Psychology News and Research

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

Study: Rash adolescent behaviors tied to biological motivations

There are biological motivations behind the stereotypically poor decisions and risky behavior associated with adolescence, new research from a University of Texas at Austin psychologist reveals.

4 Jun 2010

20% of returning war veterans report PTSD or major depression

This past Memorial Day honored those Americans who have died in military service including over 4,000 in Iraq and 1,000 fallen soldiers in Afghanistan. According to the latest Pentagon study, released in April this year, nearly 20 percent—or one in five returning war veterans—reported symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or major depression. The study also reports that approximately half of them sought treatment.

4 Jun 2010

American Cancer Society and NPCRC award $1.8M for palliative care research

The American Cancer Society and the National Palliative Care Research Center (NPCRC) are awarding $1.8 million in research grants to researchers at 12 institutions for studies aimed at reducing suffering for seriously ill patients and their family caregivers. The studies will be conducted over the next two years. Since 2007, a collaborative effort by the organizations has awarded 51 grants totaling almost $7 million.

4 Jun 2010

Nutrient found in maternal diet provide lasting cognitive, emotional benefits to people with Down syndrome: Study

A nutrient found in egg yolks, liver and cauliflower taken by mothers during pregnancy and nursing may offer lifelong "dramatic" health benefits to people with Down syndrome.

4 Jun 2010

AstraZeneca receives 2010 EcoLeadership Award for second consecutive year

AstraZeneca announced today it has received the 2010 EcoLeadership Award by the Alliance for Workplace Excellence for the second consecutive year. The EcoLeadership Award recognizes companies that demonstrate their commitment to environmental sustainability practices such as energy efficiency, waste minimization and water conservation.

2 Jun 2010

Intimate partners can have important influence on another's substance use: Study

A new study of young people in the two years after high school finds that those in romantic relationships are less likely than their peers to report heavy drinking and marijuana use.

2 Jun 2010

Majority of poker players use performance enhancing drugs: Study

A Nova Southeastern University study recently presented at a national conference found that 80 percent of poker players around the world reported using drugs and other substances to enhance their performance in poker.

2 Jun 2010

Cognitive ability makes the difference in decision-making

Just because your mother has turned 85, you shouldn't assume you'll have to take over her financial matters. She may be just as good or better than you at making quick, sound, money-making decisions, according to researchers at Duke University.

2 Jun 2010

Study finds largest declines in impulsivity and decreases in alcohol consumption among 18-to-25-year olds

Personality traits associated with impulsivity normally decrease during emerging and young adulthood, and these decreases are associated with reduced substance use. A new study of "trajectories" of impulsivity and their association with problem alcohol use has found that the 18-to-25-years-of-age group exhibited the largest declines in impulsivity as well as the sharpest decreases in alcohol consumption.

1 Jun 2010

Risky alcohol-related traffic behaviors among college students continue to be major public-health concern

Alcohol-impaired driving and associated motor-vehicle accidents are a major public-health problem. National studies have shown that approximately 25 percent of college students report that they have driven while intoxicated in the past month, and an even greater percentage report having driven after having any amount of alcohol and/or ridden with a driver believed intoxicated.

1 Jun 2010

Epilepsy surgery ends seizures and prevents further deterioration in memory

Patients with drug-resistant epilepsy run the risk of gradual deterioration in their cognitive abilities. Surgical treatment generally puts an end to seizures but can have a negative effect on memory. However, there is no further deterioration in memory, and some patients may even recover some of their memory capacity, reveals a thesis from the University of Gothenburg.

31 May 2010

Researchers identify gene responsible for Meckel-Gruber and Joubert syndromes

An international group of researchers has identified the genetic cause of an inherited condition that causes severe foetal abnormalities.

31 May 2010

The Extra Gear founder earns distinction of Certified Consultant

Dana Blackmer, Ph.D., a resident of Richmond, has become one of the region's only professionals to earn the distinction of Certified Consultant by the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, the leading organization of sport and exercise psychology.

29 May 2010

Advances in cancer care help people diagnosed with cancer survive the disease

Ed Gardella, a police officer for 31 years, thought he was pretty tough. But then the 70-year old Worcester, Mass. resident was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. "You never forget that moment, where you were that moment you were told you have cancer," said Gardella. "I never thought I was a particularly brave man, nor did I think I was a coward. I was a police officer, a chief of police, but this disease brings everyone to their knees — no one is tougher than cancer."

29 May 2010

University of Montreal research on hyper-masculinity and driving

"Catch that car!," was the instruction given to 22 men sitting in a driving simulator. The more "macho" the man, the more risks he took on the road, according to a study by Julie Langlois, a graduate student at the University of Montreal Department of Psychology, who presented her findings at the annual conference of the Association francophone pour le savoir.

27 May 2010

UCSF research shows brief exercise buffers the effects of stress-induced cell aging

Exercise can buffer the effects of stress-induced cell aging, according to new research from UCSF that revealed actual benefits of physical activity at the cellular level.

27 May 2010

Obesity is a risk factor for depressive symptoms

Researchers, led by Kerri Boutelle, PhD, associate professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have found that obesity is a risk factor for depressive symptoms, but not for clinical depression, suggesting that weight status could play a part in the development of depression in some adolescent girls.

25 May 2010

Advances in health IT

The New York Times: A "broad transformation in health care underway" is "fueled in good part by technology" that "promises to shift a lot of the diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of disease from hospitals and specialized clinics, where treatment is expensive, to primary care physicians and patients themselves — at far less cost."

25 May 2010

Researchers develop new therapy for psychological treatment of patients suffering from fibromyalgia

Researchers of the Labpsictec at the Universitat Jaume I of Castellon and the LahHuman Group at the Universidad Politecnica of Valencia and the University of Valencia have developed a new therapy based on the use of mobile devices and virtual reality for the psychological treatment of patients suffering from fibromyalgia.

24 May 2010

Researchers receive NIH grant to study speech and language development in bilingual children

University of Texas at Austin researchers have received a $3.3 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to conduct a five-year study of speech and language development in bilingual children who speak English and Spanish, comparing those whose language skills are delayed with those who have no delays.

21 May 2010