Scientific American Mind (Oct / Nov 2008 Issue)

Scientific American Mind (Oct / Nov 2008 Issue)

92 pages PDF | 6.67 Mb



Features

Putting Thoughts into Action: Implants Tap the Thinking Brain
Researchers *are decoding the brain to give a voice and a hand to the paralyzed—and to learn
how it controls our movements

Five Ways Brain Scans Mislead Us
Colorful *scans *have *lulled us into an oversimplified conception of the brain as a modular
machine

Tempering Toddler Tantrums Now May Prevent Aggression Later
Emotional *outbursts *afflict *virtually *all toddlers. Some children, however, are prone to
more violent fits that could—if left unchecked—pave a path toward persistent aggression

Kids sharing Why Children Like to Share
People are programmed to avoid inequality

Sheldon *Solomon of Skidmore College Fear, Death and Politics: What Your Mortality Has to Do
with the Upcoming Election
A *psychology *professor *explains how thoughts of death influence how we vote or make other
decisions

Never Say Die: Why We Can't Imagine Death
Why so many of us think our minds continue on after we die

The Psychology of "The War on Terror" and Other Terms for Counterterrorism
How *we *characterize *an issue affects how we think about it. Replacing the "war on terror"
metaphor with other ways of framing counterterrorism might help us curtail the violence more
effectively

Your iBrain: How Technology Changes the Way We Think
How the technologies that have become part of our daily lives are changing the way we think

The Science of Gossip: Why We Can't Stop Ourselves
It helped us thrive in ancient times, and in our modern world it makes us feel connected to
others—as long as it is done properly