Cognitive Engineering

Why are computer interfaces always so friendly? Image: Loki, provided by Rhonda Oglesby via Flickr

How does use of language affect our attitude to immigration? Image: cytis via pixabay

In light of the recent summit between North and South Korea, and the on-off bromance between President Trump and Kim Jong-Un, we ask the question whether democracies or dictatorships offer more certainty. Image: Bjørn Christian Tørrissen via Wikipedia

Future dread and hindsight relief. Why do we experience dread and relief for some events?

Men who change their surname when they get married are still unusual. Why is it important to some?

What's wrong with off-pitch referees? Do they make the game less beautiful? Do off-pitch refs make better or worse decisions? What effects does devolving decision-making have? Image: KeithJJ via Pixabay

Why do we get so worked up about our territory? Where does the sense of what is ours come from? What is ownership anyway? Image: irenne56 via Pixnio

Are older drivers less safe than younger drivers? Does just having a licence indicate you are more able to drive? What is the point of certification? Image: ArtsyBee via Pixabay

What does tastiness tell us about fruit choice? Could we engineer the perfect fruit? Or are we just comparing apples and oranges? Image: Malte Sörensen via Flickr

In a world were everything is available on demand, will we miss out on the pleasure of nostalgia? What Is Nostalgia Good For? Quite a Bit, Research Shows http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/09/science/what-is-nostalgia-good-for-quite-a-bit-research-shows.html?pagewanted=all Why the Past Always Seems Happier Than the Present https://www.huffingtonpost.com/art-markman-phd/past-less-intense-than-present_b_987726.html Image: Pixabay via Pexels

What are the giveaways that tell you you're in another country? What is national identity? Image: Jorge Royan via Wikipedia

What does the gun control debate tell us about ideology? Do peoples believes cluster into similar groups? If I tell you I'm pro-life, what can you predict about me? Evolution Explains Why Politics Is So Tribal - https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/evolution-explains-why-politics-tribal/ Image: Randall Goya via Flickr

The culture of condiments: Why don't we find wasabi in fish and chip shops? What do they tell you about national culture? Why salt and pepper and not cumin and nutmeg? Why is ketchup the king of the sauces? What determines the optimal condiment arrangement? We’ve got a load of sauces and chutneys for christmas, so link it to this? Image: Wonderlane via Flickr

Why do some animals like music, even though they don't make it? Why do we like music? Does it have a purpose? https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/watch-seal-pups-being-soothed-954976 Image: Howcheng via Wikipedia

What does it mean? Is it a big step or a small one? How could we know?Is Artificial Intelligence becoming a massive anticlimax? Is it inevitable that AI will be better than us? Image: geraldford via Flickr

What is the most universal science? What will be true where ever you go? Philosophical reductionism: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/scientific-reduction Image: ESO/M. Kornmesser via Wikipedia

Are animals sentient? How do we measure sentience? What is sentience anyway? Image: http://maxpixel.freegreatpicture.com/Cow-Livestock-Nature-Head-Animal-Cow-Head-1715829

Are we better off than we were 10 years ago? What is all the free stuff worth to us? https://www.theguardian.com/money/2016/sep/29/six-million-low-income-families-worse-off-than-10-years-ago https://ourworldindata.org/happiness-and-life-satisfaction/ Image Clapspremiere via Wikipedia

In game purchases. Why do we hate them? Is the a moral repulsion to buying an advantage justified? Gamer backlash against EA: https://gizmodo.com/congratulations-to-ea-games-for-posting-the-most-hated-1820391000 Relational models theory: http://www.rmt.ucla.edu/ ‘Premium mediocre’ - firms trying to hide their business model: https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2017/08/17/the-premium-mediocre-life-of-maya-millennial/ Image by Hachimaki

Are we as unproductive as we feel with modern technology? Image: Jeremy Keith via Wikipedia