Electric Fish And Children ’s Play: The Week’s Best Psychology Links

Our weekly round-up of the best psychology coverage from elsewhere on the web Electric fish seem to have mastered the art of the pause, writes Katherine J. Wu at The Atlantic. Brienomyrus brachyistius communicate by producing a series of electrical pulses. But researchers have found that the fish sometimes pause during their “conversations”, apparently as a signal that what they are about to communicate is important — similar to a “dramatic pause” in human speech. As we covered in a recent podcast, play is a vital part of children’s development. But how do the toys we choose to give kids shape their interests and skills? At BBC Future, Melissa Hogenboom explores how gendered toys can reinforce existing stereotypes and biases. Researchers have allowed a bind man to see again after 40 years, through the use of light-sensitive proteins injected into cells in the eye. With the help of specialised goggles, the man was able to make out high-contrast images, reports Sara Reardon at Nature. The study represents the first clinical use of optogenetics, a technique often used in basic neuroscience research.  ..and in other optogenetics news, researchers have used the technique to manipulate social behaviours in mice. After inducing synchronous patterns of activity in the medial prefrontal cortex of two mice, the team found that the animals became more social, reports Virginia Hughes at The New York Times. The work has interesting parallels wi...
Source: BPS RESEARCH DIGEST - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Weekly links Source Type: blogs