We all know that talking on a cell phone can impair our ability to drive (although too many of us do it anyway). Now a study in the journal Psychonomic Bulletin and Review shows that the reverse is also true: driving makes it hard to keep track of what we’re talking about.

Previous studies had found that motorists are able to converse just fine. But to Gary Dell of the University of Illinois that finding just didn’t make sense. Because comprehending speech requires attention, as does steering the family sedan. So Dell did a study in a driving simulator.

Adults can have a tough time learning a new language. Some opt for language immersion, in which the person spends all their time reading, listening to and speaking the new language. Now research reveals that immersion students do indeed learn the new language faster than students studying the language in a classroom situation--but immersion comes with a price. The work appears in the journal Psychological Science . [More]

Adults can have a tough time learning a new language. Some opt for language immersion, in which the person spends all their time reading, listening to and speaking the new language. Now research reveals that immersion students do indeed learn the new language faster than students studying the language in a classroom situation--but immersion comes with a price. The work appears in the journal Psychological Science . [More]