Psychology News and Research

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

Car seats sufficiently accommodate broad spectrum of children's body sizes

Researchers at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's Center for Injury Research and Prevention studied nearly 1,000 1- to 8-year-old children involved in crashes and found no evidence of increased injury risk for children across a broad weight range. All of the children included in the study were properly restrained in the correct child safety seat or booster seat for their height and weight.

30 Nov 2011

Study identifies risk factors for women in need of treatment after PTSD

A Florida State University clinical psychologist has identified factors that could cause some women with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to have chronic, persistent symptoms while others recover naturally over time.

30 Nov 2011

Four PhD graduates to showcase cutting-edge research in University of Leicester lectures

The University of Leicester has announced its upcoming Doctoral Inaugural Lectures for 2011, which celebrate and showcase four doctoral graduates who are both outstanding academically and able to present their work in a way that is accessible and engaging. The speakers will talk about their doctoral research, with subjects including: personalising asthma prescriptions, understanding growth disorders of bodily organs, building models of human brain function and defining the mechanisms of pollen fertility in plants.

30 Nov 2011

Sleep and insomnia expert to give free public lecture in Birmingham

A leading expert on sleep and insomnia is giving a free public lecture in Birmingham on Wednesday 30 November 2011.

29 Nov 2011

URMC earns Gold Seal of Approval for Palliative Care Program

In the latest development in its decades-long leadership in the area of palliative care, the University of Rochester Medical Center's Palliative Care Program is one of the first nationwide to earn advanced certification from the Joint Commission, the nation's predominant standards-setting and accrediting body in health care.

29 Nov 2011

Abusive supervision affects employee's marriage and family life

Having an abusive boss not only causes problems at work but can lead to strained relationships at home, according to a Baylor University study published online in journal, Personnel Psychology.

29 Nov 2011

Men think about sex, eating and sleeping more often than women do

Men may think about sex more often than women do, but a new study suggests that men also think about other biological needs, such as eating and sleep, more frequently than women do, as well.

29 Nov 2011

Individuals with mood disorders twice as likely to have heart attacks

Depression may have more far-reaching consequences than previously believed. Recent data suggests that individuals who suffer from a mood disorder could be twice as likely to have a heart attack compared to individuals who are not depressed.

29 Nov 2011

Caregivers have stress reactions that put them at greater risk for physical health problems

When a person with mild cognitive impairment is agitated or restless, caregivers can expect to find they are more edgy as well. According to research conducted at Virginia Tech, the more a caregiver's day is disrupted by the unsettled behaviors of their loved one, the more they find themselves unable to meet or balance their own home and family work loads.

29 Nov 2011

DFG approves establishment of new research training groups

To further enhance the promotion of early-career researchers in Germany, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) has approved the establishment of 16 new Research Training Groups. This decision was made by the DFG's relevant Grants Committee in Bonn.

29 Nov 2011

Beta blockers prevent negative effects of stress

Stressed people fall into habits and their behaviour is not goal-directed. That the neurotransmitter norepinephrine plays a decisive role here is now reported in the Journal of Neuroscience by scientists from Bochum led by Dr. Lars Schwabe (RUB Faculty of Psychology).

29 Nov 2011

Dad’s absence raises risk of delinquency in teen boys but leaves girls unaffected: Study

Teenage boys are more likely to turn to delinquency if they do not have a father figure in their lives finds a latest study. The absence however does not affect girls.

28 Nov 2011

Most people with Timothy syndrome mutation have autistic symptoms

Neuroscientists at Stanford University School of Medicine have homed in on potential differences in autistic people's brain cells by studying brainlike spheres grown in an elaborate process from skin cells.

28 Nov 2011

Stress chemicals shut down and brain processes emotional experiences during REM sleep

They say time heals all wounds, and new research from the University of California, Berkeley, indicates that time spent in dream sleep can help. UC Berkeley researchers have found that during the dream phase of sleep, also known as REM sleep, our stress chemistry shuts down and the brain processes emotional experiences and takes the painful edge off difficult memories.

24 Nov 2011

Biofeedback optimal performance training can improve quality of life for athletes

Biofeedback optimal performance training can benefit not only the sports performance, but also the overall life functioning of an athlete. Individual athletes, teams, and coaches can gain from a multidisciplinary approach of cognitive and behavioral psychology, biofeedback, and neurofeedback. The U.S. Air Force Academy Peak Performance Center offers student-athletes this additional focus on their sports performance and quality of life.

23 Nov 2011

Naltrexone for problem gamblers

According to new practice guidelines Australian doctors treating gambling addicts now can consider prescribing an anti-heroin drug, naltrexone, to help problem gamblers control their impulses. Australia has one of the world’s highest rates of problem gamblers, with about 2.1 per cent of Australians experiencing some form of gambling problem.

22 Nov 2011

Virtues of a simple “Thank You” a day

Gratitude is a positive emotion with strong psychological effects say researchers. Now psychologists are trying to figure out the brain chemistry behind gratitude and the best ways of showing it.

22 Nov 2011

Cognitive-behavioral therapy safe and effective for juvenile fibromyalgia

A recent trial shows cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) reduces functional disability and depressive symptoms in adolescents with juvenile fibromyalgia. The psychological intervention was found to be safe and effective, and proved to be superior to disease management education.

22 Nov 2011

Police officers no more likely than general population to suffer from PSTD

Although police officers are at a high risk of experiencing traumatic events (TE) in their work, they are no more likely than the general population to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.

22 Nov 2011

Active sex life in seniors secret to happiness

In the study of 238 married people aged 65 or older in the US. the researchers found that almost 80 per cent who had sex more than once a month were ‘very happy’ with their life in general.

21 Nov 2011