Psychology News and Research

RSS

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

New smartphone can help people with mental health problems

Brooding in your apartment on Saturday afternoon? A new smart phone intuits when you're depressed and will nudge you to call or go out with friends. It's the future of therapy at a new Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine center where scientists are inventing web-based, mobile and virtual technologies to treat depression and other mood disorders. The phone and similar projects bypass traditional weekly therapy sessions for novel approaches that provide immediate support and access to a much larger population.

8 Feb 2012

Parents more likely to blame and doubt child sex abuse victims

Parents are much more likely to blame and doubt their children when their child has been sexually abused by another adolescent instead of an adult, according to new research from the Crimes against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire.

8 Feb 2012

Comparing health problems can influence physical and emotional health

Comparing yourself to others with the same health problem can influence your physical and emotional health, according to researchers who conducted a qualitative synthesis of over 30 studies focusing on the relationship between social comparisons and health.

8 Feb 2012

Smoking leads to early cognitive decline: Study

There is growing evidence that using cigarettes can also affect the brain: the latest study shows that smoking is associated with cognitive decline as early as age 45, and that male smokers may be more vulnerable to these mental effects than women.

7 Feb 2012

Spanking kids does not work and may lead to developmental difficulties

The authors say the medical finding have been largely overlooked and overshadowed by concerns that parents should have the right to determine how their children are disciplined.

7 Feb 2012

Facebook and Twitter addiction: Study

The researchers from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business recently conducted an experiment involving 205 people in Wurtzburg, Germany to analyze the addictive properties of social media and other vices.

7 Feb 2012

New scientific report finds many areas for improvement in online dating industry

The report card is in, and the online dating industry won't be putting this one on the fridge. A new scientific report concludes that although online dating offers users some very real benefits, it falls far short of its potential.

7 Feb 2012

People seem to switch navigational strategies with age

A Wayne State University researcher believes studying people's ability to find their way around may help explain why loss of mental capacity occurs with age.

6 Feb 2012

Support from supervisors can help employees recover from somatic symptoms

A worker experiencing the stress of intense workdays might develop somatic symptoms, such as stomach ache or headache, which will eventually lead to taking leave of absence.

6 Feb 2012

NIH, USDA and research facilities need to protect captive great apes

The Bioethics of Great Ape Well-Being: Psychiatric Injury and Duty of Care, recently published in the Animals & Society Institute's (ASI) Public Policy series, asserts that historically and to date the National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and research facilities have failed in their legal duty to protect captive great apes by not preventing foreseeable trauma of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and other psychological injuries.

6 Feb 2012

Online dating surpasses all forms of matchmaking in the U.S.

Online dating has not only shed its stigma, it has surpassed all forms of matchmaking in the United States other than meeting through friends, according to a new analysis of research on the burgeoning relationship industry.

6 Feb 2012

Weight loss program for African-American women in a church may become more successful

As a brand new year gets underway, people all over America are resolving to better manage their weight and have a more healthy 2012. According to a new study, those starting new weight loss programs may be surprised to find out that both location and level of experience may influence their success.

4 Feb 2012

Future of social robotics requires meeting the expectations of human brain

After years of existing only in fiction, social robots are finally being designed that can more closely emulate how people express themselves, interact and learn - and doing so while performing jobs like teaching social behavior to children with autism or helping stroke patients with their physical rehabilitation exercises.

4 Feb 2012

Brain may replace sensory experiences to help understand common metaphors

When a friend tells you she had a rough day, do you feel sandpaper under your fingers? The brain may be replaying sensory experiences to help understand common metaphors, new research suggests.

4 Feb 2012

Study to understand links between premature birth and maths disability in children

Around 160 school children from London and the Midlands are taking part in a pioneering research project, funded by Action Medical Research, to try to understand the links between being born very prematurely and struggling with mathematics.

3 Feb 2012

Should smacking of children be banned?

Dr Gervase Chaney, the head of The Royal Australasian College of Physicians' Pediatric & Child Health Division, said it was no longer OK for mums and dads to argue “that it never did us any harm” and called on colleagues to stand up for children's rights. Professor Frank Oberklaid, a pediatrician from Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital, said Australia was lagging behind other countries in outlawing smacking which, in some cases, could lead to abuse and even death.

3 Feb 2012

International conference focuses on where and how memory is formed

The University of Haifa is hosting an international conference of leading brain researchers from around the world next week, where the participants will be attempting to answer the question of where and how memory is stored; or in less ordinary terms: "Cell and molecular mechanisms of memory formation".

3 Feb 2012

Scientists uncover genes that govern male and female behaviors

Hormones shape our bodies, make us fertile, excite our most basic urges, and as scientists have known for years, they govern the behaviors that separate men from women. But how? Now a team of scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) has uncovered many genes influenced by the male and female sex hormones testosterone and estrogen that, in turn, govern several specific types of male and female behaviors in mice.

3 Feb 2012

Researchers caution against over-reliance on CNT in return-to-play decisions

A new study by researchers at Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus and Pace University is critical of the widespread use of computerized neuropsychological tests (CNT) in decisions regarding when athletes can return to play after suffering a concussion.

3 Feb 2012

Women better at parking than men – Study

The study by NCP examined the habits of 2,500 drivers using car park CCTV footage. It found that women were better at finding a space, aligning their vehicles to prepare to park, and were more centered when finally parked. They also note that when men drive with a female passenger they are more likely to “pose park” — in other words, try to impress his female companion — by choosing the smaller of two vacant spaces.

2 Feb 2012