Current reporting, research and professional developments across Cognitive Psychology, curated for psychologists and behavioral-health professionals.
A new study changes the way we understand memory. Until now, memories have been explained by the activity of brain cells called neurons that respond to learning events and control memory recall. Neurologists have now…
Researchers have discovered a neural mechanism for memory integration that stretches across both time and personal experience.
Neuroscientists have discovered brain cells that form multiple coordinate systems to tell us 'where we are' in a sequence of behaviors. These cells can play out different sequences of actions, just like a music box can…
Physicists have investigated to which extent a piece of music can evoke expectations about its progression. They were able to determine differences in how far compositions of different composers can be anticipated. In…
Researchers have discovered that the dorsal premotor cortex serves a 'meta-learning' function, overseeing and regulating physical movements. Once believed to be limited to movement planning, this region has now been…
Military musicians returning from the Napoleonic wars established Britain's first brass bands earlier than previously thought, new research reveals. The study undermines the idea that brass bands were a civilian and…
A collaborative team of researchers led by Dale Zhou, who did his Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine, and Dani Bassett in Penn's School of Engineering and Applied Science looked at how…
Researchers have revealed that the CA1 and CA2 regions in the brain respectively encode the locations and individuals linked with a threatening experience. The results show that, beyond simply recognizing individuals…
Researchers have shown that, just like declarative memories, short-term and long-term memories for motor skills form in different regions of the brain, with the cerebellum being critical for the formation of long-term…
New research suggests a person's feelings towards a parent can be significantly changed when they are asked to evaluate them during talking therapy, even when the question isn't suggestive.
A new American Heart Association scientific statement suggests addressing cardiovascular health earlier in life may reduce the risk of stroke and help preserve thinking and memory later in life.
Researcherers say a pair of experiments with children ages 4 to 7 shows that, given children's natural skepticism and early exposure to the internet's boundless misinformation, it is crucial for adults to teach them…
Conventional wisdom holds that people are easily seduced by first impressions, and there's solid scientific evidence that initial snap judgements are hard to shake -- even when they turn out to be inaccurate. But…
Using MRI scans of almost 1,000 Dutch people, researchers show that there is indeed a connection between brain structure and ideology. However, the connection is smaller than expected. Nevertheless, the researchers find…
Our M.A. is a flexible program of study that provides training in linguistics and/or cognitive science. Students may propose a ...
Researchers are using works by Johann Sebastian Bach, along with MEG and MRI scans, to investigate how the brain compensates for age-related changes.
New research explores music's impact on learning, memory, and emotions in two studies. One reveals that familiar music can enhance concentration and learning, while the other demonstrates that music with a strong…
Researchers have discovered the neurons responsible for 'item memory,' deepening our understanding of how the brain stores and retrieves the details of 'what' happened and offering a new target for treating Alzheimer's…
The latest research indicates that 16% to 85% of people recovering from a stroke experience at least one psychosocial symptom, including depression, anxiety, stress, fatigue and/or decreased quality of life. Critical…
While everyone knows that a good night's sleep restores energy, a new study finds it resets another vital function: memory.
A new study reveals that the memory for a specific experience is stored in multiple parallel 'copies'. These are preserved for varying durations, modified to certain degrees, and sometimes deleted over time.
Babies recognize pretense and around half of children can pretend themselves by 12 months, new research has found.
Psychologists studied 'earworms,' the types of songs that get stuck in your head and play automatically on a loop, to show that highly accurate pitch memory is much more common than might be expected.
Researchers have uncovered a more nuanced view of what makes an 'ideal' computer science student, challenging long-held stereotypes of geeky, clever, detail-oriented men, who lack social skills.
Whether Bach, Beethovan, or Mozart, it's widely recognized that classical music can affect a person's mood. Scientists use brainwave measurements and neural imaging techniques to show how Western classical music elicits…
Significant improvements in aerobic fitness were noted after 12 weeks of high-intensity interval training sessions compared to traditional, moderate exercise sessions, according to a new study.
A new study aimed to address the questions of whether art exhibitions can make us more empathic or even change our attitudes and behaviors? The researchers were able to show that, indeed, looking through the exhibition…
An assistant clinical professor developed a specialized dance and movement therapy (DMT) program to meet the unique needs of youth from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds to foster a sense of community and connection.
Eye-tracking allows studying aspects that cannot be seen, for example, the thinking processes of a student solving a mathematical problem. Researchers have integrated eye-tracking into education and are using the…
During an event, details like what you saw, smelled, and felt aren't stored as a single memory. Rather, they are encoded and stored in your brain separately. To retrieve that memory, those pieces must get put back…
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