Editor's Selections: Absolutes, Profile Pictures, and Parking Spaces

By Krystal D'Costa?| May 31, 2012 |??

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This week:

• At?PopPsych, Jesse Marczyk uses recent research to demonstrate the challenges in applying?adaptive models across the board. What does that mean? Essentially, dealing in absolutes when it comes to human behavior is likely to lead to false conclusions. There is no one-size fits all explanation than can be attached to behavior.

• At the?Research Digest, Christian Jarrett explores cultural representations of the individual via the lens of Facebook. It seems the nature of your?profile picture can be suggestive of larger social structures.

• Some people view their cars as a private, personal space. But what about parking spaces? An interesting post at Science Storiented investigates some older research on?territoriality - as it relates to drivers and their parking spaces.

Until next time, folks. I?ll be back next week with more from anthropology, philosophy, and research.

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About the Author: Krystal D'Costa is an anthropologist working in digital media in New York City. You can follow AiP on Facebook. Follow on Twitter @krystaldcosta.

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The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

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