Psychology News and Research

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

The impact of third hand smoke on risk for genetic mutations wins Addiction Science Award

A resourceful study into the effect of third hand smoke upon the risk for genetic mutations in fruit flies won the top Addiction Science Award at this year's Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), the world's largest science competition for high school students.

18 May 2009

Teens risky sexual behaviour makes dads up the care level

American researchers say when it comes to a teenager's risky sexual behaviour mothers deal with it differently to fathers and a father's usual response is to up the level of supervision and monitoring of their children.

15 May 2009

Endorphins, personality, and inheritance

A new article published in Elsevier's journal Bioscience Hypotheses suggests that our feelings in our lifetime can affect our children.

14 May 2009

Negative mood-related drinking may mean vulnerability for major depression and alcohol dependence

Major depression (MD) and alcohol dependence (AD) co-occur in individuals and within families at higher rates than expected by chance. This study looked at how mood-related drinking motives may explain the overlapping familial risk for MD and AD. Findings suggest that individuals with strong mood-related drinking motives, especially those based on negative feelings, may be vulnerable to developing both MD and AD.

12 May 2009

Ability to problem solve influenced by your movement

Swinging their arms helped participants in a new study solve a problem whose solution involved swinging strings, researchers report, demonstrating that the brain can use bodily cues to help understand and solve complex problems

12 May 2009

Research shows right from the beginning babies are active learners

A new study from Northwestern University shows what many mothers already know: their babies are a lot smarter than others may realize.

6 May 2009

Children's early reading experience critical to development of lifelong reading skills

The study addresses a 20-year riddle: When researchers investigate reading behaviour in children they find different patterns. Some researchers have found children's reading mimics that of adults, but others have seen a different pattern of reading behaviour.

6 May 2009

Study looks at parent-child relationships

The majority of parents and adult children experience some tension and aggravation with one another, a new study says.

5 May 2009

Children bullied at school more likely to develop psychotic-like symptoms

Children who are bullied at school over several years are up to four times more likely to develop psychotic-like symptoms by the time they reach early adolescence.

4 May 2009

Helping children and teens cope with fear and uncertainty of swine flu

Children and teens need their parents help in coping with fear and uncertainty as 2009 H1NI virus (swine influenza A) spreads amid intense media coverage and school closings.

4 May 2009

Psyched out by stereotypes: IU research suggests thinking about the positive

In a new study, cognitive scientists have shown that when aware of both a negative and positive stereotype related to performance, women will identify more closely with the positive stereotype, avoiding the harmful impact the negative stereotype unwittingly can have on their performance.

4 May 2009

Extremely shy? - help is at hand

Help is at hand for those who suffer from extreme shyness. Shyness in its extreme form can have a huge impact on peoples' lives because it results in an avoidance of the usual common social situations, such as meeting new people or going on a date, and can also have an impact on work situations.

30 Apr 2009

CDH10 gene found to play a critical role in prenatal risk of autism

UCLA scientists, in partnership with 30 research institutions across the country, have identified a new gene variant that is highly common in autistic children.

30 Apr 2009

People with better cognitive skills make wiser economic choices

People with higher measures of cognitive ability are more likely to make good choices in several different types of economic decisions, according to a new study with researchers from the University of Minnesota's Twin Cities and Morris campuses.

30 Apr 2009

Conscientiousness is a good thing in a mate

This is the first large-scale analysis of what the authors call the "compensatory conscientiousness effect," the boost in health reported by those with conscientious spouses or romantic partners. The study appears this month in Psychological Science .

30 Apr 2009

Young children think gender-related behavior is inborn

Young children think about gender in the same way they think about species of animals.

30 Apr 2009

Why are some young victims of domestic violence resilient?

More than 10 million U.S. children witness domestic violence yearly, resulting in a range of emotional and behavioral problems.

30 Apr 2009

Seniors in UK not getting their fruit and vegetables

Dr Katherine Appleton from the School of Psychology at Queen's University Belfast conducted the research on behalf of CAP.

29 Apr 2009

Many Black teens consider themselves victims of racial discrimination

A three-year study of African American youths' perceptions of racial discrimination has found that many Black teens consider themselves victims of racial discrimination, and these perceptions are linked to how they feel about being Black, particularly their views of how the broader society sees African Americans.

29 Apr 2009