December 6, 2007, 8:23 PM CT

This Is Your Brain on Violent Media

Violence is a frequent occurrence in television shows and movies, but can watching it make you behave differently?.

Eventhough research has shown some connection between exposure to media violence and real-life violent behavior, there has been little direct neuroscientific support for this theory until now.

Scientists at Columbia University Medical Center's Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) Research Center have shown that watching violent programs can cause parts of your brain that suppress aggressive behaviors to become less active (shown in Figure 1).

In a paper in the Dec. 5 on-line issue of PLoS ONE (published by the Public Library of Science), Columbia researchers show that a brain network responsible for suppressing behaviors like inappropriate or unwarranted aggression (including the right lateral orbitofrontal cortex, or right ltOFC, and the amygdala) became less active after study subjects watched several short clips from popular movies depicting acts of violence. These changes could render people less able to control their own aggressive behavior. Indeed the authors observed that, even among their own subjects, less activation in this network was characteristic of people reporting an above average tendency to behave aggressively. This characteristic was measured through a personality test......... Posted by: Gina      Read more         Source

December 4, 2007, 10:15 PM CT

Greater parental guidance for noisy toy use

The High School Musical Rockerz Jammin Guitar and the Cheetah Girls In Concert Collection Doll may be what kids want most this holiday season, but if parents aren't careful about how these and other popular toys are used, a season of joy might turn into a lifetime of hearing loss for their children.

In measuring the loudness of a number of desired toys, University of California, Irvine scientists warn that a number of emit sounds at decibel levels high enough to cause permanent hearing damage if not used properly. The scientists tested the loudness of popular toys and observed that many them reach decibel levels of 100 or more, equivalent to the sound of a power saw, subway train or power mower.

This doesn't make these toys unsafe, they say.

"All the toys we tested are safe when used as they are designed," said Jeff Carroll, graduate researcher in biomedical engineering who tested 17 toys. "But kids don't always use toys as they were designed, and some of their sound levels can be dangerous. So it's advisable for parents to offer greater guidance for their proper and safe use".

The High School Musical Rockerz Jammin Guitar, which is recommended for children age 3 and up, topped the list at 106 decibels, followed by the Cheetah Girls In Concert Collection Doll (104 decibels), Hannah Montana In Concert Collection Doll (103 decibels), VTech V.Smile Baby (103 decibels), CAT Motorized Dump Truck (102 decibels) and Tickle Me Elmo (100 decibels). Sound levels were measured approximately one inch from the speaker on each device, much closer than they should be used......... Posted by: Gina      Read more         Source

December 4, 2007, 9:57 PM CT

Film enjoyment is contagious

Loud commentary and cell phone fumbling may be distracting, but new research from the Journal of Consumer Research suggests that the presence of other people may enhance our movie-watching experiences. Over the course of the film, movie-watchers influence one another and gradually synchronize their emotional responses. This mutual mimicry also affects each participants evaluation of the overall experience the more in sync we are with the people around us, the more we like the movie.

When asked how much they had liked the film, participants reported higher ratings the more their assessments lined up with the other person, explain Suresh Ramanathan and Ann L. McGill (both of the University of Chicago). By mimicking expressions, people catch each others moods leading to a shared emotional experience. That feels good to people and they attribute that good feeling to the quality of the movie.

In a series of experiments, the scientists had participants watch a video clip. Some of the participants watched alone, some with other people whose expressions could not be seen due to the presence of a partition, and some with other people whose expressions could be seen. The participants had a joystick they used to indicate their feelings at each moment.

While assessments did not line up by secondpeople liked or disliked specific scenes in the film as per their own tastes the scientists observed that people watching a film together appeared to evaluate the film within the same broad mood, generally tracking up or generally tracking down. In another study, the scientists videotaped participants and observed that synchrony of evaluations can be traced to glances at the other person during the film and adoption of the observed expressions......... Posted by: Gina      Read more         Source

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 01:42:47 GMT

The Golden Compass. London premiere

"If Darth Vader wore a blond wig, a slinky dress and a dab of Chanel behind each ear, he could hardly be as evil as Nicole Kidman, playing the gorgeous villainess Mrs Coulter in this spectacular new movie version of [The Golden Compass], the opening episode of Philip Pullman''s fantasy series His Dark Materials," writes the Guardian''s Peter Bradshaw. "This is the very best sort of part for her: statuesque, elegant, seductive, with a hint of cold steel. In many ways, it''s her juiciest character since the sociopathic meteorologist in To Die For."

"When she walks down the hall of fictional Jordan College in a figure-hugging gold lame gown, her honey-blonde locks permed into place, the men on screen fall silent - and my mouth fell open and an involuntary ''wow!'' fell out," confesses Baz Bamigboye in the Daily Mail. "Now, that''s what I call a movie star entrance, and I haven''t seen it done with such aplomb in years."

Updated through 12/2. Posted by: dwhudson      Read more     Source

November 27, 2007, 10:30 PM CT

Violent TV, games pack a powerful public health threat

Watching media violence significantly increases the risk that a viewer or video game player will behave aggressively in both the short and long term, as per a University of Michigan study published recently in a special issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health.

The study, by L. Rowell Huesmann, reviews more than half a century of research on the impact of exposure to violence in television, movies, video games and on the Internet.

"The research clearly shows that exposure to virtual violence increases the risk that both children and adults will behave aggressively," said Huesmann, the Amos N. Tversky Collegiate Professor of Communication Studies and Psychology, and a senior research scientist at the U-M Institute for Social Research (ISR).

In his article, Huesmann points out that U.S. children spend an average of three to four hours a day watching television. "More than 60 percent of television programs contain some violence," he said, "and about 40 percent of those contain heavy violence.

"Children are also spending an increasingly large amount of time playing video games, most of which contain violence. Video game units are now present in 83 percent of homes with children," he said.

As per research conducted by Huesmann and ISR colleague Brad Bushman, media violence significantly increases the risk that both children and adults will behave aggressively......... Posted by: Gina      Read more         Source

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 01:02:06 GMT

Love in the Time of Cholera

"Gabo''s 1985 novel is a magical realist chronicle of a man who pledges his fidelity to one woman for a lifetime - in spirit if not in body," writes Ed Gonzalez in Slant. "Now it is a film, directed by [Mike] Newell from a screenplay by the Oscar-winning Ronald Harwood that is as noble as Florentino Ariza''s life-long infatuation with Fermina Daza, though something of a failure."

"The book, moving toward its triumphant conclusion, is a wonder," writes David Denby in the New Yorker. "The long, magnificently adorned sentences - a stately river depositing alluvial riches of Colombian culture, decor, sexuality, humor, and manners into the reader''s heart - are as intoxicating a literary experience as any available to us. Alas, the movie doesn''t have that rich allusiveness or strong dose of foolish passion. It''s a well-crafted, handsome period piece, and pleasant to watch, but the intensity of an obsessional style - something that matches Florentino''s crazy single-mindedness - is beyond Newell''s range."

Updated through 11/17. Posted by: dwhudson      Read more     Source

November 13, 2007, 9:33 PM CT

Britney and K-Fed Doing It All Wrong

Britney Spears and ex-husband Kevin Federline continue to duke it out in the headlines over the custody of their two children. This week, a judge turned down Spears' plea for joint custody. Her visitations rights were previously reinstated and she is allowed to see her two boys three times a week during monitored visits. A University of Missouri-Columbia researcher and expert in divorce and stepfamily issues said this story should open everyone's eyes to the damage that can be inflicted on children who are caught in a custody war.

"They are doing almost everything wrong," said Larry Ganong, professor and co-chair of the Department of Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) in the MU College of Human Environmental Sciences and professor in the Sinclair School of Nursing. "Interparental conflict is so damaging for kids. The message is that parents need to cooperate as much as possible, put the children's needs first, stifle anger and take the high road. I don't get the sense that Brit and K-Fed are doing that".

More than half of America's courts require some type of parental education for adults going through divorce or separation. Ganong is one of the co-creators of "Focus on Kids" - a program developed 12 years ago by HDFS faculty at MU and continually updated. It is used in a number of courts to educate parents on ways to put their differences aside for the sake of their children......... Posted by: Gina      Read more         Source

Sun, 28 Oct 2007 03:27:10 GMT

All The Lost Souls

James Blunt is back and we wanna hook you up. POTP is giving away 2 copies of James' latest cd, "All The Lost Souls." Of course, I've scored a free copy and I must say, it's not bad.

So if you dig the blunt
and wanna get hooked up
then show me some love
My flow's so sick
I leave you in a twist
Bitch

Not really .... Hit me up at onthepopmail@yahoo.com. Just title your email "James Blunt cd" and I'll randomly select two lucky winners. Contest ends Monday, 11/29 at Midnight, Pacific. :)

Here's James' "1973" video

If you wanna hear James' second single, "Same Mistake" click me

For more daily new posts visit www.poponthepop.com Posted by: Joy A      Read more     Source

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 01:18:05 GMT

Mike Errico's ALL IN Has the Perfect Indie Rock Vibe

Mike Errico might not be a name in the music biz that you recognize yet- though if you are on the East Coast, you would probably recognize it. If you read Blender Magazine, you will definitely have seen it there but maybe not done the math that the BLENDER Mike Errico is the same MUSIC . His latest release iw a well- thought out CD of tunes entitled ALL IN . This follow-up to the 2004 effort , Skimming , shows a real evolution and a focus on meshing of lyricism and musicianship.



Photography by Kelly Stuart

With a more definitive East Coast vibe, it still works well here on the West Coast if you give it half a chance. If you don't know what you are going to listen to, you can really be surprised what comes in square thin packages. Personally I was blown away when the first song dropped and I hit rewind/repeat and cranked up the speakers
Read more of "Mike Errico's ALL IN Has the Perfect Indie Rock Vibe" Posted by: Stevie Wilson      Read more     Source

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 01:19:12 GMT

Great gaming goes tech

I am a lover of boardgames (Cranium, Scrabble, Boggle) and was once a slumber party Twister champion. Nothing beats boardgames on cold fall and winter evenings. iPod owners, get ready for some new music-based trivia and iFun with the iNo Interactive Game System.

iNo is a speaker-system dock (compatible only with iPod nano and 30/80 GB) that lets up to four players and four iPods play an easy, fun, and revealing game of "name that song," artist or album. If you've never taken a look at a friend's playlists, this is a sure-fire way to get a ton of laughs as you learn more about one another through those "secret" songs you love to jam to. (We all have em' -- I'd be lying if I pretended that Kelly Clarkson wasn't hidden deep inside my own iPod.)

Players interact by buzzing in with one of four color-coded wireless remotes and keep score on their own LED scoreboard throughout their game. However, departing from PG fun, I can also imagine that this could be easily converted into a wonderful fast-acting drinking game. If you have at least 3 friends with the standard iPods (no shuffles, minis, or most classics) and a laugh-inducing, curious, or questionable take on music, this is a great must-have at your upcoming holiday and just-for-the-heck of it parties.

I just wonder if this means that there may be a day ahead where Twister isn't a household name.

Price: $79.99 pre-order through Target. Posted by: Sarah      Read more     Source