Psychology News and Research

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

Transcranial direct current stimulation can allow faster comprehension of meaningful word combinations

How the human brain processes the words we hear and constructs complex concepts is still somewhat of a mystery to the neuroscience community. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can alter our language processing, allowing for faster comprehension of meaningful word combinations, according to new research from the department of Neurology the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The work is published in the Journal of Neuroscience.

11 Apr 2016

Alzheimer's disease impairs visual face perception beyond causing memory problems

A recent study has demonstrated that, beyond causing memory problems, Alzheimer's disease also impairs visual face perception. This finding may help families better understand their loved one's inevitable difficulties and lead to new avenues to postpone this painful aspect of the disease, such as the recognition of particular facial traits or voice recognition.

11 Apr 2016

Long-term medication use reduces risk of relapse and improves symptoms in BDD patients

People with Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) fare better and are less likely to relapse when treated with medication on a long-term basis, according to researchers at Rhode Island Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital.

11 Apr 2016

Electrical stimulation of deep brain structures to ease chronic pain

Abuse of prescription opioid medicines used to treat chronic pain has reached epidemic proportions, so much that the White House has announced new efforts to combat addiction and prevent the thousands of overdose-related deaths reported in the U.S. each year.

5 Apr 2016

Study: Disparities in pain management may be partly attributed to bias

Research has documented that black Americans are systematically undertreated for pain relative to white Americans, likely due to both the over-prescription and over-use of pain medications among white patients and the under-prescription of pain medications for black patients.

5 Apr 2016

New UCLA study reveals how the brain combines sound and vision

A new UCLA psychology study provides insights into how the brain combines sound and vision. The research suggests that there is not one sole mechanism in the brain that governs how much our senses work together to process information.

1 Apr 2016

School Breakfast Program in NYC boosts student participation

Serving free breakfast in New York City's classrooms has boosted the number of students eating what some consider the most important meal of the day at school, according to research by New York University's Institute for Education and Social Policy and the Center for Policy Research at Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

31 Mar 2016

Understanding neuronal feedback could provide new insight into visual perception

Ever see something that isn't really there? Could your mind be playing tricks on you? The "tricks" might be your brain reacting to feedback between neurons in different parts of the visual system, according to a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience by Carnegie Mellon University Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences Sandra J. Kuhlman and colleagues.

31 Mar 2016

Memory training with unpredictability more effective in enhancing episodic memory

Memory training with unpredictable components could be more effective in enhancing episodic memory than training with predictable elements, according to new findings from UT Dallas researchers published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology.

30 Mar 2016

Partner-prescribed sexual perfectionism affects self-image of women

Women who perceive that their sexual partner is imposing perfectionist standards on them may suffer sexual dysfunction as a result, psychologists at the University of Kent have found.

30 Mar 2016

Study finds strong connection between pathological narcissism and sexual assault perpetration

Almost 20 percent of college men have committed some kind of sexual assault, and 4 percent have committed rape, according to a study published by University of Georgia researchers who were examining the link between different kinds of narcissism and the perpetration of sexual assaults.

30 Mar 2016

Patients with multiple mild TBIs most likely to have saccadic eye movement impairment

Mild traumatic brain injuries (TBI) could be linked to eye movement impairment, even beyond the acute stage of injury, according to researchers at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.

30 Mar 2016

Swedish population study helps answer lingering questions about hormone therapy safety

A Swedish population study is helping answer lingering questions about hormone therapy safety. Published online today in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society, the study shows that estrogen-only therapy carries a lower risk of blood clots than combined estrogen-progestogen therapy, but there is no significantly increased risk of clots with combination therapy when the estrogen is transdermal, and vaginal estrogen doesn't raise the risk at all.

30 Mar 2016

Fertility goes down when cost of achieving social status goes up

Competition for social status may be an important driver of lower fertility in the modern world, suggests a new study published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B.

29 Mar 2016

MGH study finds that the brains of young marijuana users react differently to social exclusion

A study from Massachusetts General Hospital researchers finds that the brains of young adult marijuana users react differently to social exclusion than do those of non-users. In a report published in the March issue of Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, the team reports that activation of the insula, a region of the brain that is usually active during social rejection, was reduced in young marijuana users when they were being excluded from participation in virtual game of catch.

26 Mar 2016

Study demonstrates possibility of simultaneous improvement in all mental, physical functions

Let's say you've decided to make some changes in your life. You're out of shape, your mind wanders, your self-esteem is wavering, and you have no idea what you just read. So you decide to focus on one thing -- losing weight, maybe -- and tackle the other issues later. You don't want to take on too much at once, right?

26 Mar 2016

Study shows preterm born individuals at risk of lower health-related quality of life

Parents of very premature babies are more worried about their grown up children's lives than mothers and fathers whose babies were born full term.

25 Mar 2016

Tough men more likely to ignore medical problems

Men are less likely than women to go to the doctor, more likely to choose a male doctor when they do go, but less likely to be honest with that doctor about their symptoms, Rutgers psychologists have found. The researchers believe this may contribute to men's dying earlier than women.

24 Mar 2016

Researchers explore role of social media in promoting mental health, wellbeing in children

University of Leicester researchers to identify the benefits and challenges of promoting mental health through social media

24 Mar 2016

City University London opens new City TECS Smart Home Facility

Imagine a world where healthcare professionals are able to identify if patients need help at home and can immediately alert the right person - be it A&E, a fire brigade responder or family member - even before the person knows something is wrong.

24 Mar 2016

Psychology News and Research

Further Reading

Transcranial direct current stimulation can allow faster comprehension of meaningful word combinations

Alzheimer's disease impairs visual face perception beyond causing memory problems

Long-term medication use reduces risk of relapse and improves symptoms in BDD patients

Electrical stimulation of deep brain structures to ease chronic pain

Study: Disparities in pain management may be partly attributed to bias

New UCLA study reveals how the brain combines sound and vision

School Breakfast Program in NYC boosts student participation

Understanding neuronal feedback could provide new insight into visual perception

Memory training with unpredictability more effective in enhancing episodic memory

Partner-prescribed sexual perfectionism affects self-image of women

Study finds strong connection between pathological narcissism and sexual assault perpetration

Patients with multiple mild TBIs most likely to have saccadic eye movement impairment

Swedish population study helps answer lingering questions about hormone therapy safety

Fertility goes down when cost of achieving social status goes up

MGH study finds that the brains of young marijuana users react differently to social exclusion

Study demonstrates possibility of simultaneous improvement in all mental, physical functions

Study shows preterm born individuals at risk of lower health-related quality of life

Tough men more likely to ignore medical problems

Researchers explore role of social media in promoting mental health, wellbeing in children

City University London opens new City TECS Smart Home Facility

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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