Journal Club

-Are you interested in learning more about current psychology research?
-Do you like to hang out with psychology majors?
-Do you want to get better at understanding psychology journal articles?

Then come join us at the Monthly Psychology Club Journal Club!

Each month, the students of the Psychology Club will select a short (< 7 page) journal article from Psychological Science, we'll read it and discuss it at our next Journal Club meeting.

Next Meeting: January 16th, 2013, 5:00pm
(usually, the second Wednesday of the month)
Centenary Square 210

Inspired by Distraction: Mind Wandering Facilitates Creative Incubation
by Benjamin Baird, Jonathan Smallwood, Michael D. Mrazek, Julia W. Y. Kam, Michael S. Franklin, and Jonathan W. Schooler
Anecdotes tell us that people often think creative thoughts while engaged in unrelated tasks. Participants performed an Unusual Use Task (UUT) in which they had to list as many unusual uses for an item as possible. Participants then performed a demanding task, performed an undemanding task, or rested for 12 minutes. A fourth group was given no break. Participants then performed the UUT test again. Of the four groups, only those who performed the undemanding task improved their score on the second UUT test. Participants in the undemanding task reported greater instances of mind wandering during the task, which suggests that simple tasks that allow the mind to wander may increase creative problem solving.

If you have questions, please email email in the Psychology Department.

Wondering what we've read previously? Look here.