Rhythm and Music Help Math Students
Kids who learned fractions through a music-based curriculum outperformed peers in traditional math classes. Sophie Bushwick reports
Cognition3916 articles archived since 1845
What Are the Structural Differences in the Brain between Animals That Are Self-Aware (Humans, Apes) and Other Vertebrates?
Robert O. Duncan, a behavioral scientist at York College, the City University of New York, responds
Ability to Learn Is Affected by the Timing of Sleep
Researchers find that how soon we sleep after learning new information impacts how well we retain it. Christie Nicholson reports
Recommended: The Social Conquest of Earth
Books and recommendation from Scientific American
Gun-Toting Increases Bias to See Guns Toted
A person holding a gun may be more likely to think they see a weapon being carried by another. Christopher Intagliata reports
The Ballooning Brain: Defective Genes May Explain Uncontrolled Brain Growth in Autism
Autistic children's brains may grow too big, too soon. A new study links this unusual growth to abnormal gene activity that fails to prune unnecessary neural connections
A Neuroscientist's Quest to Reverse Engineer the Human Brain
M.I.T. scientist Sebastian Seung describes the audacious plan to find the connectome--a map of every single neuron in the brain. Here, he says, is the secret of human identity
Boost Intelligence by Focusing on Growth
Why some people learn more from their mistakes
Mind Wandering Is Linked to Your Working Memory
A new study has found a strong correlation between how much your mind wanders and your working memory capacity. Christie Nicholson reports
Worm Discovery Illuminates How Our Brains Might Have Evolved
Genetic traces similar to those in vertebrate brains have been found in lowly worms, but not all scientists are convinced that complex brains were already in the works more than 500 million years ago...
Sharing the Wealth (of Knowledge): Cumulative Cultural Development May Be Exclusively Human
Studies suggest that cumulative culture is unique to people, and that collaborative learning may be the key to human advancement. But precisely where to draw the lines for culture remains unclear...
The Cognitive Roots of Binge Eating
Problems with focus and self-understanding are linked to eating disorders
How We Opt Out of Overoptimism: Our Habit of Ignoring What Is Real Is a Double-Edged Sword
The willful distortion of reality to extremes can be harmful
Why Interacting with a Woman Can Leave Men "Cognitively Impaired"
In one experiment, just telling a man he would be observed by a female was enough to hurt his psychological performance.
How to Gain Self-Control
New research finds a relatively simple method to increase your capacity for self-control. Christie Nicholson reports
Couples Troubles Often Cause Female Sexual Dysfunction
New findings point to relationship issues as the primary cause of female sexual dysfunction
QWERTY Keyboard Leads to Feelings about Words
Words with more letters on the right side of a QWERTY keyboard are thought of more positively than are words primarily typed on the left side. Sophie Bushwick reports
Smells Like Old Times
Our sense of smell sways our memories and thoughts
Chimp Cops Arbitrate Disputes
High-ranking chimps in a group break up scuffles and keep the peace. Karen Hopkin reports
The Nuts and Bolts of Emotional Sobriety
When to engage with negative feelings and when to ignore them
