpress.com&#038;blog=8514305&#038;post=1908&#038;subd=peterhbrown&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://peterhbrown.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/20120129-124046.jpg"><img src="http://peterhbrown.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/20120129-124046.jpg" alt="20120129-124046.jpg" class="alignnone size-full" /></a></p>
<p></a></p>
<div><strong>Source: <a href="http://psychologytoday.com" target="_blank">Psychology Today</a></strong>, <strong><a href="http://searchforfulfillment.com" target="_blank">Susan Krauss Whitbourne, Ph.D</a>. </strong> The <a class="zem_slink" title="Smart phone" href="http://www.wikinvest.com/concept/Smart_phone" rel="wikinvest">smartphone</a> is quickly becoming an extension of the human brain. The latest entry into the market, the <a class="zem_slink" title="iPhone" href="http://www.apple.com/iphone" rel="homepage">iPhone</a> 4S, contains a feature named <a class="zem_slink" title="Siri" href="http://www.siri.com" rel="homepage">Siri</a> that (according to the <a class="zem_slink" title="Apple" href="http://www.forbes.com/companies/apple/" rel="forbes">Apple website</a>): &#8220;understands what you say, knows what you mean, and even talks back. Siri is so easy to use and does so much, you&#8217;ll keep finding more and more ways to use it.&#8221; Now, I love technology as much as anyone (at least when it&#8217;s working), but as a psychologist, I have to join in the voice of critics who yearn for a simpler, less tecnical age. It&#8217;s not that I wish to return to the pre-computer age, of paper and pencil, however. Instead, I&#8217;m worried that we risk having our brains become vestigial organs. Research on technological tools suggests that offloading our mental functions to these electronic devices could cause our brains to go soft. Consider the evidence from a study reported in late 2010 by researchers at <a class="zem_slink" title="McGill University" href="http://www.mcgill.ca/" rel="homepage">McGill University</a>. <a href="http://www.physorg.com/news/2010-11-reliance-gps-hippocampus-function-age.html" target="_blank">Neuroscientist Veronique Bohbot</a> and her team reported that relying on a <a class="zem_slink" title="Global Positioning System" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Positioning_System" rel="wikipedia">global positioning system (GPS)</a> to get to known locations reduces the function of the hippocampus, the &#8220;seahorse&#8221; shaped structure in the brain that controls memory and spatial orientation. Participants used to getting around on the basis of their own wits had higher activity and a greater volume in the hippocampus than the older adults using a GPS. What&#8217;s more, when it came to their actual performance, the non-GPS users performed better on a memory test. Bohbot recommends that you turn off the GPS when you&#8217;re navigating around your hometown and use it only for its actual purpose of finding locations you&#8217;ve never been to before. Your hippocampus will thank you, whether you&#8217;re 16 or 60.</div>
<p>It&#8217;s not much of a leap to extrapolate from the GPS to the smartphone. A normal cellphone can remember numbers for you so that you no longer have to do so. Confess&#8211; can you remember the actual cellphone number of the people you call most frequently? We used to rely on our neurons to hold onto these crucial bits of information. Now they reside somewhere out there in the ether. What&#8217;s worse is that most people don&#8217;t even take the time to write down a new phone number anymore. You call your new acquaintance and your new acquaintance calls you, and the information is automatically stored in your contacts. It&#8217;s great for efficiency&#8217;s sake, but you&#8217;ve now given your working memory one less important exercise. Memory benefits from practice, especially in the crucial stage of <a title="Mindlessness" href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201101/mindlessness-and-memory-slips-how-find-what-youve-lost" target="_blank">encoding</a>. Let&#8217;s move from phone numbers to information in general. People with smartphones no longer have to remember important facts because when in doubt, they can just tap into <a class="zem_slink" title="Google" href="http://google.com" rel="homepage">Google.</a> When was the last time St. Louis was in the World Series, you wonder? Easy! Just enter a few letters (not even the whole city name) into your &#8220;smart&#8221; search engine. Your fingers, much less your mind, don&#8217;t have to walk very far at all. Trying to give your brain a workout with a crossword puzzle? What&#8217;s to stop you from taking a few shortcuts when the answers are right there on your phone? No mental gymnastics necessary. This leads us to Siri, that seductress of the smartphone. With your iPhone slave on constant standby, you don&#8217;t even have to key in your questions. Just say the question, and Siri conjures up the answer in an instant. With a robot at your fingertips, why even bother to look the information up yourself? The irony is that smartphones have the potential to make our brains sharper, not dumber. Researchers are finding that videogame play involving rapid decision-making can hone your cognitive resources. Older adults, in particular, seem to be able to improve their<a title="Cognitive plasticity" href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201004/building-better-brain-strengthening-your-mental-muscle" target="_blank"> attentional and decision-making speeded task performance </a>when they play certain games. People with a form of amnesia in which they can&#8217;t learn new information can also be helped by smartphones, according to a study conducted by Canadian researchers (Svobodo &amp; Richards, 2009). The problem is not the use of the smartphone itself; the problem comes when the smartphone takes over a function that your brain is perfectly capable of performing. It&#8217;s like taking the elevator instead of the stairs; the ride may be quicker but your muscles won&#8217;t get a workout. Smartphones are like mental elevators. Psychologists have known for years that the &#8220;use it or lose it&#8221; principle is key to keeping your brain functioning in its peak condition throughout your life. As we become more and more drawn to these sleeker and sexier gadgets, the trick will be learning how to &#8220;use it.&#8221;  So take advantage of these 5 tips to help your smartphone keep you smart: 1. <strong>Don&#8217;t substitute your smartphone for your brain. </strong> Force yourself to memorize a phone number before you store it, and dial your frequently called numbers from memory whenever possible. If there&#8217;s a fact or word definition you can infer, give your brain the job before consulting your electronic helper. 2. <strong>Turn off the GPS app when you&#8217;re going to familiar places. </strong>Just like the GPS-hippocampus study showed, you need to keep your spatial memory as active as possible by relying on your brain, not your phone, when you&#8217;re navigating well-known turf. If you are using the GPS to get around a new location, study a map first. Your GPS may not really know the best route to take (as any proper Bostonian can tell you!). 3. <strong>Use your smartphone to keep up with current events. </strong>Most people use their smartphones in their leisure time for entertainment. However, with just a few easy clicks, you can just as easily check the headlines, op-eds, and featured stories from respected news outlets around the world. This knowledge will build your mental storehouse of information, and make you a better <a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201107/10-tips-talk-about-anything-anyone">conversationalist</a> as well. 4. <strong>Build your social skills with pro-social apps.  </strong>Some <a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201109/down-schaudenfreude-empathy">videogames</a> can actually make you a nicer person by strengthening your empathic tendencies. <a title="Twitter and social bonding" href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201103/the-tweets-bond" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a title="What can Facebook do for you" href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201007/what-can-and-does-facebook-do-you" target="_blank">Facebook</a> can build social bonds. Staying connected is easier than ever, and keeping those social bonds active provides you with social support. Just make sure you avoid some of the <a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201104/protect-yourself-the-seven-sins-facebook">social media traps</a> of over-sharing and FOMO (fear of missing out) syndrome. 5. <strong>Turn off your smartphone while you&#8217;re driving.  </strong>No matter how clever you are at <a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201110/mastering-the-fine-art-multi-tasking">multitasking</a> under ordinary circumstances, all experts agree that you need to give your undivided attention to driving when behind the wheel. This is another reason to look at and memorize your route before going someplace new. Fiddling with your GPS can create a significant distraction if you find that it&#8217;s given you the wrong information. Smartphones have their place, and can make your life infinitely more productive as long as you use yours to supplement, not replace, your brain. Reference: Svoboda, E., &amp; Richards, B. (2009). Compensating for anterograde amnesia: A new training method that capitalizes on emerging smartphone technologies. <em>Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society</em>, 15(4), 629-638. doi:10.1017/S1355617709090791 <strong>Follow <strong>Susan Krauss Whitbourne, Ph.D. </strong>on <a title="Psychology Today looks at Social Networking" href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/social-networking">Twitter</a> @swhitbo for daily updates on psychology, health, and <a title="Psychology Today looks at Aging" href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/conditions/aging">aging</a> and please check out my website,<a href="http://www.searchforfulfillment.com/" target="_blank">www.searchforfulfillment.com</a> where you can read this week&#8217;s <a title="Weekly Focus October 18, 2011" href="http://www.searchforfulfillment.com/FOCUS/2011/1018.html" target="_blank">Weekly Focus</a> to get additional information, self-tests, and psychology-related links.</strong></p>
<p><a class="a2a_dd" href="http://www.addtoany.com/share_save"><img src="http://static.addtoany.com/buttons/share_save_171_16.png" alt="Share/Save/Bookmark" width="171" height="16" border="0" /></a></p>
<h6 class="zemanta-related-title" style="font-size:1em;">Related articles</h6>
<ul class="zemanta-article-ul">
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://jezebel.com/5852494/why-do-so-many-robots-have-womens-voices">Why Do So Many Robots Have A Woman&#8217;s Voice? [Technology]</a> (jezebel.com)</li>
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://r.zemanta.com/?u=http%3A//redtape.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/10/19/8401477-siri-lets-strangers-control-some-iphone-functions-without-a-password&amp;a=59061656&amp;rid=f3d47608-48da-4484-afb8-e4b9f55ff670&amp;e=50b150ec6df5a5613f7e5bc00759c255">Siri lets strangers control some iPhone functions</a> (redtape.msnbc.msn.com)</li>
</ul>
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="margin-top:10px;height:15px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" title="Enhanced by Zemanta" href="http://www.zemanta.com/"><img class="zemanta-pixie-img" style="border:none;float:right;" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=f3d47608-48da-4484-afb8-e4b9f55ff670" alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" /></a></div>
<br />  <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gocomments/peterhbrown.wordpress.com/1908/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/comments/peterhbrown.wordpress.com/1908/" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=peterhbrown.wordpress.com&#038;blog=8514305&#038;post=1908&#038;subd=peterhbrown&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/2011/10/24/iphone-addiction-does-smart-phone-dumber-you/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
	
		<media:content url="http://1.gravatar.com/avatar/d83561d00d7fc09d8f53d5ff9d687b24?s=96&#38;d=wavatar&#38;r=G" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">peterhbrown</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://peterhbrown.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/20120129-124046.jpg" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">20120129-124046.jpg</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://static.addtoany.com/buttons/share_save_171_16.png" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Share/Save/Bookmark</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=f3d47608-48da-4484-afb8-e4b9f55ff670" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Enhanced by Zemanta</media:title>
		</media:content>
	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Contentment: Is Spare Time &gt; Spare Stuff?</title>
		<link>http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/2011/10/23/contentment-is-spare-time-spare-stuff/</link>
		<comments>http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/2011/10/23/contentment-is-spare-time-spare-stuff/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 23 Oct 2011 03:48:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>peterhbrown</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Acceptance and Commitment Therapy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Age & Ageing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[depression]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Exercise]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health Psychology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Identity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Positive Psychology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[research]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Resilience]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[stress]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Baylor University]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cincinnati]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Compulsive buying disorder]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[contentment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[happiness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leisure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Materialism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Midwestern United States]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[quality of life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Waco Texas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Xavier University]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/?p=1899</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[What is more desirable: too little or too much spare time on your hands? To be happy, somewhere in the middle, according to Chris Manolis and James Roberts from Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH and Baylor University in Waco, TX. Their work shows that materialistic young people with compulsive buying issues need just the right [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=peterhbrown.wordpress.com&#038;blog=8514305&#038;post=1899&#038;subd=peterhbrown&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://peterhbrown.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/contentment.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1902" title="Kate having fun in the garden" src="http://peterhbrown.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/contentment.jpg?w=300&#038;h=199" alt="" width="300" height="199" /></a>What is more desirable: too little or too much spare time on your hands? To be happy, somewhere in the middle, according to Chris Manolis and James Roberts from <a class="zem_slink" title="Xavier University" href="http://www.xavier.edu/" rel="homepage">Xavier University</a> in Cincinnati, OH and <a class="zem_slink" title="Baylor University" href="http://www.baylor.edu/" rel="homepage">Baylor University</a> in Waco, TX. Their work shows that materialistic young people with <a class="zem_slink" title="Compulsive buying disorder" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compulsive_buying_disorder" rel="wikipedia">compulsive buying</a> issues need just the right amount of spare time to feel happier. The study is published online in Springer&#8217;s journal Applied Research in <a class="zem_slink" title="Quality of life" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quality_of_life" rel="wikipedia">Quality of Life</a>.</p>
<p>We now live in a society where time is of the essence. The perception of a shortage of time, or time pressure, is linked to lower levels of happiness. At the same time, our consumer culture, characterized by <a class="zem_slink" title="Materialism" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Materialism" rel="wikipedia">materialism</a> and compulsive buying, also has an effect on people&#8217;s happiness: the desire for materialistic possessions leads to lower life satisfaction.</p>
<p>Given the importance of time in contemporary life, Manolis and Roberts investigate, for the first time, the effect of perceived time affluence (the amount of spare time one perceives he or she has) on the consequences of materialistic values and compulsive buying for adolescent well-being.</p>
<p>A total of 1,329 adolescents from a public high school in a large metropolitan area of the Midwestern United States took part in the study. The researchers measured how much spare time the young people thought they had; the extent to which they held materialistic values and had compulsive buying tendencies; and their subjective well-being, or self-rated happiness.</p>
<p>Manolis and Roberts&#8217; findings confirm that both materialism and compulsive buying have a negative impact on teenagers&#8217; happiness. The more materialistic they are and the more they engage in compulsive buying, the lower their happiness levels.</p>
<p>In addition, time affluence moderates the negative consequences of both materialism and compulsive buying in this group. Specifically, moderate time affluence i.e. being neither too busy, nor having too much spare time, is linked to higher levels of happiness in materialistic teenagers and those who are compulsive buyers.</p>
<p>Those who suffer from time pressures and think materialistically and/or purchase compulsively feel less happy compared with their adolescent counterparts. Equally, having too much free time on their hands exacerbates the negative effects of material values and compulsive buying on adolescent happiness. The authors conclude: &#8220;Living with a sensible, balanced amount of free time promotes well-being not only directly, but also by helping to alleviate some of the negative side effects associated with living in our consumer-orientated society.&#8221;</p>
<p>Manolis C &amp; Roberts JA (2011). Subjective well-being among adolescent consumers: the effects of materialism, compulsive buying, and time affluence. Applied Research in Quality of Life. DOI 10.1007/s11482-011-9155-5</p>
<p><a class="a2a_dd" href="http://www.addtoany.com/share_save"><img src="http://static.addtoany.com/buttons/share_save_171_16.png" alt="Share/Save/Bookmark" width="171" height="16" border="0" /></a></p>
<h6 class="zemanta-related-title" style="font-size:1em;">Related articles</h6>
<ul class="zemanta-article-ul">
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.healthzone.ca/health/mindmood/mentalhealth/article/1073916--how-busy-are-you">Poll: How busy are you?</a> (healthzone.ca)</li>
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://talesfromthelou.wordpress.com/2011/10/15/cant-buy-me-love-study-shows-materialistic-couples-have-more-money-and-more-problems/">Can&#8217;t buy me love: Study shows materialistic couples have more money and more problems</a> (talesfromthelou.wordpress.com)</li>
</ul>
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="margin-top:10px;height:15px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" title="Enhanced by Zemanta" href="http://www.zemanta.com/"><img class="zemanta-pixie-img" style="border:none;float:right;" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=07b2f3d7-2b70-483e-948d-342551690935" alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" /></a></div>
<br />  <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gocomments/peterhbrown.wordpress.com/1899/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/comments/peterhbrown.wordpress.com/1899/" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=peterhbrown.wordpress.com&#038;blog=8514305&#038;post=1899&#038;subd=peterhbrown&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/2011/10/23/contentment-is-spare-time-spare-stuff/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	
		<media:content url="http://1.gravatar.com/avatar/d83561d00d7fc09d8f53d5ff9d687b24?s=96&#38;d=wavatar&#38;r=G" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">peterhbrown</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://peterhbrown.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/contentment.jpg?w=300" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Kate having fun in the garden</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://static.addtoany.com/buttons/share_save_171_16.png" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Share/Save/Bookmark</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=07b2f3d7-2b70-483e-948d-342551690935" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Enhanced by Zemanta</media:title>
		</media:content>
	</item>
		<item>
		<title>&#8220;They All Look Alike To Me&#8221;: Here&#8217;s Why &#8220;They&#8221; Do</title>
		<link>http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/2011/07/06/they-all-look-alike-to-me-heres-why-they-do/</link>
		<comments>http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/2011/07/06/they-all-look-alike-to-me-heres-why-they-do/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 06 Jul 2011 08:23:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>peterhbrown</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Cognition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Identity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[research]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Psychology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cognitive neuroscience]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cross-race effect]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Electroencephalography]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Facial recognition system]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[N200 (neuroscience)]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Northwestern University]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Race (classification of humans)]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/?p=1888</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Source : ScienceDaily (July 1, 2011) — Read The Original Article Here Northwestern University researchers have provided new biological evidence suggesting that the brain works differently when memorizing the face of a person from one&#8217;s own race than when memorizing a face from another race. Their study &#8212; which used EEG recordings to measure brain [...]<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=peterhbrown.wordpress.com&#038;blog=8514305&#038;post=1888&#038;subd=peterhbrown&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Source : <a href="http://sciencedaily.com">ScienceDaily</a> (July 1, 2011) —</p>
<p><a href="http://peterhbrown.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/fnhum-05-000331.pdf">Read The Original Article Here</a></p>
<p><a href="http://peterhbrown.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/picture-112.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-1892" title="picture-112" src="http://peterhbrown.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/picture-112.jpg?w=188&#038;h=219" alt="" width="188" height="219" /></a><a class="zem_slink" title="Northwestern University" href="http://www.northwestern.edu" rel="homepage">Northwestern University</a> researchers have provided new biological evidence suggesting that the brain works differently when memorizing the face of a person from one&#8217;s own race than when memorizing a face from another race.</p>
<p>Their study &#8212; which used <a class="zem_slink" title="Electroencephalography" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electroencephalography" rel="wikipedia">EEG</a> recordings to measure brain activity &#8212; sheds light on a well-documented phenomenon known as the &#8220;<a class="zem_slink" title="Cross-race effect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross-race_effect" rel="wikipedia">other-race effect</a>.&#8221; One of the most replicated psychology findings, the other-race effect finds that people are less likely to remember a face from a racial group different from their own.</p>
<p>&#8220;Scientists have put forward numerous ideas about why people do not recognize other-race faces as well as same-race faces,&#8221; says Northwestern psychology professor Ken Paller, who with psychology professor Joan Chiao and Heather Lucas co-authored &#8220;Why some faces won&#8217;t be remembered: Brain potentials illuminate successful versus unsuccessful encoding for same-race and other-race faces.&#8221;</p>
<p>The discovery of a neural marker of successful encoding of other-race faces will help put these ideas to the test, according to Paller, who directs the <a class="zem_slink" title="Cognitive neuroscience" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_neuroscience" rel="wikipedia">Cognitive Neuroscience</a> Laboratory in the <a class="zem_slink" title="Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences" href="http://www.wcas.northwestern.edu" rel="homepage">Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;The ability to accurately remember faces is an important social skill with potentially serious consequences,&#8221; says doctoral student Lucas, lead author of the recently published study in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. &#8220;It&#8217;s merely embarrassing to forget your spouse&#8217;s boss, but when an eyewitness incorrectly remembers a face, the consequence can be a wrongful criminal conviction,&#8221; she adds.</p>
<p>The Northwestern team found that brain activity increases in the very first 200 to 250 milliseconds upon seeing both same-race and other-race faces. To their surprise, however, they found that the amplitude of that increased brain activity only predicts whether an other-race face (not a same-race face) is later remembered.</p>
<p>&#8220;There appears to be a critical phase shortly after an other-race face appears that determines whether or not that face will be remembered or forgotten,&#8221; Lucas says. &#8220;In other words, the process of laying down a memory begins almost immediately after one first sees the face.&#8221;</p>
<p>Previous research has associated this very early phase &#8212; what is known as the N200 brain potential &#8212; with the perceptual process of <a class="zem_slink" title="Individuation" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Individuation" rel="wikipedia">individuation</a>. That process involves identifying personally unique facial features such as the shape of the eyes and nose and the spatial configuration of various facial features.</p>
<p>When the researchers asked the 18 white study participants to view same-race faces and to commit them to memory, the individuation process indexed by N200 appeared &#8220;almost automatic &#8212; so robust and reliable that it actually was irrelevant as to whether a face was remembered or not,&#8221; says Lucas.</p>
<p>Minutes later, the participants were given a recognition test that included new faces along with some that were previously viewed. The researchers analyzed brain activity during initial face viewing as a function of whether or not each face was ultimately remembered or forgotten on the recognition test.</p>
<p>The N200 waves were large for all same-race faces, regardless of whether or not they later were successfully remembered. In contrast, N200 waves were larger for other-race faces that were remembered than for other-race faces that were forgotten.</p>
<p>Of course, not all same-race faces were successfully recognized, the researchers say. Accordingly, their study also identified brain activity that predicted whether or not a same-race face would be remembered. A specific brain wave starting at about 300 milliseconds and lasting for several hundred milliseconds was associated with what the psychologists call &#8220;elaborative encoding.&#8221;</p>
<p>In contrast to individuation (which involves rapidly identifying unique physical attributes from faces), elaborative encoding is a more deliberate process of inferring attributes. For example, you might note that a face reminds you of someone you know, that its expression appears friendly or shy, or it looks like the face of a scientist or police officer.</p>
<p>Making these types of social inferences increases the likelihood that a face will be remembered.</p>
<p>&#8220;However, this strategy only works if the process of individuation also occurred successfully &#8212; that is, if the physical attributes unique to a particular face already have been committed to memory,&#8221; Lucas says. &#8220;And our study found that individuation is not always engaged with other-race faces.&#8221;</p>
<p>Why is individuation so fragile for other-race faces? One possibility, the researchers say, is that many people simply have less practice seeing and remembering other-race faces.</p>
<p>&#8220;People tend to have more frequent and extensive interactions with same-race than with other-race individuals, particularly racial majority members,&#8221; Lucas says. As a result, their brains may be less adept at finding the facial information that distinguishes other-race faces from one another compared to distinguishing among faces of their own racial group.</p>
<p>Another possible explanation involves &#8220;social categorization,&#8221; or the tendency to group others into social categories by race. &#8220;Prior research has found that when we label and group others according to race we end up focusing more on attributes that group members tend to have in common &#8212; such as skin color &#8212; and less on attributes that individuate one group member from others,&#8221; Lucas says.</p>
<p>As a result, smaller N200 brain potentials for other-race faces &#8212; particularly those that were not remembered later &#8212; could indicate that race-specifying features of these faces were given more attention.</p>
<p>The Northwestern researchers expect future research to build on their findings in the continuing effort to better understand the other-race effect. &#8220;That research also will need to focus more on <a class="zem_slink" title="Facial recognition system" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facial_recognition_system" rel="wikipedia">face recognition</a> in minorities, given that the bulk of research to date has examined majority-white populations,&#8221; Lucas says.</p>
<p><a href="http://peterhbrown.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/fnhum-05-000331.pdf">Read The Original Article Here</a><br />
<a class="a2a_dd" href="http://www.addtoany.com/share_save"><img src="http://static.addtoany.com/buttons/share_save_171_16.png" alt="Share/Save/Bookmark" width="171" height="16" border="0" /></a></p>
<h6 class="zemanta-related-title" style="font-size:1em;">Related articles</h6>
<ul class="zemanta-article-ul">
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110630142845.htm">How social pressure can affect what we remember: Scientists track brain activity as false memories are formed</a> (sciencedaily.com)</li>
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://mindblog.dericbownds.net/2011/06/consciousness-correlation-is-not-cause.html">Consciousness &#8211; correlation is not a cause</a> (mindblog.dericbownds.net)</li>
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/2011/06/30/shyness-loneliness-and-facebookis-it-easier-to-be-friends-in-cyberspace/">Shyness, Loneliness And Facebook:Is It Easier To Be Friends In Cyberspace?</a> (peterhbrown.wordpress.com)</li>
</ul>
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="margin-top:10px;height:15px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" title="Enhanced by Zemanta" href="http://www.zemanta.com/"><img class="zemanta-pixie-img" style="border:none;float:right;" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=61ad266c-2fb3-4b04-9687-29b11f013ff4" alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" /></a></div>
<br />  <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gocomments/peterhbrown.wordpress.com/1888/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/comments/peterhbrown.wordpress.com/1888/" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=peterhbrown.wordpress.com&#038;blog=8514305&#038;post=1888&#038;subd=peterhbrown&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://peterhbrown.wordpress.com/2011/07/06/they-all-look-alike-to-me-heres-why-they-do/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
	
		<media:content url="http://1.gravatar.com/avatar/d83561d00d7fc09d8f53d5ff9d687b24?s=96&#38;d=wavatar&#38;r=G" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">peterhbrown</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://peterhbrown.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/picture-112.jpg" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">picture-112</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://static.addtoany.com/buttons/share_save_171_16.png" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Share/Save/Bookmark</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=61ad266c-2fb3-4b04-9687-29b11f013ff4" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Enhanced by Zemanta</media:title>
		</media:content>
	</item>
	</channel>
</rss>
