Psychology News and Research

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

Survey finds women interested in human papillomavirus vaccination

Cost but not convenience plays a significant role in attitudes about vaccination for common human papillomaviruses for women over the age of 26, according to the authors of a recent article in the journal Sexual Health.

25 Aug 2010

MWellA online community promotes awareness on mental disorders

Mental health is a hot button issue in today's society. People worry about the safety, cost, and multiple side-effects of anti-depressants and other psychoactive medications. Everyone wants to find peace of mind, contentment and happiness, but for many this struggle can prove overwhelming. Author and world organic food movement pioneer Paul Huljich addresses this issue in a Ning community he created for his organization MWellA (Mind Wellness Awareness)

24 Aug 2010

Disaster response strategies should address needs of people with disabilities and mental disorders

As hurricane season gets into full swing, mental health teams will be ready to respond and help survivors cope with possible devastation. Psychologists have analyzed decades of research and found that disaster response strategies should address the needs of the population affected, specifically those with disabilities and mental disorders.

24 Aug 2010

GM-CSF protein reduces AD pathology, reverses memory loss: Study

A signaling protein released during rheumatoid arthritis dramatically reduced Alzheimer's disease pathology and reversed the memory impairment of mice bred to develop symptoms of the neurodegenerative disease, a new study by the University of South Florida reports. Researchers found that the protein, GM-CSF, likely stimulates the body's natural scavenger cells to attack and remove Alzheimer's amyloid deposits in the brain.

23 Aug 2010

Female sexual offenders often unrecognised and underreported

Sexual offenses committed by women, while often unrecognised and underreported, have become the subject of a new book by a University of Montreal professor. Female Sexual Offenders: Theory, Assessment and Treatment (Wiley), is the first volume of its kind to provide an overview of female-perpetrated sexual abuse, statistics on the crime, as well as treatment options for offenders.

21 Aug 2010

NSF issues award to develop techniques for analyzing children's behavior

A team led by the Georgia Institute of Technology has received a $10 million "Expeditions in Computing" award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop novel computing techniques for measuring and analyzing the behavior of children.

20 Aug 2010

Study on multisensory processing in autistic children

A new study by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University has provided concrete evidence that children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) process sensory information such as sound, touch and vision differently than typically developing children.

20 Aug 2010

Psychological scientist examines concept of identity fusion

People who are "fused" with a group-a bond even stronger than group identification-will take extreme actions to protect other group members, but not outsiders, conclude researchers in a new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. This intense bond to a group may help explain the actions of suicide bombers.

19 Aug 2010

Individuals more likely to maintain work-related personal ties after retirement: Study

The influence of traditional social structures such as neighbourhoods and local organisations has declined. The workplace has become the "new neighbourhood" and has become increasingly important for maintaining social interaction and forming relationships. A new article in Personal Relationships finds that those who retired just ten years ago, at the beginning of the 21st century, were more likely to maintain (or even gain) work-related personal ties after retirement, than were those who retired in the 1990's.

19 Aug 2010

New study finds no link between exposure to sexualized media and early onset of sexual activity

The prevalence of sex in the mainstream media has led many researchers to study its effect on impressionable adolescents. Several published, peer-reviewed studies have indicated that there is a link between exposure to sex in the media and the early onset of sexual activity among teens. However, a study led by Temple psychologist Laurence Steinberg questions these findings.

19 Aug 2010

Unavoidable breakdowns in brain connections as we age: Study

It's unavoidable: breakdowns in brain connections slow down our physical response times as we age, a new study suggests.

19 Aug 2010

Cougar myth busted

A new study shows that the phenomenon of the “cougar” where an older woman seeks a younger partner is a myth, confined to the world of celebrities. The study looked into online dating and was conducted by the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC). The study found the conventional – men looking for younger and attractive women and women looking for older and wealthier men.

18 Aug 2010

Capella University introduces new DNP degree

Capella University, an accredited online university* that has built its reputation by providing high-quality online degree programs for working adults, announced a new Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. The DNP is the preferred credential for advanced practice nurses and will be the required terminal degree for the profession by 2015.

18 Aug 2010

Aggressive children more inclined to misuse drugs

Aggressive and hyperactive boys with low parental monitoring are more likely to befriend deviant peers and become heavy drug users as teens, according to a new study published in the journal Addictive Behaviors. Yet the investigation by scientists from the Universit- de Montr-al and Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Center found that bad boys can be protected from heavy substance use as teenagers if they are highly monitored and befriend good boys as children.

18 Aug 2010

Psychological support from health visitors prevents depression after child birth: Study

The world's first ever analysis of data from a full scale clinical trial in adults shows that training Health Visitors to assess and psychologically support mothers after childbirth can prevent the development of depression over the following year.But the substantial reduction in the number of NHS health visitors was identified by researchers as a key issue for the health and well-being of mums.

18 Aug 2010

Brain connections break down as we age

It's unavoidable: breakdowns in brain connections slow down our physical response times as we age, a new study suggests.

17 Aug 2010

Humans adapt to visual search to adjust different levels of stimulus uncertainty: Study

The most beautiful thing about humans, says Indiana University researcher S. Lee Hong, is that they are both ever-changing and sometimes prone to error. Yet humans are still extremely flexible and adaptable, managing the transition from one context to another almost seamlessly. His new study demonstrates how this adaptability boils down to a zero-sum game.

17 Aug 2010

Depressive Cognition Scale questions can detect cognitive symptoms of early depression

A diagnostic test of eight short questions designed by Jaclene Zauszniewski from the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University can be used to detect depressive thinking patterns that lead to clinical depression in women who care for an adult family member with a serious mental illness.

17 Aug 2010

Springer's article wins American Psychological Association award

An article from Springer's journal Human Nature, "Fundamental dimensions of environmental risk," has been selected as the winner of the George A. Miller Award by the American Psychological Association. Accompanied by a $1,000 honorarium, the award was presented at the APA annual meeting in San Diego, CA, which took place from 12 to 15 August 2010. The lead author of the paper, Bruce Ellis, will present aspects of the paper at next year's APA meeting.

17 Aug 2010

$Study finds first clue that links childhood obesity to skeletal fractures$