News by Subject Social & Behavior

Toyohashi University of Technology researchers in cooperation with researchers at the University of Oslo measured people's perceived brightness and pupillary response after viewing glare illusions presented in a variety of different colors. A glare illusion is an optical illusion that has a luminance gradient towards the center and is perceived as brighter by the gradient. The research team found that pupil reduction for glare illusion occurs according to the degree of brightness perception.

A new study shows that the protein CPG15 acts as a molecular proxy of experience to mark synapses for stabilization, a key step in ensuring brain circuits can be refined by experience for optimal functional efficiency.

Infants 17 months of age expect leaders -- but not others -- to intervene when one member of their group transgresses against another, a new study reveals.

Death metal band logos often have a spiky look while romance novel titles often have a swirly script. The jaggedness or curviness of a font can be used to express an emotional tone. A Dartmouth study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B finds that sounds, shapes, speech and body movements convey emotional arousal the same way across the senses. The findings explain why nearly anything can have an emotional tone, including art, architecture and music.

The white matter structure in the brain reflects music sensitivity, according to a study by the research group on Cognition and Brain Plasticity of the Institute of Neurosciences of the University of Barcelona (UB) and the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (UB-IDIBELL).

Leonardo da Vinci produced some of the world's most iconic art, but historical accounts show that he struggled to complete his works. 500 years after his death, King's College London researcher Professor Marco Catani suggests the best explanation for Leonardo's inability to finish projects is that the great artist may have had attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Targeting a key gene before birth could someday help lead to a treatment for Down syndrome by reversing abnormal embryonic brain development and improving cognitive function after birth, according to a Rutgers-led study.