African Americans are better at sports. Asians are better at math. Though we outwardly seek and applaud diversity, stereotypes persist. “Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do” investigates the research of Dr. Claude Steele, a social psychologist, on stereotypes — and how, even in a society that
Posts by David Yang
The Myth Of Multitasking
In today’s modern, technologically advanced world, with e-mail and smartphones and Twitter and Facebook demanding all of our attention all of the time — even as we work, socialize and play — multitasking may seem like the only answer. But science cautions us to restrict multitasking
Future Babble: Why Pundits Are Hedgehogs And Foxes Know Best
The world was supposed to end in 2012 … prognostication is a rife, global passion and pundits provide inexhaustible commentary on the future — whether on the economy, climate change or anything in between. Journalist Dan Gardner peers through the lens of cognitive science to expose the predictions industry and show us
Do Cell Phones Cause Brain Cancer?
Lining up the research
Consider the following mishmash of city creatures interacting in their urban habitat: An elderly woman lifts her reading glasses, squinting as she concentrates on her mobile phone. A young man…
BOOK ROUNDUP
The Dyslexic Advantage: Unlocking the Hidden Potential of the Dyslexic Brain by Brock L. Eide and Fernette F. Eide (Hudson Street Press, 2011) What do Steven Spielberg and Anne Rice…