I've mentioned this experiment (or similar ones) before - and it never ceases to crack me up.
I just read a very good article on the phenomenon of expensive wines at auction and how the big players spend, literally, millions a year on wine - for a personal collection. Not for a restaurant - for a personal wine cellar. Hell, if they gave me the amount of money they spend in ONE MONTH on wine I could pay off all my debts.
That's why this study just kills me. Essentially it's saying they spend all that money for essentially the perception and not for the actual result.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Expert memory
Memory is never as good as people like to think it is.
I wonder if self-descriptive positive therapy could have an effect on memory?
I wonder if self-descriptive positive therapy could have an effect on memory?
Socia/Emotional education
Referring back to the previous post, perhaps that is one of advantages of home schooling over public schooling - social and emotional education.
Public education seems bent on the idea of raising "self-esteem" (put in quotes to recognize that it is a nebulous term that is defined in various ways depending on the intention of the speaker) and very little attention is paid to actually educating children on their social and emotional skills. Whereas the intimate nature of home schooling provides a wonderful opportunity to give that type of education. Social and emotional training being inherently a one-off and individual type of instruction that requires intimate knowledge of the experiences and behaviors of the individual being taught. Public school, by its very nature, is incapable of being effective at that type of instruction.
Again - we need better studies of home schooling and how it affects the children.
Public education seems bent on the idea of raising "self-esteem" (put in quotes to recognize that it is a nebulous term that is defined in various ways depending on the intention of the speaker) and very little attention is paid to actually educating children on their social and emotional skills. Whereas the intimate nature of home schooling provides a wonderful opportunity to give that type of education. Social and emotional training being inherently a one-off and individual type of instruction that requires intimate knowledge of the experiences and behaviors of the individual being taught. Public school, by its very nature, is incapable of being effective at that type of instruction.
Again - we need better studies of home schooling and how it affects the children.
Home school vs. Public school
Here are some very interesting thoughts on the results from public vs. home schooling.
The author is a rather cranky conservative, but his argument isn't entirely without merit. Home schooled kids DO tend to perform better on standardized test (although I haven't seen the spread of the test results, so it's also possible that public school produces a narrower band of results than home schooling, so whild home schooling produces a general higher result, the depths of bad home schooling could be much worse than public schooling - just a thought).
What I'm interested in seeing is a study as to WHY home schoolers do better. Arguments about "socialtiy" I think are bogus. As our social networks move towards an electronic basis (text messaging, social web applications) the supposed benefit of socializing in a school setting become less "obvious" (although I'm not sure they were obvious to begin with). I think the socialization argument is a more of an artificial construct by virtue of the laws of education. Children could receive the same social "training" from sports programs or from other social groups like church.
No, I'm more interested to see or study what type of educational activities that are accomplished by home schooled children give them an advantage (if any - results on standardized tests are not exactly the best indication of anything other than the ability to perform on a standardized test) over public schooled children.
I will also just pause in noting that the extreme measures legal and legislative measures that the teacher's unions are exercising against home schooled children seem to indicate a reaction of fear rather than any concrete objection about the validity of home schooling.
The author is a rather cranky conservative, but his argument isn't entirely without merit. Home schooled kids DO tend to perform better on standardized test (although I haven't seen the spread of the test results, so it's also possible that public school produces a narrower band of results than home schooling, so whild home schooling produces a general higher result, the depths of bad home schooling could be much worse than public schooling - just a thought).
What I'm interested in seeing is a study as to WHY home schoolers do better. Arguments about "socialtiy" I think are bogus. As our social networks move towards an electronic basis (text messaging, social web applications) the supposed benefit of socializing in a school setting become less "obvious" (although I'm not sure they were obvious to begin with). I think the socialization argument is a more of an artificial construct by virtue of the laws of education. Children could receive the same social "training" from sports programs or from other social groups like church.
No, I'm more interested to see or study what type of educational activities that are accomplished by home schooled children give them an advantage (if any - results on standardized tests are not exactly the best indication of anything other than the ability to perform on a standardized test) over public schooled children.
I will also just pause in noting that the extreme measures legal and legislative measures that the teacher's unions are exercising against home schooled children seem to indicate a reaction of fear rather than any concrete objection about the validity of home schooling.
Free will and ethics
I'm always up to post someone's thoughts on the free will debate - so here are some thoughts on free will and ethics.
Play video games. All. Life. Long.
I'm showing my wife this post RIGHT NOW!!!
Kidding (sort of). I'm really liking all of the research and developments being done in the gaming & education world. Very exciting.
More on how gaming can make you a better person.
More news and info on gaming as a part of our culture here and here and still more here.
Kidding (sort of). I'm really liking all of the research and developments being done in the gaming & education world. Very exciting.
More on how gaming can make you a better person.
More news and info on gaming as a part of our culture here and here and still more here.
Cheater's never prosper
Well, I'm not sure that our current economy is a valid testament to that, some pretty big fortunes were made on cheating the system (but now large amounts of people are paying the price both directly and indirectly).
Well, here is some news on the psychological profiles of students who don't cheat.
Lots of information has been generated about students who do cheat, so this is a welcome addition to the canon.
Well, here is some news on the psychological profiles of students who don't cheat.
Lots of information has been generated about students who do cheat, so this is a welcome addition to the canon.
Integrative Neuroscience
More please. I'm always interested in hearing about cross-discipline colaboration or cooperation in driving for a better understanding of how things work.
These are not the droids you're looking for....
Yep - learn how to do the jedi mind trick on just about anyone - all based on scientific research!
More on "bite-sized" persuasion techniques.
More on "bite-sized" persuasion techniques.
Online research vs. Library research
Very interesting take on the mechanics and habits we form for reading online vs. in a library.
I'll give a tentative agreement, although it doesn't seem that they address the effort put into the research. If I was told to research something on the Internet that would be gauged against the research of someone working from a library, I'd be much more thorough. I think there might be some basic predisposition to the type of information you want that would drive you to one direction or the other. Basic info: Internet; in-depth info: library.
The study (as described in the post) just seems to be a little thin on finding or controlling for the motivation of the reading.
I'll give a tentative agreement, although it doesn't seem that they address the effort put into the research. If I was told to research something on the Internet that would be gauged against the research of someone working from a library, I'd be much more thorough. I think there might be some basic predisposition to the type of information you want that would drive you to one direction or the other. Basic info: Internet; in-depth info: library.
The study (as described in the post) just seems to be a little thin on finding or controlling for the motivation of the reading.
The therapy of hope
And I'm not talking about Obama's "audacity of hope" sound bite either. I'm talking about the emerging idea of "Positive Psychology" - seems that it is rather effective against depression.
Medicate before Meditate
The post title is somewhat misleading and an attempt at cute alliteration, but the idea remains: psychologist are reducint the amount of time they spend in psychotherapy. The key item in the article mentions that more psychologists are medicating their patients rather than providing psychotherapy (which is time consuming and difficult with unreliable results).
I'm pretty sure that this isn't because drugs are becoming more effective, but there are more options that seem to be more specifically targeted. I'm all for limiting certain types of psychotherapy (Freudian psychoanalysis being my favorite target) - but I'm not sure that moving to a "medicate first" option is a good way to go.
I'm not a fan of the "magic bullet" scenario in any field of medicine.
More thoughts on the death of psychotherapy here.
I'm pretty sure that this isn't because drugs are becoming more effective, but there are more options that seem to be more specifically targeted. I'm all for limiting certain types of psychotherapy (Freudian psychoanalysis being my favorite target) - but I'm not sure that moving to a "medicate first" option is a good way to go.
I'm not a fan of the "magic bullet" scenario in any field of medicine.
More thoughts on the death of psychotherapy here.
Cultural substrates of cognition
I speak a lot about my interest in how cultures influence our cognitive abilities. I would like to do more research on the subject, but here is a great post about the subject.
Too. Many. Options.
I've posted a few times in the past on some recent research on how too many choices can actually be a bad thing and cripple effective decision making paradigms.
Here is a great summary of some research by one of the leaders in that field.
Here is a great summary of some research by one of the leaders in that field.
Compensation as motivation
Research shows that it's not that great of a motivator, and at the very least it is not a good internal motivator or a motivator for a mastery orientation.
Here is a great little summary and an online poll that I found very interesting.
More thoughts on external motivating factors here.
Here is a great little summary and an online poll that I found very interesting.
More thoughts on external motivating factors here.
Decide to be happy
Be happy through better decision making.
Pretty sure I posted about this previously, but it's such an interesting idea to present that I don't mind duplication (if in fact that is what is going on).
I decide to duplicate!
Pretty sure I posted about this previously, but it's such an interesting idea to present that I don't mind duplication (if in fact that is what is going on).
I decide to duplicate!
Monday, October 20, 2008
Love in the communication age
Internet, Cellphones May Strengthen Family Unit, Study Finds - washingtonpost.com
Totally awesome. I'm a big fan of the new social media (the so-called web 2.0) - there are just so many possibilities of actually strengthening communication and social ties. I love it.
More thoughts here, including the observation that as a society we are spending less time watching TV (an inherintly anti-social activity) and spending more time on the web (a potentially highly social activity) and the thought that increasing collaborative online applications will lead to some as-yet-unforseen positive social outcomes.
I am in full agreement with these thoughts and observations.
Here are some thoughts on how to learn how to build better social networks.
Totally awesome. I'm a big fan of the new social media (the so-called web 2.0) - there are just so many possibilities of actually strengthening communication and social ties. I love it.
More thoughts here, including the observation that as a society we are spending less time watching TV (an inherintly anti-social activity) and spending more time on the web (a potentially highly social activity) and the thought that increasing collaborative online applications will lead to some as-yet-unforseen positive social outcomes.
I am in full agreement with these thoughts and observations.
Here are some thoughts on how to learn how to build better social networks.
Chicken or egg?
The Associated Press: Study: Peers, not profs, influence student views
So, peer groups influence political leanings more than professors....but according to the article there are more leftist leaning peer groups in college than not. So, the conclusion is that peer groups are more influential than the generally left-leaning professors. I wouldn't presume to argue that as a general idea. However, why are there more left-leaning peer groups in college? So, I guess that means there there is NO possibility that the left-leaning prevalence of the professors has NO influence on the general zeitgeist of the student body?
The whole idea just seems a little half-formed to me.
So, peer groups influence political leanings more than professors....but according to the article there are more leftist leaning peer groups in college than not. So, the conclusion is that peer groups are more influential than the generally left-leaning professors. I wouldn't presume to argue that as a general idea. However, why are there more left-leaning peer groups in college? So, I guess that means there there is NO possibility that the left-leaning prevalence of the professors has NO influence on the general zeitgeist of the student body?
The whole idea just seems a little half-formed to me.
Games for education
Wired Campus: Microsoft and Universities Will Study Using Games to Teach Middle-School Students - Chronicle.com
Always a good subject. I've been very interested in producing games as a part of education, getting one of the biggest players in the gaming industry (Microsoft) involved can only be a good thing. I'm actually surprised it took this long for Microsoft to make this move. Bill Gates is quite interested in education, so it's a little surprising that he didn't make more major inroads to the education industry through games before.
Always a good subject. I've been very interested in producing games as a part of education, getting one of the biggest players in the gaming industry (Microsoft) involved can only be a good thing. I'm actually surprised it took this long for Microsoft to make this move. Bill Gates is quite interested in education, so it's a little surprising that he didn't make more major inroads to the education industry through games before.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
the Internet....is there anything it can't do?
BBC NEWS Health Internet use 'good for the brain'
Well, this is just the best news EVER!
Of course, standard disclaimers apply. It is new research after all.
More here.
Well, this is just the best news EVER!
Of course, standard disclaimers apply. It is new research after all.
More here.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
The incredible shrinking brain
FOXNews.com - Is Drinking Shrinking Your Brain? - Health News | Current Health News | Medical News
This certainly goes against a lot of the recent press on the benefits of alcohol consumption (actually, most of the news is on the consumption of wine - and only occasionally about beer or other alcoholic drinks).
I guess not drinking alcohol, and not buying into all the "benefits" of drinking could be a good decision.
Of course, as with all things involving the media, take the above with a large grain of salt. I'm willing to bet that we don't understand fully the effect of alcohol on our bodies to the fullest extent, and it probably also varies a little from person to person.
This certainly goes against a lot of the recent press on the benefits of alcohol consumption (actually, most of the news is on the consumption of wine - and only occasionally about beer or other alcoholic drinks).
I guess not drinking alcohol, and not buying into all the "benefits" of drinking could be a good decision.
Of course, as with all things involving the media, take the above with a large grain of salt. I'm willing to bet that we don't understand fully the effect of alcohol on our bodies to the fullest extent, and it probably also varies a little from person to person.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Re-evaluating the four-year college degree
Cato Unbound » Blog Archive » Down with the Four-Year College Degree!
I like some of the thinking here. His primary argument is quite obviously giving the rather large topic of college level education a short shrift and simplifying things a bit too much, however - it's still a valid point he's making.
How do we fix it? I have no idea.
But isn't it worth thinking about?
I like some of the thinking here. His primary argument is quite obviously giving the rather large topic of college level education a short shrift and simplifying things a bit too much, however - it's still a valid point he's making.
How do we fix it? I have no idea.
But isn't it worth thinking about?
Effort IS worth it
Seth's Blog: Is effort a myth?
This post has been making some waves around the blogosphere recently - and with good reason. Effort IS worth something and research shows that it is. The problem really lies in the sense of entitlement that young people seem to have these days - you can't just make a living or just make ends meet, you need to have it ALL - and you need to not have to really work for it.
Effort.....use it.
This post has been making some waves around the blogosphere recently - and with good reason. Effort IS worth something and research shows that it is. The problem really lies in the sense of entitlement that young people seem to have these days - you can't just make a living or just make ends meet, you need to have it ALL - and you need to not have to really work for it.
Effort.....use it.
Monday, October 06, 2008
Switchtasking vs. Multitasking
Think You're Multitasking? Think Again : NPR
Heck, this is hardly news. There's all kinds of research out there that says that "multitasking" is WAY less efficient than we think it is (for example, if single-task efficiency were 100%, then dual-task efficiency would drop to something like 20% efficiency - that is extremely simplified, but the general concept is accurate).
Switchtasking is just the newest way of looking at it. And it was pretty obvious from previous research as well. We've known for a long time that the human brain really isn't geared for paying attention to more than one thing at a time, so it was just the creation of a new term that made it seem more new and sexy.
More thoughts on the uselessness of multitasking.
Reverse your multitasking impulse!
Heck, this is hardly news. There's all kinds of research out there that says that "multitasking" is WAY less efficient than we think it is (for example, if single-task efficiency were 100%, then dual-task efficiency would drop to something like 20% efficiency - that is extremely simplified, but the general concept is accurate).
Switchtasking is just the newest way of looking at it. And it was pretty obvious from previous research as well. We've known for a long time that the human brain really isn't geared for paying attention to more than one thing at a time, so it was just the creation of a new term that made it seem more new and sexy.
More thoughts on the uselessness of multitasking.
Reverse your multitasking impulse!
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Learn from your mistakes
Learning From Mistakes Only Works After Age 12, Study Suggests
Yep - this study suggests that children don't learn from mistakes till they hit puberty (more or less). For those of you that have children of your own, this explains a LOT.
Yep - this study suggests that children don't learn from mistakes till they hit puberty (more or less). For those of you that have children of your own, this explains a LOT.
Not a big fan of Educational Testing
eduwonkette: What Does Educational Testing Really Tell Us? An Interview with Daniel Koretz
I've never been a great fan of the growing trend of more and more testing for students (the No Child Left Behind Act being a very large contributor to the overall problem). I tend to agree with the three main points, especially with the last one - we keep talking alignment and all alignment does is align two things to be more aligned, it doesn't do much towards the overall goal of providing a better education. Circular arguments rock!
I've never been a great fan of the growing trend of more and more testing for students (the No Child Left Behind Act being a very large contributor to the overall problem). I tend to agree with the three main points, especially with the last one - we keep talking alignment and all alignment does is align two things to be more aligned, it doesn't do much towards the overall goal of providing a better education. Circular arguments rock!
Traditional vs. Blended Learning
Effectiveness Of Traditional And Blended Learning Environments
There is a lot of talk about blended learning amongst the Instructional Designer crowd. The research mentioned in this article seems a bit small in scale and the outcomes less than convincing - and I'm really not sure that the researcher didn't really do the work to try and fine prior research. I'm pretty sure there are a number of books that have been written on the subject, and to think that the whole ISD crowd would have ignored this issue for so long just seems a bit odd.
So - take this all with a very large grain of salt.
There is a lot of talk about blended learning amongst the Instructional Designer crowd. The research mentioned in this article seems a bit small in scale and the outcomes less than convincing - and I'm really not sure that the researcher didn't really do the work to try and fine prior research. I'm pretty sure there are a number of books that have been written on the subject, and to think that the whole ISD crowd would have ignored this issue for so long just seems a bit odd.
So - take this all with a very large grain of salt.
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Long live the Power-Nap!!!
Prototype - We’ll Fill This Space, but First a Nap - NYTimes.com
I'm a HUGE fan of the power nap. There is really not much more deserving of our attention in life. Not a siesta, mind you, but a quick 15 - 30 minute power nap at around 2:30 or so.
Apparently new empirical research has shown that a little nap can boost creativity by 30% or so - not sure how they measured "creativity", but hey, if it give the power-nap a little more street cred, I'm all for it.
I'm a HUGE fan of the power nap. There is really not much more deserving of our attention in life. Not a siesta, mind you, but a quick 15 - 30 minute power nap at around 2:30 or so.
Apparently new empirical research has shown that a little nap can boost creativity by 30% or so - not sure how they measured "creativity", but hey, if it give the power-nap a little more street cred, I'm all for it.
Freud lives to fight another day....
Psychoanalytic Therapy Wins Backing - NYTimes.com
I'm certainly no fan of Freud (while recognizing his historical importance) - but I suppose that, as with all things involving psychology, individuals will all have a different response to different types of treatment. So, it only makes sense that some people will respond quite well to psychodynamic therapy. Just as some people respond quite well to Prozac, and others do not.
I just really have a strong distaste for the overall premise of Freud's position. I can potentially even get behind the idea that we have deep underlying motives for certain actions that we may not wish to acknowledge on an overt level of awareness, but the idea that all those desires have such a base and, really, deprived foundation just does not sit well with me. I have a higher regard for humanity and our basic motivations than Freud.
Freudian believers can now commence the "Well, you just have latent fears of those desires in your subconscious...." rhetoric....
I'm certainly no fan of Freud (while recognizing his historical importance) - but I suppose that, as with all things involving psychology, individuals will all have a different response to different types of treatment. So, it only makes sense that some people will respond quite well to psychodynamic therapy. Just as some people respond quite well to Prozac, and others do not.
I just really have a strong distaste for the overall premise of Freud's position. I can potentially even get behind the idea that we have deep underlying motives for certain actions that we may not wish to acknowledge on an overt level of awareness, but the idea that all those desires have such a base and, really, deprived foundation just does not sit well with me. I have a higher regard for humanity and our basic motivations than Freud.
Freudian believers can now commence the "Well, you just have latent fears of those desires in your subconscious...." rhetoric....
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