Geniuses are made, not born
Extraordinary scientific and creative achievements result more from perseverance, focus and motivation than from innate intellectual gifts. So claimed Professor Michael Howe, the author of the book Genius Explained, of Exeter University at this year's annual conference of the British Psychological Society. Citing Darwin, Newton, Einstein and the Bronte sisters and George Eliot among others, he proposed that the three important factors in the development of 'genius' are
- A firm sense of purpose and a strong motivation to achieve.
- A capacity to concentrate for long periods of time and to resist distractions.
- The capacity to focus efforts towards specific goals.
Professor Howe also found that many
child prodigies did not go on to be particularly productive adults while some geniuses were unexceptional in their youth. Even the world's greatest musicians and composers who were all child prodigies only flourished after many years of hard study.
Herbal remedies boost brain power
A combination of two ancient herbal remedies, which have been used for thousands of years in China can dramatically boost brain power. A single small dose of ginseng can improves
memory while ginkgo biloba has the same effect on
concentration. The two herbs combined produced an even greater impact, with a preparation of 60% ginseng and 40% ginkgo being the most powerful.
Psychologist Andrew Scholey, from the University of Northumbria tested 20 participants on four separate days, giving them three different doses of each of the plant extracts and one placebo. Even after just one dose of ginkgo biloba, the volunteers displayed much faster reaction times in a simple arithmetic test requiring concentration.
Dr. Scholey has also produced research to show that people who were given decaffeinated coffee but told that it contained caffeine were able to perform mental tasks faster, just as if they had drunk caffeine, but were less accurate.
First impressions of IQ correct
It takes less than a minutes worth of conversation for most college students to accurately assess a fellow student's intelligence within a few points of his or her actual IQ. Nora Murphy at Northeastern University in Boston videotaped the 44 pairs of college students meeting for the first time and chatting about subjects such as the classes they took and where they lived on campus. The tapes were played to a group of students enrolled in an introductory psychology class who were asked to guess the
IQ scores of the students depicted on the tapes. These assessments turned out to be very accurate, even when the sound on the tapes was switched off, suggesting that non-verbal factors may have a large role to play. Murphy is now trying to determine which types of student are the best judges of IQ.
Lawyer's tactics dubious
Lawyers often try to discredit eyewitnesses by arguing that a mistake on one point of fact implies that the whole testimony may be unreliable. However, new research has indicated that this tactic may not stand up to science. Mark Phillips at Florida International University has carried out a study in which over 200 college students watched a short, videotaped
crime simulation in which a man and woman had an altercation in a parking lot, ending in the woman shooting the man. When the study subjects were asked to recall detailed descriptions of various aspects of the crime, it was found that a student who could recall details of the actors' appearance say accurately say could not always recall those of their actions and vice versa. Phillips hopes that his results may influence judge's instructions to jurors during trials.
