Psychology News and Research

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

Physical activity keeps workers mentally fit

Obesity can be a dangerous risk to our physical health, but according to a Tel Aviv University researcher, avoiding the gym can also take a toll on our mental health, leading to depression and greater burnout rates at work.

24 Feb 2012

FSU receives NIH grant to better understand and diagnose dyslexia

If you can read this sentence with ease, consider yourself fortunate: Millions of Americans with dyslexia cannot. In the hope of improving the lives of those struggling readers, a team of experts at Florida State University is working to better understand and diagnose dyslexia and other learning disabilities with a new, $8.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.

23 Feb 2012

WoW improves cognitive function among the elderly

For some older adults, the online video game World of Warcraft (WoW) may provide more than just an opportunity for escapist adventure. Researchers from North Carolina State University have found that playing WoW actually boosted cognitive functioning for older adults - particularly those adults who had scored poorly on cognitive ability tests before playing the game.

23 Feb 2012

Hoarders are mentally ill and need help

According to experts people who are compulsive hoarders are ill with a serious mental disorder and need help. Hoarding is affecting between 400,000 and 1.1 million Australians, a conference in Sydney heard this week, and can affect more than just elderly people living alone. Yet it is only now gaining acceptance as a clinical condition with its inclusion this year in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

22 Feb 2012

Study on role of genetics and environmental influences on criminal and antisocial behavior

An assistant professor at Sam Houston State University, College of Criminal Justice is working to unlock the mysteries surrounding the role that genetics and environmental influences play on criminal and antisocial behavior.

22 Feb 2012

Major discovery for visual cognition using diffusion spectrum imaging

If you are looking for a particular object - say a yellow pencil - on a cluttered desk, how does your brain work to visually locate it?

22 Feb 2012

Scientists study chess player's brains to decipher how humans process visual information

Just as expert chess players scrutinize a board to calculate their next moves, UT Dallas cognitive neuroscientists are studying the way these players' brains work to better understand how visual information is processed.

22 Feb 2012

First study to gauge college students' willingness to donate to a genetic biobank

A majority of college students is receptive to donating blood or other genetic material for scientific research, according to a new study from Southern Methodist University, Dallas.

22 Feb 2012

Series of studies on rising obesity rates among kids

New figures show that nearly a quarter of secondary school students are overweight or obese, and lifestyle and socio-economic status are implicated. The research was funded by Cancer Councils around Australia and the National Heart Foundation. A series of articles published in the Medical Journal of Australia draws attention to the challenges presented by overweight and obesity to people in a variety of age groups especially children.

21 Feb 2012

Gender nonconformity in childhood leads to increased risk of abuse: Study

According to researchers from Harvard School of Public Health and Children's Hospital Boston, children who do not conform to their gender-expected behaviors and interests are at a higher risk of being abused and facing subsequent traumas. Their work is published in the journal Pediatrics.

21 Feb 2012

Medicare cuts include psychotherapy payment reduction

Medicare recipients currently receiving mental health outpatient services stand to be affected by the payroll tax legislation passed by Congress today. As a result of the new law, which President Obama is expected to sign, payment for Medicare outpatient psychotherapy services will be cut by five-percent beginning March 1.

18 Feb 2012

Impact of maternal mental health and antidepressant exposure on mechanics of early language acquisition

While babies are born ready to learn any of the world's languages, the crucial developmental period when they attune to their native languages can change due to environmental influences such as maternal depression or a bilingual upbringing, according to new University of British Columbia research.

18 Feb 2012

Addiction to social networking leads to sleep deprivation

Millions of Britons are losing valuable sleep each night because they are addicted to social networking according to findings from a new sleep report.

18 Feb 2012

Video gaming can improve vision in individuals with cataracts

How we perceive the world tells us a lot about how the brain processes sensory information. At this week's meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Vancouver, McMaster University psychologist Daphne Maurer will report on how vision develops in individuals born with cataracts in both eyes. Although such persons have their vision "corrected" by surgery and contact lenses, Maurer's study shows that they experience specific visual processing deficiencies into adulthood.

18 Feb 2012

Personality traits play an important role in military training

It's no secret that battlefield trauma can leave veterans with deep emotional scars that impact their ability to function in civilian life. But new research led by Washington University in St. Louis suggests that military service, even without combat, has a subtle lingering effect on a man's personality, making it potentially more difficult for veterans to get along with friends, family and co-workers.

18 Feb 2012

Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions now opens registration for ICHAD 2012

The Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has now opened registration for the International Conference on Health in the African Diaspora - ICHAD 2012.

18 Feb 2012

Young Canadians report higher levels of emotional and behavioural problems

Canadian girls report higher levels of emotional problems and lower levels of emotional well-being and life satisfaction, while boys tend to experience more behavioural problems and demonstrate less prosocial behavior, a new Queen's University-led national study of youth health behavior shows.

17 Feb 2012

Exposure to common flame retardant may affect fertility and long-term memory

Mice genetically engineered to be susceptible to autism-like behaviors that were exposed to a common flame retardant were less fertile and their offspring were smaller, less sociable and demonstrated marked deficits in learning and long-term memory when compared with the offspring of normal unexposed mice, a study by researchers at UC Davis has found.

16 Feb 2012

February marks GoodTherapy.org's 5-year anniversary

This month marks GoodTherapy.org's 5-year anniversary for advocating healthy therapy and connecting people with mental health therapists through their leading therapy directory. At the 5 year mark, GoodTherapy.org has succeeded in making a lasting impression on the web and in the mental health community.

16 Feb 2012

Women with cancer have worse health behaviors after mammography

A recent study conducted by researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla., and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., has found that female cancer survivors receiving screening mammography have "worse health behaviors" than women receiving mammography screening and who had never had cancer.

16 Feb 2012