Psychology News and Research

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

Chronic jet lag alters brain's intricate role in memory processing

Chronic jet lag alters the brain in ways that cause memory and learning problems long after one's return to a regular 24-hour schedule, according to research by University of California, Berkeley, psychologists.

25 Nov 2010

Association for Psychological Science journal presents new research

Adults with insecure attachment styles may have difficulties regulating emotions and this may put them at an increased risk for mental health problems. Volunteers underwent fMRI scans while performing an emotion-word Stroop task. Participants with tendencies towards insecure attachment demonstrated more activity in the right orbitofrontal cortex and superior frontal gyrus for unpleasant words, suggesting that insecure attachment may involve intense reactions to negative words.

24 Nov 2010

Pathological gamblers more likely to commit suicide

Pathological gamblers are risking more than their money, they are also three times more likely to commit suicide than non-betters. A new Montreal inter-university study has shown these gamblers are also plagued by personality disorders. These findings, published in a recent issue of the Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, may have implications for developing improved targeted suicide prevention programs.

24 Nov 2010

Children cannot accurately judge speed of vehicles travelling faster than 20 mph, reveals study

To coincide with Road Safety Week (22-28 November) new research is published today (23 November) revealing primary school children cannot accurately judge the speed of vehicles travelling faster than 20mph.

23 Nov 2010

New method to reverse age-related decline in vision

Elderly adults can improve their vision with perceptual training, according to a study from the University of California, Riverside and Boston University that has implications for the health and mobility of senior citizens.

23 Nov 2010

First African tapped as new head of U.N. population fund

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced on Friday that former Nigerian Health Minister Babatunde Osotimehin has been appointed to head to head the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA), the U.K. Press Association reports.

22 Nov 2010

Australian university students a ‘stressed out’ bunch: Study

According to the latest findings the rates of serious mental illness are more than five times higher among university students than in the general population. The study conducted by researchers at University of Queensland was published in the latest issue of Australian Psychologist. It also found that rate of pyschological distress among university students is almost three times higher than in the general population.

22 Nov 2010

University of Leicester holds first Doctoral Inaugural Lectures

The University of Leicester Graduate School is holding the first Doctoral Inaugural Lectures of the year on Wednesday, 24 November.

20 Nov 2010

New treatment model to incorporate systematic depression screening at primary care visits

A treatment model designed to accommodate the beliefs and concerns of Chinese immigrants appears to significantly improve the recognition and treatment of major depression in this typically underserved group

20 Nov 2010

Ontario Brain Institute initiates new venture to help people with neurological disorders

Ontario took a major step to help the one million people in the province with neurological disorders and the 2.6 million Ontarians who will be affected by a neurological condition in their lifetime.

20 Nov 2010

NJISA experts to discuss science, impact and current state of Alzheimer's disease in America

The New Jersey Institute for Successful Aging (NJISA) at the UMDNJ-School of Osteopathic Medicine, one of the country's leading providers of geriatric care, research and education, is making experts available who can discuss the science, impact and current state of Alzheimer's disease in America.

20 Nov 2010

SAGE and Division 35 to publish Psychology of Women Quarterly

SAGE has partnered with Division 35 of the American Psychological Association (APA) to publish Psychology of Women Quarterly (PWQ), the official journal of the Society for the Psychology of Women.

19 Nov 2010

New findings show promising treatment for MS

Successfully treating and reversing the effects of multiple sclerosis, or MS, may one day be possible using a drug originally developed to treat chronic pain, according to Distinguished Professor Linda Watkins of the University of Colorado at Boulder.

19 Nov 2010

Women prefer diet advice from women: Study

A new study shows that women do not pay heed to diet advice from men. The study conducted by the Australian National University (ANU) suggests women are more inclined to listen and change their behaviour if the speaker is also female.

18 Nov 2010

Negative stereotype about women leads to gender differences in financial decision making

Last year Nicholas Kristof declared in his New York Times column what banks need to fix their problems: Not just a bailout, but also "women, women, and women." Women are generally thought to be less willing to take risks than men, so he speculated that the banks could balance out risky men by employing more women. Stereotypes like this about women actually influence how women make financial decisions, making them more wary of risk, according to a new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

18 Nov 2010

Neural differences may help explain prevalence of mental disorders in boys

Many mental health disorders, such as autism and schizophrenia, produce changes in social behavior or interactions. The frequency and/or severity of these disorders is substantially greater in boys than girls, but the biological basis for this difference between the two sexes is unknown.

18 Nov 2010

Researchers use brain images to identify neural signature of achieving 'positive emotional attractor'

Effective coaching can lead to smoothly functioning organizations, better productivity and potentially more profit. In classrooms, better student performance can occur. Doctors or nurses can connect more with patients. So, doing coaching right would seem to be a natural goal, and it has been a major topic of research at Case Western Reserve University's Weatherhead School of Management since 1990.

18 Nov 2010

History of child abuse linked to alcohol abuse in women

Women who suffered sexual or physical abuse as children are more likely to abuse alcohol than are others, according to a new study of 3,680 women.

18 Nov 2010

Dim light at night linked to depression

Exposure to even dim light at night is enough to cause physical changes in the brains of hamsters that may be associated with depression, a new study shows.

18 Nov 2010

Special glasses to spot people at risk for PTSD

Around 30 percent of people surviving a traumatic event, such as a serious car crash, will go on to develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Doctors don't know who is susceptible and treating people who don't have PTSD can make things worse. However, new research by psychologist Dr Peter Naish, of the Open University, and his colleague Dr Ksenja da Silva, may help.

18 Nov 2010