Psychology News and Research

RSS

Psychology is the study of human mental functions, behavior and processes.

Some smokers quit smoking on first try while others have to quit repeatedly

Some people quit smoking on the first try while others have to quit repeatedly. Using such mobile technology as hand-held computers and smartphones, a team of researchers from Penn State and the University of Pittsburgh is trying to find out why.

5 Apr 2012

Brain games, exercise and diet help prevent cognitive slide

Exercising, eating a healthy diet and playing brain games may help you keep your wits about you well into your 80s and even 90s, advises a new book by researchers at George Mason University.

5 Apr 2012

Impact of Personal Genomics Study to launch data collection phase

As genetic risk information plays an increasingly important role in the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases, private companies have made personal genomic testing for these risk factors widely available to the public. However, very little data has been gathered to understand the motivations and expectations of consumers of personal genomic services, the psychological and behavioral impact of these services, and the associated ethical, legal and social issues—until now.

4 Apr 2012

Combination of ADHD drug and parental intervention can help children with autism

Researchers at The Ohio State University are conducting a study to determine which is more effective for helping children on the autism spectrum: training parents or taking medication.

4 Apr 2012

Atheists unconsciously take advantage of belief in God during death anxiety

New research suggests that when non-religious people think about their own death they become more consciously skeptical about religion, but unconsciously grow more receptive to religious belief.

3 Apr 2012

TLR4/MD-2 protein complex triggers morphine-induced inflammation

A University of Colorado Boulder-led research team has discovered that two protein receptors in the central nervous system team up to respond to morphine and cause unwanted neuroinflammation, a finding with implications for improving the efficacy of the widely used painkiller while decreasing its abuse potential.

3 Apr 2012

Some autistic children may “bloom” socially with early and the right therapy

According to the latest figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1 in 88 U.S. children have autism, a spectrum of disorders that ranges from severe communication and intellectual disability to much milder symptoms seen in children with Asperger's syndrome. Autism is marked by a group of symptoms, all arising from atypical brain development that causes problems with socialization, communication and behavior. Although the disorder can be mild or severe, in general children with autism have trouble communicating and making friends.

2 Apr 2012

French researchers find alcohol’s self regard boosting properties

Psychologists led by Laurent Begue at the Pierre-Mendes France University in the south-eastern city of Grenoble carried out an experiment. In the first stage, 19 drinkers, two-thirds of them men, were asked to assess their attractiveness on a scale of one to seven. Their alcohol levels were measured by a breath analyzer, and as expected, the higher the amount of alcohol that had been drunk, the rosier the self-assessment.

1 Apr 2012

Brain images show nerves ‘crisscrossing’ in neat but complex patterns: Study

New images of the brain reveal a deceptively simple pattern of organization in the wiring of this complex organ. Instead of nerve fibers travelling randomly through the brain like spaghetti, as some imaging has suggested, the new portraits reveal two-dimensional sheets of parallel fibers ‘crisscrossing’ other sheets at right angles in a grid-like structure that folds and contorts with the convolutions of the brain. This same pattern appeared in the brains of humans, rhesus monkeys, owl monkeys, marmosets and galagos, researchers report Thursday in the journal Science.

1 Apr 2012

Diagnostic inflation of ADHD

What experts and the public have already long suspected is now supported by representative data collected by researchers at Ruhr-Universit-t Bochum (RUB) and University of Basel: ADHD, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, is over-diagnosed.

31 Mar 2012

New strategy to ensure that GPs advise heavy drinkers to cut down

The new UK alcohol strategy includes a plan to ensure that General Practitioners (GPs) advise heavy drinkers to cut down.

29 Mar 2012

Meditation decreases depression, anxiety and stress in school teachers

Schoolteachers who underwent a short but intensive program of meditation were less depressed, anxious or stressed - and more compassionate and aware of others' feelings, according to a UCSF-led study that blended ancient meditation practices with the most current scientific methods for regulating emotions.

29 Mar 2012

Supervisor training can curb employees' substance use and intoxication

To curb employees' on-the-job substance use and intoxication, bosses need to do more than just be around their employees all day, according to a new study from the University at Buffalo Research Institute on Addictions (RIA).

28 Mar 2012

Placentophagia may offer benefits to human mothers

A paper by neuroscientists at the University at Buffalo and Buffalo State College suggests that ingestion of components of afterbirth or placenta -- placentophagia -- may offer benefits to human mothers and perhaps to non-mothers and males.

28 Mar 2012

Online gambling may increase risk of alcohol and cannabis use

With the click of a mouse or touch of a mobile phone screen - in pyjamas or jeans - gambling is now at our fingertips 24/7 with Internet play. With this increased access to gambling, are online gamblers more prone to risky behaviours than offline gamblers?

28 Mar 2012

Simple placebo pill can track footprints of prior antidepressant use

Individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) often undergo multiple courses of antidepressant treatment during their lives. This is because the disorder can recur despite treatment and because finding the right medication for a specific individual can take time.

27 Mar 2012

Study identifies major gene affecting chronic pain sensitivity

Nearly one in five people suffers from the insidious and often devastating problem of chronic pain.

27 Mar 2012

Weight loss does not improve self-esteem in obese teen girls

Obese white teenage girls who lose weight may benefit physically, but the weight change does not guarantee they are going to feel better about themselves, according to a Purdue University study.

23 Mar 2012

Survivors of multiple cancers report unhealthier behaviors

A study published by University of Kentucky researchers shows that survivors of multiple cancers report unhealthier behaviors post-diagnosis than control counterparts.

23 Mar 2012

Towards a more comprehensive view of brain-hand relationship

Research at Arizona State University and Columbia University to better understand the intricate sensory and cognitive connections between the brain and the hands has won support from the National Science Foundation. New discoveries about such connections could benefit people with neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease and cerebral palsy, and those who need prosthetic hands.

22 Mar 2012