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Tag Archives: methodology

Parachutes Don’t Help (Important Asterisk)
A surprising research finding to start your week: parachutes don’t reduce injury or death. How do we know? Researchers asked participants to jump from planes (or helicopters), and then measured their injuries once they got to the ground. (To be

Interested in Action Research? Try This Instead
We don’t do a lot of cross posting here at Learning and the Brain. I believe this is the first time we’ve done so while I’ve been editor. I think the initiative below is very exciting, and you — Learning

How Does Self-Control Really Work? Introducing a Debate
You’d like to know how researchers think about self-control, but don’t know where to begin? Begin here… Continue reading

Does Smartphone Addiction Boost Anxiety and Depression?
Despite all the scary headlines, research on cell-phone usage relies on self-report. And: people are very bad at remembering how much they actually use their phones. We simply don’t yet know much from research about their effects. Continue reading

Today’s Unpopular Research Finding: Potential Perils of Mindfulness
New research suggests that mindfulness may lead to “particularly unpleasant” experiences for many practitioners. This research is in early stages, but we should consider its implications in school mindfulness programs. Continue reading

A Rose by Any Other Name Would Smell as Confusing
All too often, psychology discussions use confusing — or worse, deliberately cheerful — terminology. Teachers should seek out direct and neutral terms to simplify and clarify our discussions. Continue reading

Praising Researchers, Despite Our Disagreements
This blog often critiques the hype around “brain training.” Whether Lumosity or Tom Brady‘s “brain speed” promises, we’ve seen time and again that they just don’t hold water. Although I stand behind these critiques, I do want to pause and
Can Teachers Be Trusted to Evaluate Research?
Too often, teachers hear that our judgment about classroom applications of scientific research isn’t to be trusted. And yet, teacher judgment is essential when applying research in the classroom. Given that psychology research affects classroom practice only when teachers use it, why put down the teachers who are essential partners in this process? Our field should focus not on competition, but on respectful collaboration. Continue reading
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Tagged boundary conditions, methodology, retrieval practice, working memory
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There’s No Polite Way to Say “I Told You So”
Back in 2014, Pam Mueller and Dan Oppenheimer made headlines with their wittily titled study “The Pen Is Mightier Than The Keyboard.” In that study, they found that students learn more from taking handwritten notes during a lecture than from

The Joys (and Stresses) of Teacher/Neuroscientist Collaboration
In an ideal world, teachers and researchers collaborate to bring out the best in each other. So, I might invite Pooja Agarwal to study retrieval practice in my 10th grade English classroom. My students and I benefit because we learn