Extras
Eye-catching studies that didn’t make the final cut.
04 November 2010
In a blind taste test, participants were unable to identify which of five blended meat products was actually dog food (Canned Turkey and Chicken Formula for Puppies/Active Dogs, Newman's Own® Organics, Aptos, CA), although the dog food did tend to be rated as having the least pleasant taste. The other meats were: duck liver mousse ("Mousse de Canard," Trois Petits Cochons, New York, NY), pork liver pâté ("Pâté de Campagne," Trois Petits Cochons, New York, NY), supermarket liverwurst (D'Agostino), and Spam (Hormel Foods Corporation, Austin, MN). The researchers concluded: 'that, although human beings do not enjoy eating dog food, they are also not able to distinguish its flavor profile from other meat-based products that are intended for human consumption.' [HT: Miles Thomas]
A great demonstration of how cultural familiarity affects intelligence test performance – in this case, test items drew either on the Afrikaans or Tswana cultures of South Africa. For example an item might refer to football players (the most popular sport among Tswana children) or rugby players (which is the most popular sport among Afrikaans). Both test formats were taken by children from both cultures, with performance being superior when the test was culturally familiar.
Established sex differences in jealousy generalise to the online environment. That is, men are made more jealous by sexual infidelity whereas women are made more jealous by emotional infidelity.
Factors affecting people's choice of location and manner of their 'final resting place'.
Why do they do it? A US survey of people who litter.
New review paper on visual hallucinations.
Clever animals and killjoy explanations in comparative psychology.