Postcards from the Id

Research On Violence And Video Games

Via Research Blogging, I came across the blog Thoughts of a Neo-Academic, written by an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist.  He has started a 10-part review of a recent special issue of the Journal of General Psychology, which examines the research into violence and video games.  Part One is here, and worth a read.  I tend to agree with this initial conclusion, that the media (and certain researchers) tend to take advantage of the occasional "big time" story to advance the narrative of violence being caused by video games, when in fact the research has concluded no such general, broad-based finding.  I look forward to the follow-up installments.

New Research Into Effective Study Habits

This NY Times article does a nice job summarizing recent research findings, which run counter to the prevailing wisdom when it comes to study habits.  I particularly like the section that addresses a multi-modal study style, in which various distinct, but related, areas are studied during an individual study session, as opposed to lengthy periods of study focused on one topic.  As the article notes, athletes and musicians have figured this out long ago, so why haven't students?  Worth a read, especially if you have kids, are a teacher of some sort, or are in school yourself.

PDF File Library For The Clinician

I really liked this post at Brain Posts, not so much because I have an iPad (because I don't), but because of the idea of developing a comprehensive file library for whatever portable computer one uses.  The point made by the author is that, with netbooks and iPads, carrying around a large number of pdf files, some of which can be quite informative (and contain charts, graphs, data,etc.), as well as directly related to one's work.  The list provided at the linked post appears quite comprehensive, though geared toward the clinician.  I've been developing a library of pdf files for my work laptop, primarily for when I am called to testify on competency or responsibility.  It is incredibly convenient to have hundreds of journal articles, all in pdf format, located on the hard drive of a laptop; no more dragging around a bunch of paper copies, just on the off chance you may need to look at one of them.  At some point, I may make a list of some available pdf files that are handy to put on your portable computer, but of both clinical and forensic utility.  In the meantime, I'm definitely going to take a look at some of the links provided at Brain Posts.