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Overjustification Machine Inside WEIRD Reinforcement Octopuses

The WEIRD Evolution Of Human Psychology by Eric Michael Johnson (The Primate Diaries): It’s important to remember that most psychology research has been done on American undergraduates. And that even some perceptual findings that most psychologists would assume were due to very basic properties of the visual system - like the Muller-Lyer Illusion - are actually sometimes not found in non-American cultures (I can report that they’re found in Australian uni students). The Muller-Lyer Illusion doesn’t fool the San people, for example. 

When Reinforcement Fails by Jonah Lehrer (The Frontal Cortex): Operant conditioning - changing our behaviour because of experience in predictable ways - is definitely a part of who we are; otherwise people wouldn’t become addicted to gambling. And it seems like NBA basketballers also show evidence of this kind of conditioning - after getting a couple of three-pointers in a row, they’re much more likely to try for a third (even though, statistically, they’re much less likely to get the third).

Neuroscience, Free Will And Determinism: “I’m Just A Machine” by Tom Chivers (telegraph.co.uk): Professor Patrick Haggard is quite happy to believe that he has no free will, that he is just a biological machine. And maybe he has a point, considering how his research assistant Christina can wave a TMS machine over his cortex and make him involuntarily move his limbs? [via]

The Nature of Octopuses by Ed Yong (Last Word On Nothing): A marine biologist at the University of Queensland has discovered not one but two turtles that were killed by octopuses in Moreton Bay, to the north of Brisbane. Poor turtles, all they were doing was feeding in the seagrass, and it just so happened that they chose to eat seagrass that had blue-lined octopuses hidden in it. Who weren’t very happy about being eaten, and made their feelings known by poisoning the turtles with one of the most toxic poisons known to man. Mmm, poisonous Australian wildlife.

The Overjustification Effect by David McRaney (You Are Not So Smart): If you feel that you’re being overpaid for doing a particular job, you enjoy it less (assuming you make more than ~$75k a year, and you don’t really have to worry about money). This is because you attribute more of the enjoyment you get from the job to the pay compared to someone doing the exact same work for less pay. So, funnily enough, taxing the 1% up to the eyeballs may actually lead them to be happier…

The Secret City: Inside The Vatican’s Pornographic Bathroom by Tony Perrottet (Slate): In the 16th Century, there was a fair bit of corruption within the Vatican, and so the powerful Cardinal Bibbiena felt it would be a good idea to get the painter/ninja turtle Raphael to decorate a room in the Vatican with profane pagan imagery, including depicting the god Pan as having a rather large erection. The Vatican eventually became less obviously corrupt, and Bibbiena’s room became part of the Papal Apartments and very much cordoned off from the public. It was talked about in hushed tones. But Perrottet managed to swing his way into seeing it, and claims that it is very real, if showing some signs of being whitewashed (e.g., someone’s painted over Pan’s erection, which almost draws more attention to it). [via]

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