7
Nov
2006

What’s up with the Big-D in Deaf?

The Capitalization Question: Not long ago, a reader asked us why we use the capitalized version of Deaf in our blog and website. This question brought us back to our thoughts last year, when we were in the middle of writing the text for the ASC website and debating the D/d issue. Opting to capitalize Deaf was not something we …

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26
Sep
2006

The Healing Power of Tears

Not Just Drops of Water: Here’s an interesting finding. Frey compared the chemical make-ups of tears caused by eye irritants such as sliced raw onions, and tears caused by emotions. Tears caused by emotions were found to have more protein and beta endorphins in them. These emotionally induced tears appear to contain high levels of cortisol, an important hormone released …

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21
Sep
2006

Deaf Adults and Self-Esteem: How We Have Changed

Evolving Definitions: Here’s an interesting psychology-related tidbit to think about. In their book, Deaf People: Evolving Perspectives from Psychology, Education, and Sociology, Andrews, Leigh & Weiner point out how we, as Deaf people, have changed in terms of how we define our self-esteem. The Old Days: Back in 1974, a study (Sussman) found that Deaf adults who thought they did …

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15
Sep
2006

All Homework and No Play

Is Homework Worth It?: According to an article in the Washington Post, one of the nation’s leading researchers on homework has once again concluded that homework does not offer as many benefits as people seem to think it does. The homework that is most helpful is reading. Many students, unfortunately, bring home overloaded backpacks each afternoon. Schools are pressured to …

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6
Sep
2006

Are Deaf People’s Brains Wired Differently?

Not to Compare Apples and Oranges, But…: Someone asked us if it is true that Deaf and hearing people’s brains are wired differently. See below and decide for yourself. University College London Above: Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) pictures show different areas of the brain that are used by Deaf and hearing individuals when processing langauge. Yellow and red mark …

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5
Sep
2006

Why One Should Not Compare Apples to Oranges: Deaf Students and Hearing Students

Back to School: With September underway, Deaf students are once again heading back to schools and universities and once again, on the front burner, are concerns about Deaf education, student achievement scores, reading levels, and other related topics. It’s inevitable that comparisons will be made between Deaf students’ performances and those of their hearing peers. Apples and Oranges: When an …

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1
Aug
2006

Chasing Happiness

World Map of Happiness: Adrian White, a British analytic social psychologist at the University of Leicester, has published the first world map of happiness, ranking 178 countries in order from happiest to least happiest. More than 100 studies that involved 80,000 people were used to determine the happiness rankings. In his research, White found that health is the best predictor …

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28
Jul
2006

The Pysholcgoy of Lganugae

Something to Ponder: Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteres be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a tatol mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos …

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28
Jun
2006

You Are Being Watched

The Eyes Have It: People have always been fascinated by eyes. Quotes such as “the eyes are the mirror of the soul” and “you are the apple of my eye” remind us how mysterious and powerful eyes can be. Researchers know that eyes are important perceptual signals as well. We act differently when we are being watched and we often …

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