Psychology
Articles
Music,
Creativity and Scientific Thinking, by Robert
Root-Bernstein
Music and science are two ways of using a common set of “tools for thinking” that
unify all disciplines. (link)
Aesthetic
cognition and synosia, by
Robert Root-Bernstein
Sensual experience is the basis for creative scientific thinking.(pdf)
The
Grand Illusion, by Victor S. Johnston (summary)
Emotions play a central role in regulating the creative processes of learning
and reasoning. (link)
Prosocial Emotions, by Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis
A second reason for our limited success in understanding social norms is the
remarkable neglect of emotions in the study of behavior. It may seem odd that
an approach once said to be based on the “calculus of pleasure and pain” would
pay so little attention to feelings. But in the standard economic model actions
are taken to bring about valued consequences. The process by which the individual
arrives at the action is cognitive, not affective. Visceral reactions such
as joy, shame, fear, and disgust thus play no role in the process of decision
making, however much their anticipation may influence the evaluation of the
consequences of an action. The neglect of the behavioral consequences of emotions
is not limited to economics, but extends to psychology and neuroscience as
well, where cognitive aspects of behavior is a major line of research, while
the causes of emotions receive far more attention than their behavioral consequences.
(pdf)
Visual Language Discrimination in Infancy
Infants can discriminate languages just from viewing silently
presented articulations.
The Human Early Learning Partnership
Research network from British Columbia's
six major universities, whose purpose is to create, promote and apply new knowledge
through leading interdisciplinary research to help children thrive.
Infant Studies Centre
Describing and understanding the critical first steps in infancy that launch
the process of language acquisition.
Risk
as Feelings, by George F. Loewenstein et al
Emotional reactions to risky situations often diverge from cognitive assessments
of those risks. When such divergence occurs, emotional reactions often drive
behavior.
Mirror
Neurons, Society for Neuroscience
The ability to instinctively and immediately understand what other people
are experiencing has long baffled neuroscientists, psychologists, and philosophers
alike. Recent research now suggests a fascinating explanation: brain cells
called mirror neurons.
Books
Bursts, by
Albert-László Barabási
Randomness does not rule our lives, contrary to what scientists had previously
assumed. (abridged version online)
Videos
The
neurons that shaped civilization, VS Ramachandra
The mirror neuron system allows us to rethink issues like consciousness, representation
of self, and even things like the emergence of culture and civilization.
Websites
Can You Behave Randomly?
An online excercise designed to deepen your understanding of what randomness
is by having you try to behave randomly.
Links
The International Society of Research on Emotion
A society where researchers from various disciplines and cultures can come together
to discuss issues of mutual interest and concern with the emotions as their
central focus.
The Swiss
Centre for Affective Sciences
The NCCR Affective Sciences is the first national research centre dedicated
to the interdisciplinary study of emotions and their effects on human behaviour
and society. (brochure pdf)
The
Brain: A User's Guide to Emotions
Infographic: an overview of the major areas of the brain involved in processing
emotions.