Psychology News and Research

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

First Edition: October 11, 2011

Today's headlines include reports about how Mitt Romney taking heat from the other GOP hopefuls, with some of the fire focusing on his Massachusetts health overhaul.

11 Oct 2011

Study: Physical and socioeconomic attractiveness

A new study reveals what many may have suspected to be true. Overweight men might be attractive to good-looking women as long as they are financially stable.

10 Oct 2011

Study reveals neuronal networks behind self-control

Civilized human cohabitation requires us to respect elementary social norms. We guarantee compliance with these norms with our willingness to punish norm violations - often even at our own expense. This behavior goes against our own economic self-interest and requires us to control our egoistic impulses.

7 Oct 2011

Scientists discover two HIV variants in cerebrospinal fluid of HAD patients

When the virus that causes AIDS infects the central nervous system, it can lead to the development of a severe neurological disease called HIV- associated dementia.

7 Oct 2011

Teenage problem drinking could be detected on Facebook

A new study suggests that college students’ Facebook pages might hold clues to which of them are at risk for alcohol dependence and abuse.

4 Oct 2011

Communities That Care system decreases alcohol use, smoking and violence in teens

Delaying the age when kids try alcohol or smoking decreases the likelihood that they will become dependent later in life. Effective interventions exist, but community disagreements about which programs to try can stymie decisions.

4 Oct 2011

Familiarity with snack foods changes children's expectations about fullness

New research, led by psychologists at the University of Bristol, has found that children who are familiar with a snack food will expect it to be more filling.

4 Oct 2011

TAU researcher implants robotic cerebellum to repair motor function

With new cutting-edge technology aimed at providing amputees with robotic limbs, a Tel Aviv University researcher has successfully implanted a robotic cerebellum into the skull of a rodent with brain damage, restoring its capacity for movement.

4 Oct 2011

Despite increase in cases, awareness of male breast cancer is low

Awareness of male breast cancer is low and most men do not even know they are at risk despite an increase in cases, reveals new research from the University of Leeds.

3 Oct 2011

Three Georgia Tech projects to receive NSF's EFRI grants

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded $6 million to fund three projects involving researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Each four-year, $2 million grant was awarded through the NSF's Division of Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation.

30 Sep 2011

Gallup, Healthways reveal new data on chronic disease burden of UK

Gallup, the global polling organization, and Healthways, the worldwide leader in well-being improvement, today jointly revealed new data showing that chronic conditions, such as obesity, diabetes and cancer are costing the UK economy 21.6 billion pounds a year in lost productivity.

29 Sep 2011

Intensive therapy at early ages improves social-communication skills in children with ASD

A primary characteristic of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is impairments in social-communication skills. Children and adolescents with social-communication problems face difficulty understanding, interacting and relating with others. University of Missouri researchers found that children who receive more intensive therapy to combat these impairments, especially at early ages, achieve the best outcomes.

29 Sep 2011

New report explores early centre-based childcare

What type of childcare arrangements do parents choose before their children are 18 months old? Does the choice of childcare affect children's language skills and mental health at the age of five? These are some of the questions that are explored in a new report prepared by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health as part of a collaborative project with the Ministry of Education and Research. The report indicates that there is no evidence that early centre-based childcare is harmful for most children.

28 Sep 2011

UCSF neuroscientist wins PECASE award for research into addiction

Linda Wilbrecht, PhD, a neuroscientist at the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), is one of 94 researchers named today by President Obama as a recipient of the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).

28 Sep 2011