Studying cognitive psychology is hard because we have no direct access to people’s minds. As a result, we often have to rely on studies of behaviour and infer what people must be thinking.

But the behaviour may not be authentic. People may not behave as they normally would during an experiment, but instead behave the way they think the experiments are expecting. There is often as subtle desire to try to please the experimenter and give them what they want. This idea is called “demand characteristics” and the this article describes new research that uses this idea to question a common body part illusion.

In psychological experiments the study design must take into consideration the fact that subjects subconsciously try to figure out what the experimenter wants and then gives it to them. Any subtle cue that one response is more desired than another can affect the outcome. So the influence of demand characteristics must be carefully controlled for.

Source: Demand Characteristics in Psychological Research | NeuroLogica Blog

Phineas Gage is probably the most famous patient in the field of neuroscience. His story has been told over and over in psychology and medical courses. In 1848, Gage was injured when a large steel rod was driven through his skull by an explosion. Gage, the story goes, lived for 12 years following the severe damage to his brain, but he was a changed man. He became a “dirty, scary, sociopathic drifter”, apparently due to the damage to his frontal cortex.

But is that what really happened? This interesting article digs deeper to find out how Gage lived out his life, and attempts to debunk the many myths about his changed behaviour.

Recent historical work, however, suggests that much of the canonical Gage story is hogwash, a mélange of scientific prejudice, artistic license, and outright fabrication. In truth each generation seems to remake Gage in its own image, and we know very few hard facts about his post-accident life and behavior.

Source: Phineas Gage, Neuroscience’s Most Famous Patient – Slate – Pocket

Can science explain Deja Vu or is it a glitch in the matrix?

We encounter a situation that is similar to an actual memory but we can’t fully recall that memory. So our brain recognizes the similarities between our current experience and one in the past. We’re left with a feeling of familiarity that we can’t quite place.

Source: Can Science Explain Deja Vu?