Psychology News and Research

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

Allergan announces U.S. availability of SAPHRIS 2.5 mg tablets for children with bipolar I disorder

Allergan plc today announced that SAPHRIS (asenapine) 2.5 mg sublingual (placed under the tongue) black-cherry flavored tablets are available in pharmacies throughout the U.S. In March 2015, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved SAPHRIS for the acute treatment of manic or mixed episodes associated with bipolar I disorder in pediatric patients (ages 10 – 17).

17 Jul 2015

Study finds no meaningful association between birth order and personality or IQ

For those who believe that birth order influences traits like personality and intelligence, a study of 377,000 high school students offers some good news: Yes, the study found, first-borns do have higher IQs and consistently different personality traits than those born later in the family chronology. However, researchers say, the differences between first-borns and "later-borns" are so small that they have no practical relevance to people's lives.

17 Jul 2015

Cognitive training can help reduce civilian shooting casualties

Although firing a gun seems like one action, it is made up of many smaller decisions and movements that require coordination between multiple brain areas. The sudden decision to not shoot, called 'response inhibition,' is critical when someone innocent comes into the line of fire. That is what soldiers in war experience when they're about to pull the trigger and then realize that their target is a civilian or an ally. Or when a law enforcement officer realizes that a person they thought was armed and dangerous is actually an innocent bystander.

17 Jul 2015

Eating habits linked to faster weight gain in children

Some children gain weight faster than others. Eating habits seem to have far more to say than physical activity, research from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology suggests.

16 Jul 2015

New research may explain why youngsters' recovery times vary widely after traumatic brain injury

Why do some youngsters bounce back quickly from a traumatic brain injury, while others suffer devastating side effects for years? New UCLA/USC research suggests that damage to the fatty sheaths around the brain's nerve fibers--not injury severity-- may explain the difference. Published in the July 15 edition of the Journal of Neuroscience, the finding identifies possible biomarkers that physicians could use to predict higher-risk patients who require closer monitoring.

15 Jul 2015

New study finds that intellectual pursuits can buffer the brain's reward system against drug dependence

Challenging the idea that addiction is hardwired in the brain, a new UC Berkeley study of mice suggests that even a short time spent in a stimulating learning environment can rewire the brain's reward system and buffer it against drug dependence.

15 Jul 2015

Researchers examine limits of human hearing

Are wind farms harmful to humans? Some believe so, others refute this; this controversial topic makes emotions run high. To give the debate more objectivity, an international team of experts dealt with the fundamentals of hearing in the lower limit range of the audible frequency range (i.e. infrasound), but also in the upper limit range (i.e. ultrasound).

13 Jul 2015

Study examines how location, height and traffic flow dictate pedestrian choices

Death rates due to health problems like obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease are on the rise. According to the World Health Organization, that's due to our increasingly sedentary lifestyles.

12 Jul 2015

Individual blame messages perpetuate structural racial inequalities

A recent CDC report calls into question the widely reported belief that Black fathers are more absent in their children's lives than White fathers - showing that while more Black fathers live apart from their children, they are just as involved with their children as members of other racial groups in the same living situations.

9 Jul 2015

Lack of education linked to more number of deaths

A new study by researchers at the University of Colorado, New York University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill estimates the number of deaths that can be linked to differences in education, and finds that variation in the risk of death across education levels has widened considerably.

9 Jul 2015

Researchers find way to measure the aging process in young adults

An international research team from the US, UK, Israel and New Zealand has found a way to measure the aging process in young adults -- a younger population than is usually tested in aging studies.

9 Jul 2015

Research examines reasons behind variation in prescription practices of antidepressants across Europe

Public attitudes towards mental illness and levels of healthcare spending may explain the huge variation in antidepressant use across Europe, according to a new study by researchers from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King's College London.

9 Jul 2015

New research shows that pupil response can predict child's risk of depression

How much a child's pupil dilates in response to seeing an emotional image can predict his or her risk of depression over the next two years, according to new research from Binghamton University.

8 Jul 2015

Chapman University research explores role of friendship

In the most inclusive study to date on friendship, Chapman University research looks at gender, age, and sexual orientation differences in the number of friends people rely on for support, to what extent they choose friends of the same gender, and overall life satisfaction.

8 Jul 2015

Georgia State University-led study identifies structural brain abnormalities in schizophrenia patients

Structural brain abnormalities in patients with schizophrenia, providing insight into how the condition may develop and respond to treatment, have been identified in an internationally collaborative study led by a Georgia State University scientist.

7 Jul 2015

People who use anabolic steroids to improve sporting performance experience memory issues

People using anabolic steroids to improve muscle growth and sporting performance are far more likely to experience issues with their memory, according to new research from Northumbria University.

7 Jul 2015

Study explores link between medical marijuana ads and youth behavior

Adolescents who saw advertising for medical marijuana were more likely to either report using marijuana or say they planned to use the substance in the future, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

7 Jul 2015

UF researchers develop smart mouth guard to detect teeth grinding

Researchers at the University of Florida have developed a smart mouth guard equipped with sensors that allow it to detect if you're grinding your teeth, tell your dentist and even help you stop doing it.

3 Jul 2015

Poor sleep habits negatively affect self-control

Poor sleep habits can have a negative effect on self-control, which presents risks to individuals' personal and professional lives, according to Clemson University researchers.

3 Jul 2015

Cortisol study may explain persistence of emotional memories occurring in anxiety, PTSD

The stress hormone cortisol strengthens memories of scary experiences. However, it is effective not only while the memory is being formed for the first time, but also later when people look back at an experience while the memory reconsolidates. This has been published by cognition psychologists from the Ruhr-Universität Bochum in the journal "Neuropsychopharmacology".

2 Jul 2015