Individual differences related to emotions are typically represented as emotion traits. Although important, these descriptive models often do not address the psychological dynamics that underlie the trait. Appraisal theories of emotion assume that individual differences in emotions can be traced to differences in patterns of appraisal, but this hypothesis has largely gone untested. The present ...

Over the years, we covered the globe with cities then linked them with railroads, highways, telephone lines, power grids, canals, and so forth. We are now deploying the Internet, and several organizations and projects are tracking this global diffusion [4]. This column describes one such project, the MOSAIC Group (www.agsd.com/ mosaicgroup.html) study of the global diffusion of the Internet. Th...

Sesame oil (SO) is a supplement that has been known to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which makes it effective for reducing atherosclerosis and the risk of cardiovascular disease. Due to the side effects of statins, the current recommended treatment for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases, the idea of using dietary and nutritional supplementation has been explored. T...

Francis Xavier Dercum (1856-1931) is known primarily for his prominence in the field of neurology and for his identification of "Adiposis Dolorosa", known as Dercum's disease. His brilliance, however, extends well beyond neurology. Born and raised in Philadelphia to parents of American and European descent, Dercum's natural curiosity oriented his interests toward medicine and philosophy. His sc...

This paper addresses the issue of modelling human forms of surprise and curiosity in an artificial perceptual agent. The following statements support our approach: humans are surprised when they perceive something that they did not expect; humans feel desire to learn more (i.e., feel curiosity) about novel (possibly unexpected) objects, usually manifested by focusing the senses on those objects...

Intelligent animals have a high degree of curiosity--the intrinsic desire to know--but the mechanisms of curiosity are poorly understood. A key open question pertains to the internal valuation systems that drive curiosity. What are the cognitive and emotional factors that motivate animals to seek information when this is not reinforced by instrumental rewards? Using a novel oculomotor paradigm,...