In the Driver's Seat: Appetite vs. Reasons
Two processes in the brain compete for control, the limbic system representing appetite and the cortex representing reason. When people are near something they really want, they may experience motivational myopia and shut down their cognitive functi...
Thinking and Language: Factors That Affect Human Judgment
Most people are overconfident in their judgments. How an issue is formulated, or framed, can influence preferences. For example, 10% mortality and 90% survival mean the same thing, but do not have the same impact. An affective forecast is at the hea...
Emotions: What is Emotion?
Emotions chart the landscape of life. People know the words and the facial expressions that are distinctive to feelings like happiness, sadness, fear, anger. When we become emotional, our brain notices and our body reacts. A new view of emotion trea...
The Most Amazing Machine: Tools of Discovery
Methods for studying the brain have evolved with the technology. The development of the electroencephalogram (EEG) allows researchers to measure electrical activity in the brain. Positron emission tomography, or PET, uses radioactive isotopes...