Cognitive Science

A new study explores the distinct mental pathways that lead to impulsive versus planned aggression in adults. The findings reveal that men and women rely on different cognitive habits when navigating hostile social situations.

When temperatures rise, the brain's hypothalamus works overtime to regulate body heat. This intensive thermoregulation demands significant physiological resources, leaving individuals with reduced cognitive capacity for concentration, decision-making, and memory retention.

People who practice dance might be better at regulating their physical actions in positive emotional situations. A new study found that dancers were faster at stopping an ongoing movement when shown happy faces compared to people without dance training.

Do women really multitask better than men? Researchers put both sexes through a rigorous real-world simulation. While they scored the same on most metrics, one difference emerged that explains why men often look like they are struggling.

New research published in Brain Imaging and Behavior suggests that estradiol influences how brain areas communicate during memory tasks in middle-aged women. The findings provide evidence that higher hormone levels tend to allow for more efficient brain connectivity.

College students who rely on automated answers without critical reflection show a diminished ability to learn independently. A new survey suggests this habit lowers academic self-confidence and reduces the internal drive to succeed in school.

A large study of brain scans from over 4,000 people has identified four distinct ages when the brain's structural network shifts its developmental trajectory. These turning points separate human life into five unique epochs of topological change.

A recent study in Intelligence & Cognitive Abilities indicates that people with higher general intelligence tend to possess more specialized knowledge about wine. The research suggests cognitive ability drives the accumulation of deep facts without formal rewards.

A new analysis of brain imaging data suggests that migraines can be categorized into two biological groups based on brain structure and network connectivity, offering a potential new framework for understanding the condition.

When humans learn new rules, our brains use the exact same evidence-gathering process to make decisions as they do when processing basic physical sensations. A recent study shows that decision-making brain waves adapt to track arbitrary, newly learned categories.

A large study of young men in Denmark reveals that growing up with a parent who has a mental illness is linked to slightly lower cognitive scores, but this association shifts dramatically depending on other family hardships.

Children from disadvantaged backgrounds often start school with lower working memory scores. A large study tracking students through fifth grade reveals how mentally stimulating activities like reading and puzzles can help buffer the cognitive impacts of socioeconomic inequality.

A large study tracking children for over a decade reveals that early intellectual giftedness rarely lasts into adulthood. The findings suggest that genetic factors guide cognitive development far more than a child's environment.

A new computational model explains why dopamine levels gradually rise as animals approach a reward. By combining fast mental maps with slow habit formation, the dual-process theory resolves a long-standing puzzle about how the brain updates its expectations.

A new study suggests that the advanced brain aging often seen in people with anxiety and depression is partly explained by differences in cognitive skills like memory and processing speed, rather than the psychiatric conditions alone.