All Articles Tagged As: intelligence

Early-Life Nutrition May Be Associated With Adult Intellectual Functioning (7/10/2008)

Adults who had improved nutrition in early childhood may score better on intellectual tests, regardless of the number of years they attended school ...> Full Article

Get smart about what you eat and you might actually improve your intelligence (7/4/2008)

Researchers offer tantalizing evidence on how to make people smarter, naturally ...> Full Article

Research on octopuses sheds light on memory (6/18/2008)

Research on octopuses has shed new light on how our brains store and recall memory ...> Full Article

Plastic Brain Outsmarts Experts (6/6/2008)

Training can increase fluid intelligence, once thought to be fixed at birth ...> Full Article

Singing in the brain: Baby birds' chirps use different neural pathway (5/2/2008)

Young songbirds babble before they can mimic an adult's song, much like their human counterparts. Now, in work that offers insights into how birds--and perhaps people--learn new behaviors, scientists have found that immature and adult birdsongs are driven by two separate brain pathways, rather than one pathway that slowly matures. ...> Full Article

Intelligence and rhythmic accuracy go hand in hand (4/21/2008)

People who score high on intelligence tests are also good at keeping time ...> Full Article

Omega-3 intake during last months of pregnancy boosts an infant's cognitive and motor development (4/10/2008)

A new study reveals that omega-3 intake during the last months of pregnancy boosts an infant's sensory, cognitive, and motor development ...> Full Article

Are animals stuck in time? (4/9/2008)

Dog owners, who have noticed that their four-legged friend seem equally delighted to see them after five minutes away as five hours, may wonder if animals can tell when time passes ...> Full Article

Who's bad? Chimps figure it out by observation (4/2/2008)

Experiments test chimpanzees' ability to make judgments about the reputation of strangers ...> Full Article

Is it luck of the draw or skill? Psychologist places his bets on skill (3/25/2008)

Researcher suggests putting your bets on skills over luck when playing the card game ...> Full Article

E.T. not likely to have human-like intelligence (3/16/2008)

Extraterrestrials will probably never 'phone' Earth in a way we'd understand as they're unlikely to have evolved human-like intelligence - but that doesn't mean we should give up the search for life beyond our planet, an ANU expert will argue today. ...> Full Article

Non-human primates convey meaning through call combinations (3/12/2008)

Researchers have made what they say is the first experimental demonstration that a primate other than humans conveys meaning by combining distinct alarm calls in particular ways. The study appears in the March 11th issue of Current Biology, a publication of Cell Press. ...> Full Article

Chimps May Have A 'Language-ready' Brain (3/4/2008)

An area of the brain involved in the planning and production of spoken and signed language in humans plays a similar role in chimpanzee communication, researchers report. ...> Full Article

Brain Area Critical for Chimpanzee Communication Corresponds to Similar Area in Human Brain (3/3/2008)

Researchers have found the area in the chimpanzee brain involved in the production of chimpanzee manual gestures and vocalizations is similar to what is known as Broca's area in the human brain. The study, available in today's online edition of Current Biology, is the first to directly link chimpanzee and human brain areas associated with communicative behaviors, suggesting chimpanzee communication is not only more complicated than previously thought, but also that the neurobiological foundations of human language may have been present in the common ancestor of modern humans and chimpanzees. ...> Full Article

Children's under-achievement could be down to poor working memory (3/2/2008)

Children who under-achieve at school may just have poor working memory rather than low intelligence according to researchers. ...> Full Article

What Is The Cognitive Rift Between Humans And Other Animals? (2/22/2008)

Shedding new light on the great cognitive rift between humans and animals, a Harvard University scientist has synthesized four key differences in human and animal cognition into a hypothesis on what exactly differentiates human and animal thought. ...> Full Article

Sheep in human clothing - scientists reveal our flock mentality (2/15/2008)

Have you ever arrived somewhere and wondered how you got there? Scientists at the University of Leeds believe they may have found the answer, with research that shows that humans flock like sheep and birds, subconsciously following a minority of individuals. ...> Full Article

Poor recognition of 'self' found in high functioning people with autism (2/9/2008)

Contrary to popular notions, people at the high end of the autism spectrum disorder continuum suffer most from an inability to model "self" rather than impaired ability to respond to others, said Baylor College of Medicine researchers in a report that appear in the journal Neuron. ...> Full Article

Songbirds' Brains Provide Clues to Human Speech (1/20/2008)

Analyzing how the brains of songbirds respond to singing patterns has provided new information about how humans learn to communicate with each other, according to Duke University researchers. ...> Full Article

Lack Of Imagination In Older Adults Linked To Declining Memory (1/9/2008)

Most children are able to imagine their future selves as astronauts, politicians or even superheroes; however, many older adults find it difficult to recollect past events, let alone generate new ones. A new Harvard University study reveals that the ability of older adults to form imaginary scenarios is linked to their ability to recall detailed memories. ...> Full Article

Orphaned Children Show Higher Intelligence And Fare Better In Foster Care Than In Institutions (12/31/2007)

Newly published research in the journal Science confirms that institutionalized orphans placed into foster care have much better intellectual development than those who remain behind. The authors say the results have implications for countries "grappling with how best to care for abandoned, orphaned and maltreated young children." ...> Full Article

Study Finds Family Environment Critical To Child's IQ (12/29/2007)

The quality of caregiving a child receives within the first two years of life directly affects brain development and IQ, according to a study by a team of researchers from Tulane and other universities. ...> Full Article

Monkeys Can Perform Mental Addition (12/23/2007)

Researchers have demonstrated that monkeys have the ability to perform mental addition. In fact, monkeys performed about as well as college students given the same test. ...> Full Article

IQ Boost From Breast Milk Linked to Gene-Environment Interaction (12/20/2007)

A new study shows that the intellectual boost associated with breast milk is only attained if a child has inherited one of two versions of a specific gene. The NIMH funded research is among the first to provide evidence of a specific genetic-environment interaction involved in complex mental functioning. ...> Full Article

Like Humans, Monkey See, Monkey Plan, Monkey Do (12/11/2007)

How many times a day do you grab objects such as a pencil or a cup? We perform these tasks without thinking, however the motor planning necessary to grasp an object is quite complex. The way human adults grasp objects is typically influenced more by their knowledge of what they intend to do with the objects than the objects' immediate appearance. Psychologists call this the "end-state comfort effect," when we adopt initially unusual, and perhaps uncomfortable, postures to make it easier to actually use an object. ...> Full Article

Even Very Low Levels Of Lead Cause Brain Damage In Children (11/26/2007)

Even very small amounts of lead in children's blood -- amounts well below the current federal standard -- are associated with reduced IQ scores, finds a new, six-year Cornell study. ...> Full Article

Researchers Recognize Sense of Fairness in Nonhuman Primates (11/16/2007)

Nonhuman primates respond negatively when their fellow animals receive better rewards, but the reaction is based on fairness and not on awareness that better rewards are available. ...> Full Article

Children and Monkeys Rationalize Their Decisions After A Tough Choice (11/15/2007)

Like adults, children and monkeys rationalize their decisions following a tough choice, Yale University researchers report in Psychological Science. ...> Full Article

Gene governs IQ boost from breastfeeding (11/7/2007)

The known association between breast feeding and slightly higher IQ in children has been shown to relate to a particular gene in the babies, according to a report this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. ...> Full Article

Research indicates dogs have some ability to read minds (11/7/2007)

Dog owners who think their beloved pooch can read their mind may be right. ...> Full Article

Children with gene show reduced cognitive function (11/6/2007)

7- to 10-year-olds carrying apoE4 show reduced cognitive function. ...> Full Article

Humans And Monkeys Share Machiavellian Intelligence (10/26/2007)

When it comes to their social behavior, people sometimes act like monkeys, or more specifically, like rhesus macaques, a type of monkey that shares with humans strong tendencies for nepotism and political maneuvering. ...> Full Article

In Human Grid, We are the Cogs (10/18/2007)

Human computation placed in a grid, for a greater good ...> Full Article

Depression Can Foreshadow Intellectual Decline in Older People (10/9/2007)

Depression in the elderly increases the risk of subsequent mental impairment and can act as a predictor of future intellectual decline. ...> Full Article

Cockroaches are morons in the morning and geniuses in the evening (10/6/2007)

In its ability to learn, the cockroach is a moron in the morning and a genius in the evening ...> Full Article

New way to predict who will succeed as a manager (9/27/2007)

Psychologists have used new computerized measures of "executive intelligence" to predict who will excel in a managerial role or in a competitive academic environment. ...> Full Article

What chimpanzees can teach us about economics (9/22/2007)

Chimpanzees make irrational choices, in the same way that humans do, suggesting a common evolutionary origin rather than quirks unique to humans. ...> Full Article

Biological Model for Intelligence Revealed (9/19/2007)

Researchers have devised a testable model of human intelligence comprised of specific gray-matter processing centers and white-matter connections. ...> Full Article

Future career path of gifted youth can be predicted by age (9/10/2007)

The future career path and creative direction of gifted youth can be predicted well by their performance on the SAT at age 13, a new study from Vanderbilt University finds. The study offers insights into how best to identify the nation's most talented youth, which is a focus of the new $43 billion America Competes Act recently passed by Congress to enhance the United States' ability to compete globally. ...> Full Article

Primates expect others to act rationally (9/8/2007)

When trying to understand someone's intentions, nonhuman primates expect others to act rationally by performing the most appropriate action allowed by the environment, according to a new study by researchers at Harvard University. ...> Full Article

New Study Reveals Higher Social Skills Are Uniquely Human (9/7/2007)

Apes bite and try to break a tube to retrieve the food inside while children follow the experimenter's example to get inside the tube to retrieve the prize, showing that even before preschool, toddlers are more sophisticated in their social learning skills than their closest primate relatives. ...> Full Article

Less work more play makes for smarter children (8/28/2007)

Teachers are being urged to keep the lines of communication open with parents to prevent potential discontent over the new prep year. ...> Full Article

Feline footsteps point to visual memory (8/26/2007)

There's a reason cats rarely make a false step - they remember where their feet have been. ...> Full Article

Orangutans Communicate As If They Were Playing Charades (8/7/2007)

When using gestures to get their points across, orangutans rely on the same basic strategy that humans follow when playing the popular game and intentionally modify or repeat hand (or other) signals based on the success or failure of their first attempt. ...> Full Article

Monkeys Learn In The Same Way As Humans (8/5/2007)

"Like humans, monkeys benefit enormously from being actively involved in learning instead of having information presented to them passively," said Nate Kornell, a UCLA postdoctoral scholar in psychology and lead author of the study, which appears in the August issue of the journal Psychological Science. "The advantage of active learning appears to be a fundamental property of memory in humans and nonhumans alike." ...> Full Article