4/16
MindCORE
Bringing cognitive science in action to young minds
Bringing cognitive science in action to young minds
Penn Upward Bound high school students from West Philadelphia got a tour of the Penn Smart Aviary, GRASP Lab, and the Penn Vet Working Dog Center during a visit to Pennovation Works.
Does more money correlate with greater happiness?
Does more money correlate with greater happiness?
Reconciling previously contradictory results, researchers from Penn and Princeton find a steady association between larger incomes and greater happiness for most people but a rise and plateau for an unhappy minority.
Perceptions shaped social behavior during the pandemic
Perceptions shaped social behavior during the pandemic
Research from Penn psychologists found that Americans who most feared losing their connections continued interacting with others, paradoxically acting in ways that risked prolonging disease-mitigating social restrictions.
Parental praise associated with longer toddler toothbrushing, a barometer of persistence
Parental praise associated with longer toddler toothbrushing, a barometer of persistence
Using a first-of-its-kind video-based study, Penn and Yale developmental psychologists found that how parents talk to their 3-year-old during toothbrushing matters to the child’s behavior.
A link between childhood stress and early molars
A link between childhood stress and early molars
Penn researchers discovered that children from lower-income backgrounds and those who go through greater adverse childhood experiences get their first permanent molars sooner.
Morality isn’t fixed but changes around close relationships
Morality isn’t fixed but changes around close relationships
Research from MindCORE postdoc Daniel Yudkin found that the importance people place on certain moral values shifts depending on who is around in a given moment.
What happens in the brain when we imagine the future?
What happens in the brain when we imagine the future?
Research from neuroscientist Joseph Kable finds that two sub-networks are at work, one focused on creating the new event, another on evaluating whether that event is positive or negative.
A new theory for what’s happening in the brain when something looks familiar
A new theory for what’s happening in the brain when something looks familiar
This novel concept from the lab of neuroscientist Nicole Rust brings the field one step closer to understanding how memory functions. Long-term, it could have implications for treating memory-impairing diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Children persist less when parents take over
Children persist less when parents take over
According to research from Penn psychologists, kids ages 4 to 7 persevere longer when allowed to struggle through a challenging activity than if a grown-up steps in.
Money matters to happiness—perhaps more than previously thought
Money matters to happiness—perhaps more than previously thought
Research from Wharton’s Matthew Killingsworth shows that contrary to previous influential work, there’s no dollar-value plateau at which money’s importance lessens. One potential reason: Higher earners feel an increased sense of control over life.