Psychology News and Research

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

Nearly 50% of children with autism elope

Today, the Interactive Autism Network (IAN), www.ianproject.org, the nation's largest online autism research project, reveals the preliminary results of the first major survey on wandering and elopement among individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and announces the launch of a new research survey on the association between pregnancy factors and ASD.

21 Apr 2011

Four new Research Units established by the German Research Foundation

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) establishes four new Research Units. This decision has just been made by the Senate of the DFG at its meeting in Bonn in April. In Research Units, outstanding researchers work together on a current research topic, often at different locations and across disciplines.

21 Apr 2011

Abuse during childhood substantially increases risk of depression in adolescence

Queen's University professor Kate Harkness has found that a history of physical, sexual or emotional abuse in childhood substantially increases the risk of depression in adolescence by altering a person's neuroendocrine response to stress.

21 Apr 2011

Military personnel with TBI should receive adequate protein and calories immediately after trauma

To help alleviate the effects of severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), the U.S. Department of Defense should ensure that all military personnel with this type of injury receive adequate protein and calories immediately after the trauma and through the first two weeks of treatment, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine.

21 Apr 2011

Early musical study may provide cognitive benefits as we age

Those childhood music lessons could pay off decades later - even for those who no longer play an instrument - by keeping the mind sharper as people age, according to a preliminary study published by the American Psychological Association.

21 Apr 2011

IAN survey reveals preliminary results on wandering and elopement in ASD children

Almost one year after National Autism Association urged the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee to address the absence of critical research on autism-related wandering incidents and fatalities, the Interactive Autism Network, the nation's largest online autism research project, revealed the preliminary results of the first major survey on wandering and elopement among individuals with autism spectrum disorders.

21 Apr 2011

Number of stressful events experienced during pregnancy linked to child behaviour outcomes

Research from Perth's Telethon Institute for Child Health Research has found a link between the number of stressful events experienced during pregnancy and increased risk of behavioural problems in children.

21 Apr 2011

New survey: Breastfeeding mothers show greater response to their infant's cry

A new study from The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry finds that mothers who feed their babies breast milk exclusively, as opposed to formula, are more likely to bond emotionally with their child during the first few months after delivery.

21 Apr 2011

IPSY programme leads children to say 'no' to cigarettes and alcohol

Their numbers are rising, but their age is dropping: children and young adults who drink so much that they have to go to the hospital. Binge-drinking is sadly fashionable amongst the under 20-year-olds. But how can adolescents be effectively protected from alcohol and substance abuse?

20 Apr 2011

Consumers decide to use mail-in genetic tests based on rational and emotional reasons

Consumers decide whether to use mail-in genetic tests based on both rational and emotional reasons, a finding that adds to a growing body of health-care behavior research on information seeking and avoidance, according to researchers at the University of California, Riverside.

20 Apr 2011

Flexibility of the brain can predict learning capability

An international team of scientists has developed a way to predict how much a person can learn, based on studies at UC Santa Barbara's Brain Imaging Center.

20 Apr 2011

Why we 'lust for blood'

We are fascinated with the lurid details of sensational murder trials. Horror fiction and slasher movies thrill us-the gorier the better. When we drive by the scene of an accident, we're compelled to slow down. And it's no secret that brutal video games are solid moneymakers. Why do we thirst for the frighteningly grotesque? In The "LUST FOR BLOOD: WHY WE ARE FASCINATED BY DEATH, MURDER, HORROR, AND VIOLENCE" veteran psychologist Jeffrey A. Kottler explains our dark desire for guts, gore, and the gruesome.

20 Apr 2011

Sustained participation of older people can prevent falls in care home and hospital settings

New research has indicated that more should be done to involve older people with interventions to prevent falls in care home and hospital settings.

20 Apr 2011

State roundup: Michigan tries new strategy on high risk pools

Michigan today announced a new effort to sign up the chronically uninsured onto health plans after the state's first attempt did not attract enough customers.

20 Apr 2011

A cluttered brain doesn't remember

Lapses in memory occur more frequently with age, yet the reasons for this increasing forgetfulness have not always been clear. According to new research from Concordia University, older individuals have reduced learning and memory because their minds tend to be cluttered with irrelevant information when performing tasks.

20 Apr 2011

Offensive editorial leads to resignation of the president-elect of the American College of Surgeons

The president-elect of the American College of Surgeons had to resign from his position Sunday after weeks of controversy surrounding a Valentine’s Day editorial he wrote speaking of the mood-enhancing effects of semen on women during unprotected sex.

20 Apr 2011

'The Invisible Gorilla' test for inattention blindness

University of Utah psychologists have learned why many people experience "inattention blindness" - the phenomenon that leaves drivers on cell phones prone to traffic accidents and makes a gorilla invisible to viewers of a famous video.

18 Apr 2011

Weight loss and memory improvement: Link found

A new study shows that there is a link between weight loss, and improved memory in patients. The study was led by John Gunstad, assistant professor of psychology at Kent State University and focused on roughly 150 overweight patients.

17 Apr 2011

Person's inability to understand sarcasm and lies can be a warning sign of dementia

By asking a group of older adults to analyze videos of other people conversing -- some talking truthfully, some insincerely -- a group of scientists at the University of California, San Francisco has determined which areas of the brain govern a person's ability to detect sarcasm and lies.

16 Apr 2011

Evidence backing effectiveness of community-wide programs is poor, says new review

Programs that encourage communities to get more active are one strategy for stemming the global tide of obesity. Yet, a new review of studies says the evidence backing the effectiveness of these programs is poor.

16 Apr 2011

Psychology News and Research

Further Reading

Nearly 50% of children with autism elope

Four new Research Units established by the German Research Foundation

Abuse during childhood substantially increases risk of depression in adolescence

Military personnel with TBI should receive adequate protein and calories immediately after trauma

Early musical study may provide cognitive benefits as we age

IAN survey reveals preliminary results on wandering and elopement in ASD children

Number of stressful events experienced during pregnancy linked to child behaviour outcomes

New survey: Breastfeeding mothers show greater response to their infant's cry

IPSY programme leads children to say 'no' to cigarettes and alcohol

Consumers decide to use mail-in genetic tests based on rational and emotional reasons

Flexibility of the brain can predict learning capability

Why we 'lust for blood'

Sustained participation of older people can prevent falls in care home and hospital settings

State roundup: Michigan tries new strategy on high risk pools

A cluttered brain doesn't remember

Offensive editorial leads to resignation of the president-elect of the American College of Surgeons

'The Invisible Gorilla' test for inattention blindness

Weight loss and memory improvement: Link found

Person's inability to understand sarcasm and lies can be a warning sign of dementia

Evidence backing effectiveness of community-wide programs is poor, says new review

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

From Puberty to Menopause: Clue’s CEO, Audrey Tsang on the Power of Femtech

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