by david allan van nostrand | May 13, 2024 | critical thinking, Research, Using Information
The word polar first meant the end of an axis. Visualize a world globe. Locate the North and South Poles and notice how they are geographic opposites on the axis around which the earth rotates once a day. After a time. the word polar was used to refer to things...
by david allan van nostrand | Aug 7, 2023 | Research, Sociology
A Closer Look at Pavlov’s Dogs When asked who Ivan Pavlov is, most people mention something about dogs. Some add that the dogs slobbered at the sound of a bell. A few know that Pavlov won a Nobel Prize, but almost no one knows it had nothing to do with his work...
by david allan van nostrand | Feb 27, 2023 | Human Behavior, Point of view, Research
Those who have had their homes burglarized had to submit claims to their insurance companies. Only a few had safely put away somewhere the updated lists they tell us all to have, with photos and serial numbers. Only after the claim we filled out by memory has been...
by david allan van nostrand | Mar 7, 2022 | Items in the News, Research
The French coined the phrase ‘burning the candle at both ends’ in the 1600s, using it to mean dissipating one’s material wealth. Candles were expensive and anyone who burned them at both ends was guilty of wasting valuable resources. Over time, the phrase evolved to...
by david allan van nostrand | Nov 1, 2021 | Items in the News, Research
That quizzical look on dogs’ faces when they cock their heads at an angle always makes for a great photo. A story on the science.org website says that when dogs cock their heads like this, they are doing more than just being cute. A first-ever study that looked into...
by david allan van nostrand | Mar 15, 2021 | Focus Groups, Misinformation traps, Research
Apple has been doing lots of consumer research for a long time. Wait a minute, you say, that’s not true! You read the Fortune magazine interview where he was supposed to have said Apple never used consumer research. You might even remember his quip, “It isn’t the...
