Monthly Archives: April 2012

Visual illusion – Dr Angry and Mr Calm

Dr angry mr smile

Look carefully at this picture. On the left is Dr. Angry, on the right is Mr. Calm. Keep your eyes on the picture and slowly take a few steps backward. The figures should swap personalities right before your eyes!

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Split Brain Behavioral Experiments

Meet Joe. After suffering from years of epilepsy, Joe underwent brain surgery to have his corpus callosum severed. The corpus callosum, also referred to as the colossal commissure, is a thick band of 200-250 million nerve fibers at the longitudinal fissure that facilitates  interhemispheric communication in the brain. By having this band severed, Joe prevented the spread of epileptic seizure from one hemisphere to the other.

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10 Ingenious Anti-Smoking Campaigns

no smoking signIt’s tough to quit smoking. Indeed, it’s a battle that millions of persons face each day as they attempt to take their first steps toward a longer, healthier lifestyle. Recent research has shown that not only is smoking dangerous, but nicotine can also potentially increase the likelihood of a person becoming addicted to other drugs (such as cocaine). In a landmark study reported at Neuroscience 2011, researchers at Columbia University demonstrated “the molecular mechanisms of nicotine as a gateway drug” able to affect gene expression and prime the body for further addiction (Sukel, 2012). Continue reading

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Deferred Gratification – The Stanford Marshmallow Experiment

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EjJsPylEOY

What’s so fascinating about eating a marshmallow? Quite a lot as it turns out. In 1972, Stanford University’s Walter Mischel conducted one of psychology’s classic behavioral experiments on deferred gratification. Deferred gratification refers to an individual’s ability to wait in order to achieve a desired object or outcome. Continue reading

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