Thursday, April 29, 2010

The meaning of colors across cultures


This is chart shows how cultures perceive the meaning of colors...
it is interesting to to see where cultures agree on the meaning, for example the color black means evil, and where they diverege. It is argued in the literature that behavioral reactions to colors are learned and reinforced by culture. But the effects of color on behavior is still being debated. Does red make us more cautious, more error prone or more aggressive? Does blue make us more creative, more calm or more risk-seeking? Is our perception of color context specific? This is an area of study that I am currently investigating based on the debated findings of Mehta and Zhu 2009.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Is This Your Brain on Drugs? Imaging Allows A View In...

Researchers develop technique to visualize 'your brain on drugs'

ScienceDaily (2010-04-27) -- Researchers at the US Department of Energy have developed an imaging protocol that allows them to visualize the activity of the brain's reward circuitry in both normal individuals and those addicted to drugs. ... > read full article