Psychology News and Research

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

Simple mindful eating, stress-reduction techniques help prevent weight gain in obese women

Many dread gaining weight during the holiday season, but there may be hope for those who find that stress causes them to reach for yet another helping of holiday goodies. In a study by UCSF researchers published online in the Journal of Obesity, mastering simple mindful eating and stress-reduction techniques helped prevent weight gain even without dieting.

8 Dec 2011

Headache affects one of every two HIV/AIDS patients

A University of Mississippi study of headaches among HIV patients is being hailed as a critical step to improving treatment and reducing unnecessary medical costs among sufferers.

7 Dec 2011

Testing athletes for concussions may induce mental fatigue

Testing athletes for concussions may induce mental fatigue in subjects whether or not they have a head injury, according to Penn State researchers.

7 Dec 2011

Infants can differentiate between credible and un-credible sources

Babies love to imitate. Ask any parent and they'll report how infants mimic sounds, facial expressions and actions they observe. Now new research from Concordia University, published in the journal Infant Behavior and Development, has found that infants can even differentiate between credible and un-credible sources. Simply put, most babies won't follow along if they have been previously tricked by an adult.

6 Dec 2011

Exposure to family violence may increase brain activity in children

Children exposed to family violence show the same pattern of activity in their brains as soldiers exposed to combat, new research has shown.

6 Dec 2011

Telemedicine can improve depression in nursing home rehab patients

A new pilot study is getting underway in Rhode Island aimed at improving depression in nursing home rehabilitation patients, all through telemedicine. Geriatric mental health specialists from Rhode Island and The Miriam hospitals will work with patients in the Evergreen House Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center in East Providence to test the program.

6 Dec 2011

Flexible workplace initiative improves employees' health behavior, well-being

A flexible workplace initiative improved employees' health behavior and well-being, including a rise in the amount and quality of sleep and better health management, according to a new study by University of Minnesota sociology professors Erin Kelly and Phyllis Moen, which appears in the December issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.

6 Dec 2011

Cayetano Heredia, UT Southwestern sign five-year affiliation agreement

UT Southwestern Medical Center and the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia in Peru have signed a five-year affiliation agreement that establishes an exchange program for medical students and related educational opportunities.

6 Dec 2011

New research suggests that teenage texting of nude photos not so popular

Only 1 percent of kids aged 10 to 17 have shared images of themselves or others that involve explicit nudity, a nationally representative study found. Roughly the same number said they'd shared suggestive but less graphic photos; while 7 percent said they'd received either type of picture.

6 Dec 2011

The head plays key role in tiring endurance performances

Researchers from the University of Zurich have now studied in detail what sportsmen and women know from experience: The head plays a key role in tiring endurance performances.

5 Dec 2011

Study busts myth that men think about sex every seven seconds

It is a wide notion that men think of sex too often. A new study busts that myth. The research in college-age participants suggests that while men do think about sex more often than women, the subject crosses their mind an average of only about 19 times per day, compared to 10 times per day for women. The study is published online and in the January print issue of the Journal of Sex Research.

4 Dec 2011

Evaluating passive harms requires more thought, finds study

People typically say they are invoking an ethical principle when they judge acts that cause harm more harshly than willful inaction that allows that same harm to occur. That difference is even codified in criminal law.

3 Dec 2011

Multidisciplinary prevention programme not effective in improving perceived employee health

Most of us would agree that prevention is better than cure. But new results out in the journal Clinical Rehabilitation, published by SAGE, indicate that a costly intervention programme designed to reduce early retirement on health grounds in Finland had no measurable effect.

3 Dec 2011

People willing to violate moral rules to minimize harm

Imagine a runaway boxcar heading toward five people who can't escape its path. Now imagine you had the power to reroute the boxcar onto different tracks with only one person along that route.

2 Dec 2011

First study of cortisol awakening response in infants

Cortisol may be the Swiss Army knife of hormones in the human body -- just when scientists think they understand what it does, another function pops up. While many of these functions are understood for adults, much less is known about how cortisol operates in babies and toddlers, especially when it comes to an important phenomenon called the cortisol awakening response, or CAR.

2 Dec 2011

Susquehanna University opens new Center for Adolescent Research and Education

Susquehanna University, in Selinsgrove, Pa., announced the opening of its new Center for Adolescent Research and Education (CARE) at a gala event Dec. 1 at the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Library and Museum in Boston.

2 Dec 2011

Peer-mediated interventions may provide greater social benefits for children with ASD

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who attend regular education classes may be more likely to improve their social skills if their typically developing peers are taught how to interact with them than if only the children with ASD are taught such skills. According to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health, a shift away from more commonly used interventions that focus on training children with ASD directly may provide greater social benefits for children with ASD.

1 Dec 2011