Ira Hyman

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WWU researchers say musical 'ear worms' triggered by environmental cues

Ever wonder why certain songs get stuck in your head?

A psychology professor at Western Washington University has found that it's the songs people know and like that most often become intrusive.

Professor Ira Hyman found that…

2013-01-02
Western Washington University researcher investigates why certain songs get stuck in our heads

Contrary to the belief that it’s only the most obnoxious or annoying songs that get stuck in our heads, Western Washington University psychology professor Ira Hyman has found that it’s the songs people know and like that most often become intrusive.

In research conducted with his students…

2013-01-02
Investigating The Anatomy Of The Musical Earworm

Weekend Edition Sunday guest host Linda Wertheimer talks with Ira Hyman, a professor of psychology at Western Washington University, about his new study. He investigated "earworms," songs that get stuck in your head, and why they lodge themselves in our brains.

2012-12-31
380 employees registered smart transportation trips during October campaign 2012-11-16
Professor to discuss ‘inattentional blindness’ Oct. 24 2012-10-12
The Perils of Texting While Parenting

One sunny July afternoon in a San Francisco park, tech recruiter Phil Tirapelle was tapping away on his cellphone while walking with his 18-month-old son. As he was texting his wife, his son wandered off in front of a policeman who was breaking up a domestic dispute.

…

2012-10-05
Cellphones can distract pedestrians, cause problems

The woman walking through the mall appears completely absorbed in her cellphone, not noticing the fountain in front of her until she tumbles into the water.

The video footage of her fall has earned hundreds of thousands of views and funny comments on YouTube since…

2012-07-18
Walking and texting is a recipe for disaster

In India this week, a wild leopard sneaked into a city and mauled a lawyer yakking on his cellphone.

Now, I don’t wish such misfortune on anyone, even lawyers, but it’s tempting to think: Give that cat a year’s supply of Meow Mix and a medal.

At least there’s one less sidewalk…

2012-01-11
Dwindling attention spans becoming a trend

The student in front of you is surfing Facebook on his or her laptop. The girl a few rows across from you just received a text. A guy nearby just put his headphones in, drowning out the professor's rhetoric. Sound familiar?
The abundance of smartphones on college campuses has called…

2011-11-21
Some fights vanish in plain sight

Bare-knuckled brawlers sometimes have to fight to be seen. College students chasing a person across campus frequently don’t notice two guys beating up a lone victim in plain sight, a new set of experiments finds.

That result has real-world implications, say…

2011-06-21
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