What Shapes Film?

Elements of the Cinematic Experience and More

Siu-Lan Tan Ph.D.

Brilliant Way to Combat Loneliness on Playgrounds?

What do you do when you have nobody to play with? The Buddy Bench offers a seat to companionship.

Puddle Week Viral Videos

It's "PUDDLE week" in the world of viral videos... just in time to brighten up our first week back after the holidays!

Reflections on 'Making a Murderer'

'Making a Murderer'. Surely life, people, and motives are more complicated and undefined than the story in any opening or closing argument or documentary can contain?

Are Musically Trained Parents Better at Decoding Baby's Cry?

Infants cry for many different reasons. Are those who have taken music lessons more 'in tune' with what babies are trying to communicate?

Six Reasons Pop Singers Pronounce Some Lyrics in Odd Ways

Why do some pop singers pronounce words in songs in idiosyncratic ways, or seem to pick up or lose accents when they sing?

Can Watching a Film Character Sniff Make You Sniff?

Can watching a film character take a sniff elicit sniffing behavior in the audience? And if so, how might we explain this response?

How Babies Tell Us They're Musical Before They Can Speak

How do infants express musicality before they can form their first full sentences?

We Got Rhythm, We Got Music (Three Viral Videos)

If you're a fan of the "7 Up" films, which tracks the lives of fourteen people every seven years, you might be as enchanted as I was by these three videos of twin girls who were filmed every August for three years - as they listened to their Daddy playing guitar. (The last one was released just a few months ago).

10 Interpretations of the Same Animation Short

Recently, I posted an evocative animated short that seemed to lend itself to many readings.

Rolling Through Time (Evocative Animated Short)

This evocative animation short will probably be interpreted differently by each viewer. Our impression may reflect where each of us is in our life journey.

OK Go: Is the Writing on the Wall?

OK Go's latest music video is a brilliant feat, and their newly-released 'behind the scenes' video is most intriguing. But is there anything significant about the date that the TWOTW video was released?

Why You Can’t Take a Pigeon to the Movies

Birds have a remarkable ability to process moving stimuli, which makes them excellent hunters and evasive targets. But it makes them poor companions at the movie theater.

Mini Maestro Mystifies Me: What About You?

A recent viral video shows a toddler who's "conducting" music with emotional intensity and at least the semblance of deep musical sensitivity. I thought I knew how to explain it, but am left perplexed.

Splash! What Kids Discover in a Puddle

What better way to celebrate Spring and the joy of life than to stomp in puddles? A child psychologist's top 8 picks for best YouTube videos of children's first encounters with puddles and what we learn from them.

Video Games: Do You Play Better With the Sound On or Off?

When playing video games, do you play better with the sound on or off? What have video game researchers found? And what's the secret to boosting your scores?

Why Do Polar Bear Cubs (and Babies) Crawl Backwards?

This video of an adorable polar bear cub's first steps has gone VIRAL! I noticed that like many human infants' early attempts at locomotion, the cub is crawling backwards! How can we explain this? Why do many young ones among four-limbed species initially crawl backwards before they crawl forwards?

Landfill Harmonic: Lessons in Improvisation

What would you do with discarded cookie tins, an old piece of wood, and a fork? How about making a violin? What could you make with a water pipe, shirt buttons, and a spoon? What about a flute? In Cateura, Paraguay, they're turning trash into an orchestra, and transforming the lives of children with music ...

3 Reasons Why We're Drawn to Faces in Film

Why are we so drawn to faces in film? And what role does our strong attraction to faces play in the emotional journey of an absorbing movie? Here are 3 reasons why the human face is so compelling in film, up close and personal...

Why Does This Baby Cry When Her Mother Sings? (Viral Video)

Why is this baby weeping as her mother sings in this viral video?

How Film Music Shapes the Storyline

What happens when you pair one film scene with three musical soundtracks—and ask the audience to judge tension, relationship between characters, intentions of characters, romantic interest in the other character, and other aspects of the unfolding storyline? We found that each of the three soundtracks created its own narrative, essentially telling a different story...

the fetus in utero, womb, umbilical cord

Gravity: Developmental Themes in Space

Watching "Gravity" as a professor who teaches child psychology, I could not help but see the resonant developmental themes in this spectacular film. This gives a whole new meaning to the stages of a character's "development" ...