Using Science to study humans

Many people still think that pseudo-scientific approaches can only study the human behavior. But, it is highly imperative we understand that lot of progress has been made. Now, the mind sciences has a whole set of tools – From evolutionary

Using Science to study humans

Many people still think that pseudo-scientific approaches can only study the human behavior. But, it is highly imperative we understand that lot of progress has been made. Now, the mind sciences has a whole set of tools – From evolutionary

ai

Introduction to Artificial Intelligence

Introduction: What is AI? My colleague Russell Beale once suggested a useful introductory definition of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for people who know nothing about it: “AI can be defined as the attempt to get real machines to behave like the ones

ai

Introduction to Artificial Intelligence

Introduction: What is AI? My colleague Russell Beale once suggested a useful introductory definition of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for people who know nothing about it: “AI can be defined as the attempt to get real machines to behave like the ones

motive-engg

Motivation based engineering

Introduction “Reason is, and ought only to be the slave of the passions, and can never pretend to any other office than to serve and obey them.” - David Hume A Treatise of Human Nature (2.3.3.4), 1739-1740 Whatever Hume may have

motive-engg

Motivation based engineering

Introduction “Reason is, and ought only to be the slave of the passions, and can never pretend to any other office than to serve and obey them.” - David Hume A Treatise of Human Nature (2.3.3.4), 1739-1740 Whatever Hume may have

cogaff

Design based approach to study the mind

What is the design-based approach (“designer-stance”)? When scientists attempt to explain observations of behaviour in humans and other animals, they often use language that evolved for informal discourse among people engaged in every day social interaction, like this: What does

cogaff

Design based approach to study the mind

What is the design-based approach (“designer-stance”)? When scientists attempt to explain observations of behaviour in humans and other animals, they often use language that evolved for informal discourse among people engaged in every day social interaction, like this: What does

approaches-cs

Approaches in Cognitive Science

Information processing approach based on behavior The predominant approach in the study of mind is the computational theory of mind (Thagard, 1995). The computational or information processing view aims to understand the mind in terms of processes that operate on

approaches-cs

Approaches in Cognitive Science

Information processing approach based on behavior The predominant approach in the study of mind is the computational theory of mind (Thagard, 1995). The computational or information processing view aims to understand the mind in terms of processes that operate on

ceo

A CEO’s face is important for driving sales – Maybe!

For years, we have known that personality traits drive leadership. What about physical traits? In a study by Wong, Ormiston & Haselhuhn (2011) they hypothesized that it could be possible that facial structures of leaders could be correlating (not causing)

ceo

A CEO’s face is important for driving sales – Maybe!

For years, we have known that personality traits drive leadership. What about physical traits? In a study by Wong, Ormiston & Haselhuhn (2011) they hypothesized that it could be possible that facial structures of leaders could be correlating (not causing)

bik

Men will be men! Bikinis make people shift monetarily towards the present

Ingeneral we prefer a larger over a smaller reward and a sooner vs a later reward. But, when the choices are to be made over multiple dimensions like a trade-off between larger reward later and smaller reward sooner, things get

bik

Men will be men! Bikinis make people shift monetarily towards the present

Ingeneral we prefer a larger over a smaller reward and a sooner vs a later reward. But, when the choices are to be made over multiple dimensions like a trade-off between larger reward later and smaller reward sooner, things get

trapped_lab_rats

Empathetic pro-social rats

Not only humans, not only apes, much much below in the evolutionary chain – Rats! Even rats seem to display pro-social behavior. Scientists at University of Chicago showed how a group of experimental rats freed the trapped rats, even when

trapped_lab_rats

Empathetic pro-social rats

Not only humans, not only apes, much much below in the evolutionary chain – Rats! Even rats seem to display pro-social behavior. Scientists at University of Chicago showed how a group of experimental rats freed the trapped rats, even when

chips

High desire for money can make you eat more

For years people thought there are obvious linkages between food and money. Now, its proved in the lab. Higher desires for money resulted in higher consumption of food (for unrestrained people). Prof. Barbaba Briers and collegues subjected two groups of people

chips

High desire for money can make you eat more

For years people thought there are obvious linkages between food and money. Now, its proved in the lab. Higher desires for money resulted in higher consumption of food (for unrestrained people). Prof. Barbaba Briers and collegues subjected two groups of people

money-choco

Money could spoil your chocolate!

Scientists studies the effect of money related thoughts on food savoring. Although most people believe that money spoils our ability to enjoy and appreciate small daily experiences, this was tested in the lab. One group of participants were shown a

money-choco

Money could spoil your chocolate!

Scientists studies the effect of money related thoughts on food savoring. Although most people believe that money spoils our ability to enjoy and appreciate small daily experiences, this was tested in the lab. One group of participants were shown a