Culture | Page 2829 | Science Codex

A little parity is a good thing: You don't always have to be the best

We are all used to advertisers showing their products as superior among competitors. But a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research shows that it's not a bad idea for marketers to offer comparisons that show their brand is equal to the competitor in some dimensions—parity information.

In fact, authors Prashant Malaviya (Georgetown University) and Brian Sternthal (Northwestern University) discovered that offering parity information in the right dose can positively affect consumers' attitudes toward products.

Remember that time? New study demystifies consumer memory

If a vacation starts out bad and gets better, you'll have a more positive memory than if it starts out good and gets worse—if you're asked about it right afterward, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research.

In the study, authors Nicole Votolato Montgomery (College of William and Mary) and H. Rao Unnava (Ohio State University) set out to broaden our understanding of how people evaluate past sequences of events, such as vacations.

Trust your gut: Too much thinking leads to bad choices

Don't think too much before purchasing that new car or television. According to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research, people who deliberate about decisions make less accurate judgments than people who trust their instincts.

Rational or experiential? New study highlights differences in thinking styles

Consumers approach problems, products, and websites differently according to distinct thinking styles, says a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research.

Authors Thomas P. Novak and Donna L. Hoffman (both University of California, Riverside) say consumers tend to think either rationally or experientially and marketers should design experiences for consumers that allow a good fit between the style and the task.

We're not buying it: Product add-ons influence consumer judgment

Charging extra for "add-on" features on a product may backfire on merchandisers, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research.

Authors Marco Bertini (London Business School), Elie Ofek (Harvard Business School), and Dan Ariely (Duke University) examined the way consumers perceive common objects such as digital cameras, laptop computers, and coffee when firms charge extra for add-ons.

Nurses with a second degree could impact workforce

As the United States continues to experience a nursing shortage that is expected to grow to one million nurses by 2016, a new research study highlights a pool of potential candidates who could alleviate the shortage in an economical way.

More accurate FEMA flood maps could help avoid significant damages and losses

WASHINGTON -- Significant loss of life, destroyed property and businesses, and repairs to infrastructure could be avoided by replacing Federal Emergency Management Agency flood maps with ones that contain high-accuracy and high-resolution land surface elevation data, says a new report from the National Research Council. The benefits of more accurate flood maps will outweigh the costs, mainly because insurance premiums and building restrictions would better match the actual flood risks.

A crystal clear view of chalk formation

It has a beautiful, but also an unpleasant side: crystallization determines the shape of precious stones, but also causes the lime scale in washing machines. How this comes about, has been known for a long time - or has it? Scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces are now whittling away at the established theory, which is unable to explain numerous phenomena.

Video games linked to poor relationships with friends, family

A new study connects young adults' use of video games to poorer relationships with friends and family – and the student co-author expresses disappointment at his own findings.

Brigham Young University undergrad Alex Jensen and his faculty mentor, Laura Walker, publish their results Jan. 23 in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence.

The research is based on information collected from 813 college students around the country. As the amount of time playing video games went up, the quality of relationships with peers and parents went down.

'Abusive behavior' towards people with dementia by family carers is common

Half of family carers of people with dementia report some abusive behaviour towards the person they are caring for and one third report 'significant' levels of abuse, according to new research from UCL (University College London) published today in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).

The paper authors feel that this is unsurprising, as most people with dementia are being cared for by dedicated family or friends, often with little support.

Quantum teleportation between distant matter qubits

For the first time, scientists have successfully teleported information between two separate atoms in unconnected enclosures a meter apart – a significant milestone in the global quest for practical quantum information processing.

Quantum technologies move a step closer with the demonstration of an 'entanglement' filter

A team of physicists and engineers has demonstrated an optical device that filters two particles of light (or photons) based on the correlations between their polarisation that are only allowed in the seemingly bizarre quantum world. This so called "entanglement filter" passes the pair of photons only if they inhabit the same quantum state, without the user (or anything else) ever knowing what that state is.

This device will have many important applications to quantum technologies, including computers, communication and advanced measurement.

New study on school infrastructure could influence Obama's economic stimulus plan

A University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee faculty member is co-author of a recently released national study that could become a resource for President Barack Obama in considering improvements to school facilities.

US experts call for rethink of trend to bar smokers from employment

The increasing trend for employers, particularly in the US, to bar smokers from applying for jobs or staying in post should be stopped, until the appropriateness of such policies has been properly evaluated, argue experts in an essay published in Tobacco Control.

As of August 2008, 21 US states, 400 US cities, nine Canadian provinces, six Australian states/territories, and 14 other countries, including the UK, had banned smoking in workplaces, bars, and restaurants.

Political variables do not improve the performance of trading rules

Munster and Saarbruecken, Germany – January 21, 2009 – A new study in The Financial Review provides empirical evidence on the Democratic premium and the presidential cycle effect by examining the implications of both factors on the predictability of U.S. excess stock returns.

Results show that even though political variables are often included in forecasting models, they will not help investors to systematically improve, in real-time, the performance of trading rules.