Psychology News and Research

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

New research shows that time-based intervention can improve self-control

A study conducted by researchers at Kansas State University is the first to demonstrate increases in both self-control and timing precision as a result of a time-based intervention. This new research may be an important clue for developing behavioral approaches to treat disorders like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, substance abuse and obesity.

5 Feb 2015

Study could lead to potential drug treatment for fighting addiction

A research team led by the University of Colorado Boulder has discovered a mechanism in the brain that is key to making cocaine seem pleasurable, a finding that could lead to a drug treatment for fighting addiction.

5 Feb 2015

Johns Hopkins student wins NCRC's 2015 Grand Prize

The National Collegiate Research Conference sponsored by the Harvard College Undergraduate Research Association awarded its 2015 Grand Prize to Mahima Sukumar, an undergraduate student at The Johns Hopkins University, working in the lab of Keri Martinowich, Ph.D., at the Lieber Institute for Brain Development.

5 Feb 2015

Brain scans can predict therapeutic responses to talk therapy

UNC School of Medicine researchers have shown that brain scans can predict which patients with clinical depression are most likely to benefit from a specific kind of talk therapy.

4 Feb 2015

Researchers identify a common pattern across different psychiatric disorders

In a study analyzing whole-brain images from nearly 16,000 people, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine identified a common pattern across a spectrum of psychiatric disorders that are widely perceived to be quite distinct.

4 Feb 2015

News study finds association between chronic fatigue syndrome and early menopause

A newfound link between chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and early menopause was reported online today in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society.

4 Feb 2015

Transgender children live in alignment with their gender identity

A visible and growing number of transgender children in North America live in alignment with their gender identity rather than their natal sex, yet scientific research has largely ignored them. No longer, says Nicholas Eaton, PhD, an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Stony Brook University. Dr. Eaton and his colleagues at the TransYouth Project have started the first large-scale, national study of socially-supported transgender kids.

4 Feb 2015

Study: Simple strategies can lead to significant improvements in one-year-olds at risk for ASD

A new study by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers finds that a collection of simple strategies used by parents can lead to significant improvements in one-year-olds at risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

4 Feb 2015

Men and women find their social signals misinterpreted by opposite sex

Imagine the following scenario: a woman and a man are having a conversation. She is interested in the conversation, and is friendly, smiling and warm. He interprets her behavior as sexual interest.

2 Feb 2015

Study: Teens who perceive themselves as overweight are at greater risk of obesity as adults

Teens who mistakenly perceive themselves as overweight are actually at greater risk of obesity as adults, according to research findings forthcoming in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

2 Feb 2015

Study reveals effects of internet, mobile and video games on young students

A study conducted by researchers at the UAB, the Catalan Institute of Health and the FPCEE Blanquerna (Ramon Llull University), and which included the methodological support of the Institute for Primary Healthcare Research (IDIAP Jordi Gol), has analysed the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) by secondary school students, by using a sample of 5,538 students from the Vallès Occidental region of Catalonia.

31 Jan 2015

Study explores gender identity in transgender children

A study with 32 transgender children, ages 5 to 12, indicates that the gender identity of these children is deeply held and is not the result of confusion about gender identity or pretense.

31 Jan 2015

Simple living requires a lot of patience and a good amount of physical work

Simple living is not really that simple—but results from a recent unpublished study at University of the Sciences indicate that reducing the clutter and narrowing one's possessions, activities, and thoughts can play a key role in boosting their mental and physical health.

31 Jan 2015

Researchers receive $2.2M grant to study links between depression and cardiovascular disease in HIV patients

Jesse Stewart, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology in the School of Science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, and two colleagues have received a $2.2 million National Institutes of Health grant to investigate the links between depression, depression treatment and cardiovascular disease in adults with HIV.

29 Jan 2015

Negative stereotyping affects memory and cognitive performance of older people

The most comprehensive analysis to date of research on the effect of negative stereotypes on older people's abilities has concluded that these stereotypes create a significant problem for that demographic.

29 Jan 2015

Finding could improve treatment, diagnosis of common reading disorders

A neuroimaging study by a University at Buffalo psychologist suggests that phonics, a method of learning to read using knowledge of word sounds, shouldn't be overlooked in favor of a whole-language technique that focuses on visually memorizing word patterns, a finding that could help improve treatment and diagnosis of common reading disorders such as dyslexia.

29 Jan 2015

Improving prefrontal cortex activity could help autistic people regulate emotions

Tantrums, irritability, self-injury, depression, anxiety. These symptoms are associated with autism, but they're not considered core symptoms of the disorder. Researchers from the UNC School of Medicine are challenging this assertion. They have used functional MRI to show that - when it comes to the ability to regulate emotions - brain activity in autistic people is significantly different than brain activity in people without autism.

28 Jan 2015

Flexible work hours may help curb sleep deficiency

Giving employees more control over their work schedules may help curb sleep deficiency, according to health researchers.

27 Jan 2015

Large numbers of boys suffer from cognitive disabilities linked to lead than girls

A study recently published in the Journal of Environmental Health provides evidence the female hormones estrogen and estradiol may help ward off the effects of lead exposure for young girls, explaining why boys, in greater numbers than girls, are shown to suffer from the cognitive disabilities linked to lead.

24 Jan 2015

International study identifies genetic factors that influence the size of brain structures

An international study, which included researchers from NUI Galway, has identified significant genetic factors that influence the size of structures within the brain. It is hoped these new insights may help scientists better understand disorders such as schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease and epilepsy.

23 Jan 2015