Read more cognitive science stories on Newserhttp://www.newser.com/taggrid/7976/cognitive-science.html2009 - Newseren-usNewser Feed GeneratorTue, 24 Nov 2009 9:25:49 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/63792/real-thinking-cap-may-not-be-so-far-off.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagA magnetic pulse directed at a certain area of the brain may enhance learning and memory, the Telegraph reports. Canadian researchers subjected volunteers to a test that required they track a dot moving on a computer screen with a joystick, and volunteers who received stimulation fared much better.http://www.newser.com/story/63792/real-thinking-cap-may-not-be-so-far-off.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagTue, 07 Jul 2009 14:44:02 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/55426/poor-kids-stress-harms-the-brain-chance-of-success.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagChronic stress caused by growing up poor appears to impair a developing child’s working memory, the Washington Post reports, pointing to another link between childhood poverty and lessened long-term success. While environmental and experiential factors—such as having fewer toys and more exposure to lead—likely affect the achievement gap,...http://www.newser.com/story/55426/poor-kids-stress-harms-the-brain-chance-of-success.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagMon, 06 Apr 2009 12:00:00 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/54729/study-links-video-games-to-improved-vision.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagAdults can apparently improve their eyesight by playing action video games, a treatment less painful—for some, at least—than corrective lenses or eye surgery, according to researchers. Scientists compared study subjects who played the action games Call of Duty and Unreal Tournament 2004 to a group who played the...http://www.newser.com/story/54729/study-links-video-games-to-improved-vision.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagMon, 30 Mar 2009 4:03:07 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/51780/long-work-hours-weaken-mental-skills.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagWorking long hours may weaken mental skills, the BBC reports. Researchers administered a series of reasoning and memory tests to 2,214 British civil servants and found that those working more than 55 hours a week did significantly worse than those who worked around 40. The effect was cumulative, meaning...http://www.newser.com/story/51780/long-work-hours-weaken-mental-skills.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagWed, 25 Feb 2009 16:38:02 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/48965/single-nerve-cell-can-hold-a-memory-study.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagIndividual neurons in the brain can hang on to memories for a minute or longer, a new study finds. Something like a computer’s temporary random access memory (RAM), this working memory is what allows you to keep a phone number in your head for a few seconds, then forget it...http://www.newser.com/story/48965/single-nerve-cell-can-hold-a-memory-study.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagMon, 26 Jan 2009 12:04:00 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/48329/brain-looks-beyond-eyes-to-recognize-faces-scientists.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagWant to make yourself hard to recognize? Get a nose job and shave your eyebrows, say facial-recognition experts, who have yet to fully understand—or agree upon—how we “see” or “read” faces. Psychologists and neuroscientists, fueled by the need to quickly and correctly identify people in the age of...http://www.newser.com/story/48329/brain-looks-beyond-eyes-to-recognize-faces-scientists.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagMon, 19 Jan 2009 15:43:02 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/44674/researchers-push-brain-steroids-for-all.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagHealthy adults should be able to take brain-boosting drugs for a competitive advantage at work or on an exam, researchers say in a provocative paper. Seven authors say ethical questions about cognitive-enhancement pills are both warranted and imminent, and that such medicinal aid is no less moral than caffeine consumption,...http://www.newser.com/story/44674/researchers-push-brain-steroids-for-all.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagMon, 08 Dec 2008 10:15:01 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/36845/number-sense-predicts-math-success-study.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagThe skill of estimating group size at a glance is directly linked to success in higher forms of math like algebra and calculus, reports the Washington Post . A new study found that students with better “number sense”—the ability to quickly and accurately guess numbers in a group—do better...http://www.newser.com/story/36845/number-sense-predicts-math-success-study.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagMon, 08 Sep 2008 6:09:00 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/30440/its-official-bikinis-make-men-stupid.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagMen make dumb decisions when ogling bikini-clad beauties—conventional wisdom, sure, but now there's some science behind it. Belgian researchers found that men bombarded with sexy images have a definite drop-off in cognitive skills when compared with those who gaze at landscapes, reports MSNBC. The experiment supports earlier findings that...http://www.newser.com/story/30440/its-official-bikinis-make-men-stupid.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagFri, 20 Jun 2008 12:26:08 CDT