What can the chance discovery of an illusion tell us about how our eyes and brains work together? Ben Balas from North Dakota State University talks with us in episode 37 about his research into the Flashed Face Distortion Effect, an illusion in which normal faces – when rapidly presented in people’s peripheral vision – are perceived as grotesque and distorted. His article, “Factors that do and don’t affect the strength of the Flashed Face Distortion Effect”, written with Hannah Pearson, was posted to the PsyArxiv pre-print server on June 5, 2018.
Genetic predisposition may explain relationship between frequent cannabis use and psychotic-like experiences
Although shared genetic influences are important, person-specific factors also appear to influence the association between cannabis involvement and psychosis.
Dogs look for additional information more often when they don't see where a reward is hidden
Finding that dogs may actively seek more information when aware that they lack enough to solve a problem, scientists suggest that the animals may possess some metacognitive abilities.
MRI study of schizophrenics provides evidence of how disruptions in the brain's white matter may be linked to changes in grey matter
Technique reveals how changes in white and grey matter seen in schizophrenia are linked, and how the brain compensates for these changes, at least in the illness’s early stages.
