Archive for August, 2005
Force Science News #25: Hot New Area of Brain Research Offers Hope for Better Training, Sharper Street Smarts
Force Science News #25
August 12, 2005
HOT NEW AREA OF BRAIN RESEARCH OFFERS HOPE FOR BETTER TRAINING, SHARPER STREET SMARTS
New findings from brain research laboratories, based on studies of subjects ranging from monkeys to ballet dancers, are offering fresh insights into how law enforcement trainers can best deliver their instruction and how street officers can better learn to read and anticipate dangerous or deceptive suspect behavior.
The research focuses on clusters of specialized cells in the area of the brain involved in planning movements. The ramifications of these cells, called mirror neurons, were unknown until a few years ago. Now one of the hottest areas of neurological research, they seem to be critically involved in learning motor skills by imitation and visualization and in helping us interpret the intentions of people we come in contact with.
Force Science News #24: New Findings Expand Understanding of Tunnel Vision, Auditory Blocking & Lag Time
Force Science News #24
August 1, 2005
I. NEW FINDINGS EXPAND UNDERSTANDING OF TUNNEL VISION, AUDITORY BLOCKING & LAG TIME
Brain researchers at Johns Hopkins University have shed new light on the auditory blocking and tunnel vision officers often experienced during deadly encounters, while researchers at the University of Utah have surfaced new information related to lag time.
In both cases, the findings will help advance studies at the Force Science Research Center regarding officer behavior during shootings.
