Psychology News and Research

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

Study suggests sexual orientation infiltrates automatic impression

Studies by psychologists at the University of Toronto reveal that when it comes to white men, being straight may make you more likable but in the case of black men, gays have a likability edge.

3 Sep 2011

Study reveals why bad eating habits persist even when the food does not taste good

Do you always get popcorn at the movies? Or snack while you're on the couch watching television? A new paper by USC researchers reveals why bad eating habits persist even when the food we're eating doesn't taste good. The study also reveals the surprisingly simple ways we can counter our habits to gain control over what we eat.

3 Sep 2011

Novel analysis of MRI scans reveals distinct features of autistic brain

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital have used a novel method for analyzing brain-scan data to distinguish children with autism from typically developing children.

3 Sep 2011

Tempo of puberty linked to anxiety, depression

Children who go through puberty at a faster rate are more likely to act out and to suffer from anxiety and depression, according to a study by researchers at Penn State, Duke University and the University of California, Davis. The results suggest that primary care providers, teachers and parents should look not only at the timing of puberty in relation to kids' behavior problems, but also at the tempo of puberty -- how fast or slow kids go through puberty.

2 Sep 2011

Alcohol reduces awareness of how much a person cares about making mistakes

Most people have witnessed otherwise intelligent people doing embarrassing or stupid things when they are intoxicated, but what specifically happens in the brain to cause such drunken actions? A new study testing alcohol's effects on brain activity from the University of Missouri says that alcohol dulls the brain "signal" that warns people when they are making a mistake, ultimately reducing self control.

2 Sep 2011

Link between age-related changes, health and cognition

Critical life course events and experiences - in both youth and middle adulthood - may contribute to health and cognition in later life, according to a new supplemental issue of the Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences.

2 Sep 2011

AAPB publishes first handbook on sport psychology, neurofeedback and biofeedback

The Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback (AAPB), an international society for mind-body research, healthcare, and education, recently published the first handbook on sport psychology, neurofeedback, and biofeedback to offer performance techniques for reaching maximum potential.

2 Sep 2011

Returning service members at risk of depression, relationship distress

Returning service members are at a greater risk of both depressive symptoms and relationship distress, and research shows the two often go together, says University of Illinois researcher Leanne Knobloch. That's not a good thing, since someone suffering from depressive symptoms "really needs the support of their romantic partner."

2 Sep 2011

One third of patients with unexplained body malodor production test positive for TMAU

Scientists from the Monell Center report that approximately one third of patients with unexplained body malodor production test positive for the metabolic disorder trimethylaminuria.

2 Sep 2011

Princeton researchers match images of brain activity with complex thought

In an effort to understand what happens in the brain when a person reads or considers such abstract ideas as love or justice, Princeton researchers have for the first time matched images of brain activity with categories of words related to the concepts a person is thinking about. The results could lead to a better understanding of how people consider meaning and context when reading or thinking.

2 Sep 2011

Reduction in smoking has positive impact on mortality rates within six months

A study by the University of Liverpool has found that a decrease in smoking rapidly reduces mortality rates in individuals and entire populations within six months.

2 Sep 2011

Sex hormones strongly influence people's interests in occupations

Teacher, pilot, nurse or engineer? Sex hormones strongly influence people's interests, which affect the kinds of occupations they choose, according to psychologists.

2 Sep 2011

Eleven UvA researchers named as recipients of ERC Starting Grants

Eleven researchers from the University of Amsterdam (UvA) have been named as recipients of Starting Independent Researcher Grants from the European Research Council.

31 Aug 2011

Harassment, discrimination can contribute to mental disorders in African-American gay or bisexual men

The harassment, discrimination and negative feelings about homosexuality that black gay and bisexual men often experience can contribute significantly to mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety, a small new study finds.

31 Aug 2011

Nova Southeastern University's medical school plans to expand residency programs

Nova Southeastern University's (NSU) medical school announced plans to expand its affiliated residency programs following recent Congressional legislation to increase the number of residency spots in Florida.

31 Aug 2011

NSU's iPad program treats spinal cord injuries

A little iPad can go a long way. At Nova Southeastern University (NSU), the tiny, flat screen, touch pad is being used by the Occupational Therapy Department researchers to treat disabled patients who suffer from spinal cord injuries and other disabilities.

31 Aug 2011

Study: Social partners can help extend memory

Effective memory is a key ability for independent living in later life, and a new Iowa State University study is among the first to report that social partners can help extend memory.

30 Aug 2011

Portion-controlled lunches may help prevent weight gain

Losing weight without a grumbling stomach or expensive liquid diet can be as simple as eating a lighter lunch, finds a new Cornell University study to be published in the October issue of the journal Appetite.

30 Aug 2011

Divorce and strict parenting leading to binge drinking among teenagers: Report

A long term study carried out by the British think tank ‘Demos’ which looked at how parenting styles affect the behaviour of children as they grow up showed that teenage binge drinking and its potentially deadly consequences may be caused in part by bad parenting or divorce.

30 Aug 2011

Restricting kids' unstructured play may actually cause harm

Hovering helicopter parents who restrict their kids' unstructured play may actually harm, rather than help, children according to the latest issue of the American Journal of Play, a scholarly journal which has gathered a distinguished group of experts to probe the near-extinction of free play and its effects on children and society.

26 Aug 2011