Author Archives: Melissa Read, Ph.D.

Supertaskers – An Extraordinary but Rare Target Audience

By: Melissa Read, Ph.D. | Published: April 16, 2010
ShareIn a recent study, psychologists discovered that only 2.5% of college students are good at multitasking. That’s right, just one in forty. They call them ‘supertaskers.’ Supertaskers can effectively divide their attention between multiple tasks and, in some cases, significantly improve on those tasks while doing so. Their brains function in unique ways. They defy [...]
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Heads up Marlboro Man, Women in Healthier Populations Prefer Feminine-Looking Men

By: Melissa Read, Ph.D. | Published: April 12, 2010
ShareThere is a science behind attraction. It drives what women look for in their ideal mates. Psychologists in facial research recently conducted an experiment to examine nearly 5,000 women and their attractiveness preferences. Women were asked to choose the most attractive pictures of males amongst modified face imagery that enhanced either masculine or feminine [...]
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Farwell CarterAllen and MetalStorm001

By: Melissa Read, Ph.D. | Published: August 16, 2007
Share This week, the Behavioral Research Department says goodbye to our summer interns – CarterAllen and MetalStorm001. Both have played key roles in the success of our summer Virtual Worlds Research Program. Together, they have conducted research on marketing, branding and avatar behavior in a range of virtual worlds including: HiPiHi Doppelganger Habbo Hotel ToonTown There.com Entropia Kaneva RuneScape Whyville And of course, Second [...]
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The Naked Eye

By: Melissa Read, Ph.D. | Published: July 6, 2007
ShareTo the naked eye, a dog’s tail wags when he’s happy. But careful study reveals something more. Recently, a team of researchers used cameras to study tail wagging. And in doing so, they made a remarkable discovery. When dogs experience positive emotions, they wag their tails a little more to their right. When they experience [...]
Posted in Behavioral Research, Digital | 1 Comment

Two of My Greatest Loves

By: Melissa Read, Ph.D. | Published: April 23, 2007
ShareWell it’s official. Two of my greatest loves (data visualization and real estate information) were married recently in this video. And what a beautiful couple they make – a powerful example of how even the most complex data sets can be communicated in a language that anyone can understand. Speculativebubble, you fascinate me.
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