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Hands Free Isn’t Mind Free

Do you think using a hands-free device makes it okay to talk on a cell phone while driving? Despite the well-intended laws requiring the use of hands-free devices, a driver’s performance is impaired when distracted by eve...
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Consciousness baffling psyhiatrists

Former President Bill Clinton used to tell the public that he “felt their pain.” He may have been right—literally. Empathy has been shown to activate a brain region involved in feeling pain. A large part of a psyc...
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Selfish genes and the mind

To mark the 30th anniversary of Richard Dawkins’s book, Oxford University Press is to issue a collection of essays about his work. Here, professor of psychology at Harvard University, Steven Pinker, wonders if Dawkins’s big...
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
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Neonate self-awareness questioned

In this article Talia Welsh questions the long held view that newborn infants have an inborn primitive sense of self.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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New reviews from Metapsychology Online

Metapsychology Online has recently published several book reviews. Here we link to the most relevant articles.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Consciousness is overrated

You should approach a big decision by gathering plenty of data, perhaps listing the pros and cons of each choice and then sleeping on it. That sleep period, or downtime, is the key, because it gives your unconscious mind a chan...
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
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Feeling by numbers

The amygdala is recognized as a part of the brain associated with emotions such as fear and pleasure, and also with reinforcement learning, by which sensory stimuli become associated with positive or negative values. The way th...
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Instant replay may help to mould memories

Idlers, loafers and layabouts, listen up. A new study suggests that the times when we sit around twiddling our thumbs could in fact be vital for learning.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Decisions with little thought

In a Science publication, it is reported that “purchases of complex products were viewed more favorably when decisions had been made in the absence of attentive deliberation.”
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
Scicon Review
 

Pain Management

The Medscape Pain Management Special Report is a free, monthly newsletter focused on recent developments and advances in the understanding and treatment of pain. It features expert columns, recent articles, and easy-to-navigate...