Very few animals can combine information to adjust their predictions in a flexible way by using domain-general intelligence as humans do. In episode 74, Amalia Bastos from the University of Auckland discusses her research demonstrating that kea parrots can make predictions based in probabilities, and adjust those predictions based on physical and social information.
The science news most engaged with this week @parsingscience ...
Negative emotions in social advertising
Study finds that people predisposed to engaging in socially risky behaviors pay less attention to advertising campaigns which feature strongly negative messaging aimed at deterring those behaviors.
Less consistent follow-up visits, reduced movement, and poorer mental or physical health due to the coronavirus pandemic stand to diminish the accuracy and precision of clinical trials.
Scientists have developed a lab-grown strain of microalgae which is more tolerant to heat, which when injected back into the coral, allow the algae inside the coral to handle warmer water better.
Conflict avoidance and gender gaps in political engagement
Men's comparatively higher levels of enjoyment of arguments and disagreements, not women's greater aversion to conflict, found to explain gender gaps in political engagement.
Targeting the amygdala directly with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may lead to more effective and faster-acting anti-anxiety therapy for animals and humans.
Gardening at home find to have a similar effect on people's emotional well-being as biking, walking or dining out. The benefits of home gardening were similar across racial boundaries and between urban and suburban residents.
