The Psych Student

"Some questions can't be answered by Google" by Mykl Roventine

“For humans, this desire to search is not just about fulfilling our physical needs. (Washington State University neuroscientist Jaak) Panksepp says that humans can get just as excited about abstract rewards as tangible ones,” writes Emily Yoffe for Slate. In her essay discussing how the brain is wired for Google, Twitter, and texting… “And why that’s dangerous.”

I’ll get to that last bit of editorializing in a little bit.

“He says that when we get thrilled about the world of ideas, about making intellectual connections” she writes, “about divining meaning, it is the seeking circuits that are firing.” Read the rest of this entry »

The very method that Peter J. Allens published his paper, in its entirety online under a Creative Commons license, is as substantial to the report as the content itself. Rip, mix, burn … sue … ad infinitum: The effects of deterrence vs. voluntary cooperation on non–commercial online copyright infringing behaviour was published last year, but is well worth the read for people interested in how online living is changing our behavior. It should be required reading for entertainment industry executives and the legal goons they sic on internet sharers and sheds light into how the likes of Pirate Bay can garner so much wide-spread support. It’s further proof to me of a new emerging persona – the online persona – in each of us, which can be far different from the one we display in our everyday face-to-face dealings.

“This paper illustrates how an understanding of the psychology of deterrence, fairness, trust and legitimacy can be used to begin to make sense of the copyright infringing behaviours that, as a consequence of Web 2.0, are becoming increasingly mainstream to an ever increasing proportion of our community. It argues that compliance with copyright regulations is more effectively achieved through efforts focussed on encouraging voluntary deference and cooperation, than by attempting to induce it with threats of punishment that, as a growing body of case and research examples demonstrates, simply does not work.”

Read it here

Rip, mix, burn … sue … ad infinitum: The effects of deterrence vs voluntary cooperation on non-commercial online copyright infringing behaviour

Allen, Peter. “Rip, mix, burn … sue … ad infinitum: The effects of deterrence vs voluntary cooperation on non-commercial online copyright infringing behaviour” First Monday [Online], Volume 13 Number 9 (24 August 2008)

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Peter James Allen; Curtin University of Technology; Australia (2008). Rip, mix, burn … sue … ad infinitum: The effects of deterrence vs voluntary cooperation on non-commercial online copyright infringing behaviour First Monday, 13 (9) Other: http://www.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2073