From: Earth Times (Ripon, N. Yorkshire, UK)
Research by Knox professors Jennifer Templeton and James Mountjoy is noted as “the very first demonstration of visual mate choice lateralisation.” They and colleagues in Australia found that the male Gouldian finch uses only the right eye to evaluate potential mates; research originally published in Biology Letters.
British web site EarthTimes reports: “Your colour, your size and your song are what matters if you are a bird choosing a mate. In a polymorphic species, where several colour variations exist side-by-side, mates are chosen often because they match the chooser. But in the very rare and absolutely beautiful Gouldian finches (Erythrura gouldiae) from northern Australia, this can only happen with the use of the right eye, linked internally to the brain’s left hemisphere The zebra finch also uses his right eye to eye up his female during a static early stage of courtship. This seems to mean that these birds have a strong specialisation in each hemisphere for different tasks…” Read more…
From: Wired (San Francisco, CA)
A Wired magazine feature in July reports on work by Knox College alumnus Ray Burke ‘77, in a story headlined “Air-Pumped Mascot Costumes Turn Autistic Kids Into Outgoing Entertainers.” The extended feature reports that Burke, a former executive with Father Flanagan’s Boys Home in Nebraska, teamed up with Lee Bowen, who markets inflatable costumes for use as sports mascots, and in retail promotion and performances, including a Broadway show.
After recruiting autistic young adults to work in the costumes, Burke and the Bowen discovered they could perform successfully — doing things they “would never do without the [inflatable costume] on—like responding directly to questions… reacting to the audience, and initiating independent actions without being cued…” A psychology major at Knox, Burke is currently vice president of research, evaluation and program development of Behaven Kids, in Omaha, Nebraska, which helps children with behavior disorders. Read more…
From: Examiner.Com (Chicago, IL)
Everywhere we turn there is media gossiping about someone else’s life. Why is it that the human brain is so interested and aroused by gossip? Is it that when we have a good perception of a person, our jealousy within enjoys hearing negativity?…
Frank McAndrew, a Knox College Psychology Professor, said, “If someone is higher than you on the food chain, you want dirt about them. You want negative information, because that’s the stuff you can exploit to get ahead.”… Read more…
From: National Review Online
Earlier this month, Knox College psychologists Gail Ferguson and Christy Starr released troubling findings showing that girls as young as age six view themselves as sexual objects. The new study is the first to identify self-sexualization in young girls. The study, published online July 6 in the journal Sex Roles, used two differently dressed paper dolls, one dressed provocatively and the other in normal attire. When asked which doll the young girls wanted to look like, 68 percent of the girls indicated the provocatively dressed doll; 72 percent indicated that the sexy doll “was more popular than the non-sexy doll.” …
Lead researcher Christy Starr said of the results that, “it’s very possible that girls wanted to look like the sexy doll because they believe sexiness leads to popularity, which comes with many social advantages.”… Read more… Also covered by Medical Daily, WorldNet Daily, and the Daily Mail of London.
