And in other news from around the brain
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We’re such hands-on creatures. Even putting an item near our hands increases the likelihood that we’ll give it more of our attention.
Psychologists at Washington University in St. Louis asked some study participants to watch a computer monitor and press one of two buttons -- located on either side of the monitor -- when they saw the letters S or H. In one part of the experiment, participants held their button-pushing-ready hands near the screen; in the other part of the experiment, their hands were in their laps. And, though it may seem somewhat counterintuitive, their response time slowed considerably when their hands were near the buttons.
To the researchers, this suggests that humans study items near their hands more thoroughly than they do items farther away. This is all part and parcel, they say, of our basic need to puzzle out what to do with an object -- or how to protect ourselves from it. (And why have opposable thumbs if you’re not inclined to use them, I guess.)
The findings could be used to design prosthetics or help stroke victims, the study authors say. But these bold researchers don’t stop there. They go on to suggest that their findings support the much-cursed (in my car recently) California law barring hand-held cellphones while driving. ‘Being able to have both hands on the wheel might enhance a driver’s perception of the wheel and nearby instruments,’ says lead researcher Richard A. Abrams, a psychology professor.
Maybe. But I’d rather drivers focus on what’s outside the car -- without having to be close to those objects.
The research was published in the June issue of Cognition. Here’s the news release and the abstract. And just because I like adding links, some cellphone-law facts from the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
-- Tami Dennis
Photo: Boys examine an insect on a leaf.
Credit: Kevin P. Casey / Los Angeles Times