Ira Hyman

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The long and short of taboo words

Canadians thinking of talking dirty during sex might want to reconsider, given a new study's discovery that prurient language causes people to underestimate how long something lasts.

When researchers displayed taboo sexual words on a computer screen, onlookers consistently misjudged…

2010-11-09
Dangers of distraction the focus of Oct. 20 talk at WWU

The ways in which people fail to see what's in front of them when distracted by a task is the focus of a Wednesday, Oct. 20, talk by Ira Hyman, a psychology professor at Western Washington University.

His talk, "Unicycling Clowns, Train Wrecks and Pilots Forgetting to Land:…

2010-10-18
WWU's Ira Hyman to present Turning Points lecture on 'inattentional blindness' Oct. 20 2010-09-28
Hands-free accidents waiting to happen

Imagine the first cars, a new technology, kicking up dust on Manitoba's unregulated roads. Imagine our government then banning alcohol consumption while driving, unless the alcohol was consumed hands-free, creating a booming market for in-car beer holders with long straws securely attached…

2010-07-30
iPod Oblivion

The inattentiveness of those engrossed with MP3 players, cell phones and other similar devices.

2010-07-13
How dangerous is it to walk, talk and listen?

In the jargon of this tech-savvy age, it has been dubbed "iPod oblivion" - and Australian police say it can be lethal for pedestrians and cyclists, alike.

2010-07-01
Victoria police warn cyclists of ‘iPod oblivion’

Earlier this month a 45-year old cyclist rode into the path of a tram while listening to his iPod in Victoria, Australia. While the rider was lucky enough to escape with minor injuries, the accident has prompted the state to warn cyclists of the dangers of ‘iPod oblivion’, reports the BBC.

2010-07-01
Walkers increasingly injured by phone use

"If there were a poster child for pedestrian cell-phone hazards, Paige Odebralski might just be it.

In January, the Riverside teen was so absorbed in a phone conversation after school that she tripped on a dirt path, fell down and scraped her knee."

2010-06-16
Drivers disregard cellphone hazard

"An international survey of 837 drivers who used cellphones while driving found that almost half swerved or drifted into another lane, 23% had tailgated, 21% had cut another driver off, and 18% nearly hit another vehicle.

Despite these statistics, as well as national law prohibiting…

2010-03-30
The digital disconnect: In relentless pursuit of 'connecting,' we miss out on each other

"Just as I set foot into a busy intersection on Fifth Avenue in downtown Seattle, an SUV appears in the corner of my eye, and it's not slowing down.

As it speeds closer to the crosswalk, I notice the woman driving it has a mobile phone held to her ear.…

2010-03-15
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