Cognitive Science

New research shows male and female teenagers develop entirely different patterns of cognitive strength as they age. While boys steadily excel in mechanical reasoning, girls increasingly favor academic skills, driven by underlying changes in mental processing speed.

A recent study reveals that formal musical training isn't necessary for the brain to grasp complex harmonic structures. Both musicians and nonmusicians systematically use musical context to accurately predict, remember, and segment melodies.

Are some people naturally better at guessing a stranger's IQ? A new study reveals that highly intelligent, emotionally perceptive, and happy individuals are significantly more accurate at judging the intelligence of others.

A groundbreaking fMRI study has mapped the exact neural shifts of a self-induced visionary state. Researchers discovered that a woman capable of voluntary trance actively disconnects her sensory networks while boosting internal cognitive control.

A new study suggests that when people exaggerate their performance without knowing the actual facts, their bodies still show subtle signs of stress. Uncertainty creates a middle ground between complete honesty and outright deception.

A recent brain imaging experiment reveals that watching fragmented short videos leads to measurably worse memory recall compared to viewing continuous content. The fast-paced format reduces brain activity in regions dedicated to focusing attention and processing deep meaning.

A new study in the Journal of Psychopharmacology mapped how cannabis impacts human cognition. The findings provide evidence that intoxication broadly disrupts multiple memory domains, increasing false memories and making it harder to recall practical, everyday information.

A recent experiment provides evidence that relying on artificial intelligence to study tends to reduce how much information students remember weeks later.

Financial incentives can motivate people to try harder on cognitive tests, but this increased motivation does not improve their actual scores. A recent study reveals that intelligence metrics accurately reflect mental ability rather than simply measuring willingness to work.

Frequent digital media use tends to be linked with poorer developmental outcomes in children and teens, according to a massive review of longitudinal research, published in JAMA Pediatrics, that analyzed data from hundreds of thousands of youth.

As students learn, their ability to ask complex questions grows. A new study suggests this advanced questioning skill boosts performance on creative assignments but actually leads to lower scores on traditional multiple-choice exams.

Scientists recently discovered that expert Rubik's Cube players show the same brain activity when planning a solution and moving the pieces. The study, published in Experimental Brain Research, indicates these experts solve the puzzle entirely in their minds.

New research reveals that the intense physical reactions people experience when listening to music or looking at visual art, such as a sudden shiver or goosebumps, are partly linked to natural variations in human DNA.

People with high childhood intelligence scores often hold progressive social views as adults. A new study suggests that this progressive shift is not innate, but heavily depends on experiencing the academic environments unique to a college campus.

Published in Nature Neuroscience, new research reveals that timing, not repetition, drives associative learning. By showing the brain prioritizes the delay between rewards, the study upends century-old assumptions and suggests new ways to understand habit formation.