Cognition
To the Brain, a Tool Is Just a Tool, Not a Hand Extension
Recent findings have implications for the design of prostheses. Care for a third thumb, anyone?
Cognition3949 articles archived since 1845
Cognition
What It’s Like to Have Face Blindness during the Pandemic
Before COVID, I would often be embarrassed when I didn’t recognize someone while walking my dog. Not now
Behavior
Students Who Gesture during Learning ‘Grasp’ Concepts Better
Hand movement appears to help in teaching about statistical models
Cognition
Baby Talk and Lemur Chatter—but Not Birdsong—Help an Infant’s Brain Develop
Researchers probe the outer boundaries of what types of sounds human infants tune in to for building cognition
Cognition
Amanda Gorman, Poet Laureate and Gesturer Laureate
She shows us that gestures are not mere hand-waving. They can convey images that magnify speech or even add new ideas that are not found in the spoken word
Behavior
People Literally Don’t Know When to Shut Up—or Keep Talking—Science Confirms
We are really bad at navigating a key transition point during one of the most basic social interactions
Cognition
Are Dolphins Right-Handed or Left-Handed?
That is a trick question because dolphins obviously don’t have hands. But studying whether they have “handedness” led to identifying a quirk of human perception
Neuroscience
People Answer Scientists’ Queries in Real Time while Dreaming
Researchers demonstrate that during REM sleep, people can hear—and respond to—simple questions such as “What is eight minus six?”
Cognition
Masks Can Be Detrimental to Babies’ Speech and Language Development
The good news is that parents can take action to compensate
Cognition
How the Brain Responds to Beauty
Scientists search for the neural basis of an enigmatic experience
Cognition
When Our Gaze Is a Physical Force
Research documents a strange illusion
Cognition
Ravens Measure Up to Great Apes on Intelligence
Juvenile ravens performed just as well as chimps and orangutans in a battery of intelligence tests—except for assays of spatial skills. Christopher Intagliata reports.
Neuroscience
Brain Sides Are Both Busy in New Language Learning
A study of adults learning a new language found that speaking primarily activated regions in the left side of the brain, but reading and listening comprehension were much more variable
Cognition
Young Ravens Rival Adult Chimps in a Big Test of General Intelligence
At just four months of age, the birds performed equally well as great apes on understanding numbers, following cues and many more tasks
Cognition
Take This Quiz to See if You Are a Face “Super-Recognizer”
Many with this skill have a feeling they are special. A freely available test helps them confirm their intuitions
Behavior
Are Toxic Political Conversations Changing How We Feel about Objective Truth?
As political polarization grows, the arguments we have with one another may be shifting our understanding of truth itself
Chemistry
Do Wine over Those Brussels Sprouts
Taking a swig of red wine before eating Brussels sprouts appears to moderate Brussels sprouts' polarizing flavor. Christopher Intagliata reports
Evolution
Zebra Coloration Messes With Fly Eyes
Horseflies misjudge landings on zebra patterns, compared with solid gray or black surfaces, which provides evidence for why evolution came up with the black-and-white pattern.
Cognition
Hypnosis Experts Cast Doubt on Famous Psychological Experiments
Suggestibility may explain why people “feel” vicarious pain or sensation in a fake hand
Cognition
Magic Is (Literally) for the Birds
What conjuring techniques can reveal about animal cognition
