readings in psychology for september 23rd 2010

As Dumbledore might have said,"... and so... another year begins!"

It’s good to look back on the successes of the prior year, but the future always beckons us forward!

• me, myself and my stranger

“Where are you right now? Maybe you are at home, the office or a coffee shop—but such responses provide only a partial answer to the question at hand. Asked another way, what is the location of your “self” as you read this sentence? Like most people, you probably have a strong sense that your conscious self is housed within your physical body, regardless of your surroundings.”

• brain scans and the criminal

“A FEW years ago, 17-year-old Christopher Simmons was convicted of breaking into Shirley Crook’s house in St Louis, Missouri, tying her up and throwing her off a bridge. The evidence was overwhelming and Simmons confessed to the murder. When the jury recommended a death sentence, Simmons’s defence referred to scientific papers that suggested a the brain of a typical 17-year-old was not yet fully mature. Not only did Simmons escape the death penalty, the US Supreme Court changed the law so that only those over 18 can face death row.”