CuriousMinds

The benefits of speaking multiple languages

New psychology research indicates that multilingual children may have enhanced cognitive skills

Encouraging bilingualism at home can have many cognitive benefits, which may be particularly helpful to kids with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), new research from the University of Miami College of Arts and Sciences indicates.

A team of researchers led by Celia Romero, a graduate student in clinical psychology, along with associate professor Lynn Perry, professor Michael Alessandri, and former University professor Lucina Uddin, explored the role of bilingualism in 112 children, including typically developing children and children with autism, between the ages of 7 to 12 years old. Overall, they found that children who spoke two or more languages often had stronger executive functioning skills. This means they are able to control impulses and to switch between different tasks more easily than children who only spoke one language.

“We discovered that multilingualism…

New device could allow you to taste a cake in virtual reality

From fish soup to coffee, 'e-Taste' delivered, study finds

Novel technology intends to redefine the virtual reality experience by expanding to incorporate a new sensory connection: taste.

The interface, dubbed 'e-Taste', uses a combination of sensors and wireless chemical dispensers to facilitate the remote perception of taste -- what scientists call gustation. These sensors are attuned to recognize molecules like glucose and glutamate -- chemicals that represent the five basic tastes of sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami. Once captured via an electrical signal, that data is wirelessly passed to a remote device for replication.

Field testing done by researchers at The Ohio State University confirmed the device's ability to digitally simulate a range of taste intensities, while still offering variety and safety for the user.

The brain perceives unexpected pain more strongly

Researchers at University of Tsukuba used visual threat manipulation in the virtual reality environment and thermal stimulation to investigate how the brain perceives pain. They found that the brain perceives pain more strongly when the perceived pain is out of alignment with reality. In particular, pain was amplified when unexpected events occurred.

Pain perception can vary greatly. Sometimes, we feel pain more intensely than expected due to an injury or physical ailment but may feel less intense pain at other similar instances. This variability indicates that our perception of pain is highly dependent on our expectations and uncertainty.

Two hypotheses have been proposed to explain how the brain perceives pain. One is the Estimate Hypothesis, where the brain estimates the intensity of pain based on predictions. The other is the Surprise Hypothesis, where the brain perceives pain as the difference between prediction and…

NEP Language Policy: Mother Tongue will be the Medium of Education in India

India is a growing nation and is determined to be known as a source of knowledge globally. For the past few years, the Indian government has been working to transform the traditional education model into a modern ed-tech framework, intending to become the greatest knowledge source. In the process of making it possible, the importance of the mother tongue in education has been discovered.

The discovery has led to the introduction of the mother tongue in foundational education under the Indian school curriculum. It has opened new doors for students and has enabled them to learn more effectively. It has also helped to bridge the gap between the traditional and modern education systems.

The National Curriculum Framework 2022 recommends that children be instructed in their Matribhasha (mother tongue) until they are eight.

Section 29(f) of Chapter V…