Skeptics Stack Exchange
Skeptics Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [cognitive-science]

the study of the mind and its processes, such as thought and learning.

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Has Dean Radin's Love study been independently confirmed by three dozen groups?

This NPR article from 2009 states that Dean Radin conducted a Love study that claimed to show a scientifically meaningful correlation between a husband thinking about a wife and her sensing it within two seconds: After running 36 couples through…
WilliamKF
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Can sighted people learn to read braille by touch at a level comparable to blind individuals?

I've been told by a friend who works at a school for the blind that no sighted person has ever learned to read braille by touch at the level that is comparable to a literate blind person. Is this true? Many sighted people can read braille fluently…
epimika
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Does juggling increase gray matter/size of the occipito-temporal cortex?

I have been led to believe by expert testimonies that juggling may lead to an increase in brain depth and size. At the moment I am not able to draw on much evidence. If this is a myth, I would appreciate clarification, thank you. Example claims: "A…
The Rouge
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Does a 400ppm ambient CO2 increase result in a 21% decline in cognitive function "across all domains"?

Apparently VOCs and CO2 in a conventional building will make you half or around 3/4 as smart/performing as you are. On average, cognitive scores were 61% higher on the Green building day and 101% higher on the two Green+ building days than on the…
Fizz
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Was John von Neumann able to recall from memory every book he had ever read?

From Wikipedia's article on Eidetic memory's prevalence According to Herman Goldstine, the mathematician John von Neumann was able to recall from memory every book he had ever read. [15] Refering to Page 167 of Goldstine's The Computer from Pascal…
jvnwtfdude
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Do some people have aphantasia - the inability to visualise images in their mind's eye?

Blake Ross wrote an article about his personal experience with aphantasia, which is defined here as: a condition where a person is unable to visualise images in their minds eye. Has it been verified that some people have this condition? (It's…
terafforem34
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Can eating sugar result in addiction?

I am surprised to see this video on TED claiming that sugar can lead to addiction (differently from other kinds of food, for example broccoli). So, yes, over-consumption of sugar can have addictive effects in the brain --precise spot I know that…
Sklivvz
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Does listening to complaints damage your neurons?

I read this old news today as it's gone viral in Italy: That pain you feel listening to complainers? It's real enough to peel away neurons from your brain and render it pretty much useless, reports Inc. "The brain works more like a muscle than we…
Sklivvz
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Is only 1-2% of the population in Myers-Briggs' INTJ category?

INTJs are one of the rarest of the sixteen psychological types and account for approximately 1-2% of the population Wikipedia claims that the INTJ personality type (as defined by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) is one of the rarest and roughly…
enderland
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Does positive thinking have any effect?

I found this while reading about the 'Law of Attraction' Whether or not you believe in the power of the universe, there is scientific research that proves the effects of positive thinking. Is this true? Is there any scientific research that proves…
Okky
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Can you generally learn any skill, noticeably well, with 20 hours practice?

I recently watch Josh Kaufman's TEDxCSU talk about his new book, The First 20 Hours. Although his idea sounds reasonable, I coudn't find any mention of scientific research to back it up. I know some research has been done on the 10,000 hour rule. …
yokimbo
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Is online counselling as effective as face to face?

I came across a website for a therapy service offering online counselling and in the text on the website it makes the claim "Online counselling is just as effective as face to face" Has this been shown through any formal evaluations? Their…
user1605665
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Is oenology real?

I am French so oenology is obviously a big thing here. I then read from time to time that it is, generally speaking, a scam - "scam" being defined in various ways: that the influence of the context (place, bottle, atmosphere) is preponderant and…
WoJ
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Do people make 35000 decisions a day?

I saw this advertisement posted on the way to work today, and it made the claim that people make "about 35000 decisions a day". A quick Google search shows that this claim is widely parroted but never sourced. Is there any evidence for or against…
March Ho
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Studies on Nominative determinism (That persons name plays a role in his life)?

I have found this article on Wiki on Nominative determinism. It's a claim that a person's name plays a role in his life, like career choices and has influence over one's character in general. I have also read Freakonomics where it is being argued…
Matas Vaitkevicius
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