Ready for some psychological and neuroscientific Halloween science blogging? Here you go!
At the Astronasty blog, DJ Busby explains one possibility that might account for ghost sightings: infrasound. He writes, "Apparently 18hz-19hz sound waves can cause a resonant vibration in the eye, inducing artifacts misinterpreted as supernatural. These frequencies are referred to as infrasound because they are below the hearing range of humans."
What do Halloween and Social Psychology have in common? The answer, according to Psych Your Mind blogger Amie Gordon, is deindividuation. One researcher used Halloween as a sort of natural experiment: how do anonymity, group size, and feelings of responsibility influence people’s willingness to steal extra candy and money?
Zombie neuroscientist Bradley Voytek has written a series of posts leading up to Halloween on zombie neuroscience. What are the neurological correlates of insatiable hunger for braaaaaains?
That's it for this week... Check back next week for more great psychology and neuroscience blogging!
The views expressed are those of the author(s) and are not necessarily those of Scientific American.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)
Jason G. Goldman is a science journalist based in Los Angeles. He has written about animal behavior, wildlife biology, conservation, and ecology for Scientific American, Los Angeles magazine, the Washington Post, the Guardian, the BBC, Conservation magazine, and elsewhere. He contributes to Scientific American's "60-Second Science" podcast, and is co-editor of Science Blogging: The Essential Guide (Yale University Press). He enjoys sharing his wildlife knowledge on television and on the radio, and often speaks to the public about wildlife and science communication. Follow Jason G. Goldman on Twitter
