Quick links from the past week in mind and brain news:
Chewing gum and context-dependent memory: The independent roles of chewing gum and mint flavour. A paper currently ‘in press’ for the British Journal of Psychology.
Sharp Brains has an interview with Prof Robert Emmons, a psychologist who studies gratitude.
In light of the recent UK case of a supposedly dead man who turned up claiming he couldn’t remember the last five years of his life (now under arrest for fraud!) the BBC has an article on why men go missing, and neuropsychologist Dr Eli Jaldow discusses whether this type of amnesia is likely, in The Times.
PsyBlog starts a fascinating series on the unconscious.
A fantastic ‘turning tables’ visual illusion is discovered by Living the Scientific Life
Science News reports on a new theory on the neuroscience of the organisation of thinking. Abstract of scientific paper here.
The influence of eye disorders on the development of impressionist art is discussed by Neurophilosophy
How America Lost the War on Drugs: a fantastic Rolling Stone article on how billions were spent in a futile attempt to stop people taking drugs.
Frontal Cortex looks at a possible link between business acumen and dyslexia.
Partial Recall: Why Memory Fades with Age. Scientific American looks at the neuroscience behind memory decline in normal ageing.
Guantanamo detainee attempts suicide by slashing himself with a sharpened fingernail. When will these terrorists acts of asymmetric warfare cease?
Cognitive Daily looks at kids’ misconceptions about numbers – and how they fix them.
Mind Hacks 