Birdsong baffles babies
Researchers find that baby brains are bolstered by lemur and human voices – but not by birdsong.
The blue-eyed black lemur (Elemur flavirons) may be a close genetic cousin of ours, but these small, lanky tree-dwell...
cognition
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How adults learn a new language
Both sides of the brain help out, it seems.
Learning languages is a breeze for young children, but once that window of opportunity closes, for adults it becomes ...
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Learning difficulties linked to brain connectivity
New research suggests it’s about ‘hubs’, not specific brain regions.
Different learning difficulties do not, as previously thought, correspond to specific regions of the brain, new Briti...
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School smarts more than reading and maths
Academic and cognitive skill training goes both ways.
It’s well established that cognitive abilities such as reasoning, memory and focussed attention help children do well...
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To maximise learning, find the sweet spot
The importance of challenging people and machines.
Learning occurs most quickly when the difficulty of the training is adjusted to keep the learner’s accuracy at around...
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I know you’re counting, not just talking
Babies get the idea of numbers before they can say them.
Babies can’t say the words “one”, “two” and “three”, but they probably know that they refer to quantities, US researc...
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The way your brain approaches tricky tasks
Investigating the ‘low-dimensional manifold’.
Have you ever sat down to complete your morning crossword or Sudoku and wondered about what's happening in your brain...
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Don’t forget – less chilli
Study finds possible link to cognitive decline.
Perhaps think twice about that extra kick of chilli sauce. Research suggests a spicy diet could be linked to cognitiv...
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Too much chilli could lead to memory loss
Think twice before adding that extra kick of chilli sauce.
Spice might make life more interesting, but too much could negatively affect your memory, suggests a new study from Q...
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Bees can link symbols to numbers
More evidence that bees are not only busy, they’re clever too.
Bees continue to impress in the intellectual stakes. Not only can they understand zero and do basic maths, it appears...
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Being bilingual doesn’t improve cognitive ability
Speaking two languages doesn’t increase executive function.
Some of the advantages of growing up bilingual have been overstated, a large study has revealed.People who learn a ...
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Being scammed foretells Alzheimer’s onset
The elderly are likely to have a loaded weapon nearby.
Older people may be at greater risk of being scammed by con artists than their appearance or behaviour suggest.Lo...