Kathryn Friedlander reviews David Astle’s fascinating guide to cryptic crosswords. Should we all consider taking up cryptic crossword solving, as the book suggests, to ‘improve our memory and boost the power and agility of our brain’?
Kathryn Friedlander takes a look at an alternative way of studying expertise, the Grounded Expertise Components Approach, suggesting that this might address some pitfalls of previous research.
We’ve all seen the long-running arguments over ‘expertise’ … Are the world’s greatest performers endowed at birth with a lucky genetic advantage? Or are they trained to excel through 10,000 hours of gruelling practice? Or perhaps a blend of both?
Kathryn Friedlander explores the ‘kick’ we get from cracking a really good cryptic crossword clue.
A number of stories in the press earlier this year reported work carried out in Vienna and London on solving puzzles in a brain scanner. The study suggested that solving a clue to a puzzle can trigger a highly rewarding ‘Aha!’ (or ‘Eureka!’) insight moment, which releases dopamine into the brain. This is the reward chemical associated with daily activities such as eating, winning money … and having sex. This led to headlines promising that cryptic crosswords were ‘better than sex’… but what’s the reality behind the hype?
Gill Hill explains why investigating creative problem solving is sometimes – quite literally – child’s play.
People might be surprised to hear that the games they played as children can help scientists to explain how people think. For example, researchers have recently used rock, paper scissors as a model for decision making. Furthermore, chess is seen as a pursuit for ‘thinkers’ around the world, and we have consequently seen lots of research exploring psychological processes whilst people play.
Postgraduate researchers Nicole Gwynne and Adam Davidson offer some further advice on recruiting participants.
Asking people to give you their time can seem scary, whether you’re seeking a romantic date or participation in your scientific study. Face-to-face interviews and experiments can appear laborious and inconvenient, so many researchers become bashful regarding recruitment.
Don’t worry, there is a simple process to follow when pursuing potential participants for in-person research. We can’t guarantee it’ll work for your romantic dating life, but here are the steps to getting the dates that yield data. Continue reading
Postgraduate researchers Nicole Gwynne and Adam Davidson offer some advice on recruiting participants.
Congratulations! You’ve successfully navigated the labyrinth of ethical approval and you’re ready to start your study. You’re eager to examine your data and you can’t wait to wait patiently while SPSS loads.
There’s just one small problem: you don’t yet have any data. You need some participants to participate! Recruiting enough people to answer your questionnaire can seem daunting, but fear not, your fellow researchers are here to help. Here are ten top tips for receiving the required responses. Continue reading
This year’s UK Creativity 2018 conference took place on 22 May 2018 at Canterbury Christ Church University. Our guest blogger Giacomo Fini gives a round-up of the event.
It’s a month now since the Canterbury conference ended, but we are all still benefiting from the fresh perspectives it has brought to our understanding of creativity. With a huge range of topics featured in talks and posters, this was a truly interdisciplinary and international conference. Continue reading
Academics at institutes across the UK are seen as the backbone of this country’s research. They promote the advancement of knowledge across a multitude of domains, maintaining this country’s passion for growth, creativity and development. But what is it really like to work as a UK-based researcher in 2018? Here’s your opportunity to feed into our research.
Following the brilliant inaugural conference held at Edinburgh Napier in May 2017, organised by Lindsey Carruthers, Shelly Kemp and Gillian Hill, the 2018 conference is being hosted at Canterbury Christ Church University on 22nd May. Kathryn Friedlander eagerly anticipates what’s on offer this time. Continue reading
Dr. Philip Fine (University of Buckingham) invites participants to complete a short on-line survey looking at ‘Time Personality’. Can you help?
What makes you tick?
Are you always on time? Or usually running late? Do you know how long you’ve been sitting through your favourite TV show? What about how much time it will take you to do that task you’ve been putting off?
Dr. David Ellis (University of Lancaster) and I are collaborating in a research programme aiming to explore these type of questions. We’re currently surveying people to find out what makes them ‘tick’.
