Johns Hopkins University researchers who study the mind and brain used methods from cognitive science to test a long-standing philosophical question: Can people see the world objectively?
Recent news from The Johns Hopkins University
This section contains regularly updated highlights of the news from around The Johns Hopkins University. Links to the complete news reports from the nine schools, the Applied Physics Laboratory and other centers and institutes are to the left, as are links to help news media contact the Johns Hopkins communications offices.
JHU: What We Can’t See Can Help Us Find Things
Anyone who’s ever tried to find something in a hurry knows how helpful it is to think about the lost item’s color, size and shape. But surprisingly, traits of an object that you can’t see also come into play during a search, Johns Hopkins University researchers found.
ADVISORY: Expert Available to Discuss How Racism, Xenophobia Can Spread in Tandem with Coronavirus
A sociology professor at Johns Hopkins University is available to discuss how the racist and xenophobic treatment of people of Chinese ancestry often escalates during outbreaks of disease such as the current coronavirus that began in China and is spreading worldwide.
Babies Understand Counting Years Earlier Than Believed
Babies who are years away from being able to say “one,” “two,” and “three” actually already have a sense of what counting means, Johns Hopkins University researchers have discovered.
The findings reveal that very early on, years earlier than previously believed, babies who hear counting realize that it’s about quantity.
JHU: How Some Older Brains Decline Before People Realize It
Some older adults without noticeable cognitive problems have a harder time than younger people in separating irrelevant information from what they need to know at a given time, and a new Johns Hopkins University study could explain why.
Flamingoes, Elephants and Sharks: How Do Blind Adults Learn About Animal Appearance?
They’ve never seen animals like hippos and sharks but adults born blind have rich insight into what they look like, a new Johns Hopkins University study found.
Study: Treats Might Mask Animal Intelligence
Rewards are necessary for learning, but may actually mask true knowledge, finds a new Johns Hopkins University study with rodents and ferrets.
JHU Mind Games: Researchers Get Humans to Think Like Computers
Computers, like those that power self-driving cars, can be tricked into mistaking random scribbles for trains, fences and even school busses. People aren’t supposed to be able to see how those images trip up computers but in a new study, Johns Hopkins University researchers show most people actually can.
Owls Help JHU Scientists Unlock Secret of How the Brain Pays Attention
By studying barn owls, scientists at Johns Hopkins University believe they’ve taken an important step toward solving the longstanding mystery of how the brain chooses what most deserves attention.
Scientists Find Brain Signal That Might Help Us Judge the Holiday Buffet
At holiday buffets and potlucks people make quick calculations about which dishes to try and how much to take of each. Johns Hopkins University neuroscientists have found a brain region that appears to be strongly connected to these food preference decisions.
Gambling Monkeys Help Scientists Find Brain Area Linked to High-Risk Behavior
Monkeys who learned how to gamble have helped researchers pinpoint an area of the brain key to one’s willingness to make risky decisions.
When There’s an Audience, People’s Performance Improves
Often people think performing in front of others will make them mess up, but a new study led by a Johns Hopkins University neuroscientist found the opposite: being watched makes people do better.
JHU Records Brain Activity of a Free-flying Bat
Johns Hopkins University researchers have developed a way to study the brain of a bat as it flies, recording for the first time what happens as an animal focuses its attention.
JHU Finds Letter We’ve Seen Millions of Times, Yet Can’t Write
Despite seeing it millions of times in pretty much every picture book, every novel, every newspaper and every email, Johns Hopkins University researchers have found people are essentially unaware of the most common version of the lowercase print g.
JHU Finds How Brain Instantly Tells Trash from Treasure
Johns Hopkins University neuroscientists have found how the brain can detect an object’s value almost as soon as we see it.
Mind of a Medalist: Scientists Explain How the Brain Can Lead to Olympic Gold
Any athlete who’s made it to the Olympics has speed or strength or whatever physical skills it takes to lead the world in their sport. But Johns Hopkins University scientists say those who ultimately bring home gold have also honed the mind of a medalist.
JHU Finds Why We Can’t Always Stop What We’ve Started
When we try to stop a body movement at the last second, perhaps to keep ourselves from stepping on what we just realized was ice, we can’t always do it — and Johns Hopkins University neuroscientists have figured out why.
Study: Junk Food Almost Twice as Distracting as Healthy Food
Even when people are hard at work, pictures of cookies, pizza and ice cream can distract them — and these junk food images are almost twice as distracting as health food pictures, concludes a new Johns Hopkins University study, which also found that after a few bites of candy, people found junk food no more interesting than kale.
Johns Hopkins Finds Training Exercise That Boosts Brain Power
One of the two brain-training methods most scientists use in research is significantly better in improving memory and attention, Johns Hopkins University researchers found. It also results in more significant changes in brain activity.
Pilot Program Will Test Novel Approach to Teaching Science
Though scientists know children with strong spatial thinking skills have an edge in science, technology, engineering and math, and that those skills are teachable, no one has formally infused them into a working elementary curriculum. With a $1.4 million federal grant, Johns Hopkins University researchers will co-develop and test such a program for third-grade science classes.