Psychology News and Research

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

TV and video games can provoke violence among school students

Middle-school students are expressing their views on the key factors affecting youth violence, with more than 30 percent of them indicating that television, video games, movies and music provoke violence.

15 Dec 2009

Antidepressant and anti-anxiety medications linked to increased risk of cardiovascular events and death

Women with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) who report taking antidepressant and anti-anxiety medications have an increased risk of cardiovascular events, including heart attacks and strokes, and death compared to women not taking these medications, according to researchers at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU).

15 Dec 2009

People with periodontal disease are at high risk for diabetes, survey finds

The study, led by Dr. Shiela Strauss, Associate Professor of Nursing and Co-Director of the Statistics and Data Management Core for NYU's Colleges of Dentistry and Nursing, examined data from 2,923 adult participants in the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey who had not been diagnosed with diabetes.

15 Dec 2009

Brain plaques associated with increased risk of Alzheimer's disease

Scientists have long assumed that amyloid brain plaques found in autopsies of Alzheimer's patients are harmful and cause Alzheimer's disease. But autopsies of people with no signs of mental impairment have also revealed brain plaques, challenging this theory.

15 Dec 2009

NAMS recommends women to discuss osteoporosis with their OB/GYNs

According to a new survey distributed by The North American Menopause Society (NAMS), while 98 percent of women who participated consider bone strength to be an important health concern, nearly half (45 percent) of these women reported that osteoporosis was not addressed during their last routine OB/GYN visit, and more than a quarter (26.4 percent) of women surveyed have never discussed osteoporosis with their OB/GYN.

14 Dec 2009

Psychology professor examines factors that motivate men to go on shooting rampage

Maurice Clemmons' fatal shooting of four Washington state police officers once again put the spotlight on mass murder in the United States. Coming on the heels of the November killings at Fort Hood, the Washington case raised questions about the factors that motivate men to go on a shooting rampage.

14 Dec 2009

CAMH offers tips for holiday-related stress

The holiday season is filled with festivities and family gatherings, but for some people this season can also be very stressful. Sometimes we need help to cope or stay safe and healthy.

13 Dec 2009

University of the Rockies offers new specialization course in management and counseling

Bridgepoint Education, Inc. , a provider of post-secondary education services focused on providing higher access to higher education, announced today that University of the Rockies, a graduate school specializing in psychology programs at the master's and doctoral levels, has added a new Master of Arts specialization in Career Management and Counseling.

11 Dec 2009

Psychologists can help people deal with anxiety and depression symptoms more effectively

From Thanksgiving to New Year's, there are many wishes for everyone to have a blissful and celebratory holiday season. But for many people, the holidays bring more misery than mirth, particularly at a time when the ailing economy can't seem to recover quickly enough and money worries remain on people's minds.

10 Dec 2009

Computer-based intervention reduces anxiety and depression among people with facial disfigurement

Using Face IT - a new computer-based teaching aid that includes interactive videos - can reduce anxiety, depression and appearance concerns among people with facial disfigurement.

10 Dec 2009

Cell transplants may yield new therapies for dementia patients

Nerve cells transplanted into brain-damaged rats helped them to fully recover their ability to learn and remember, probably by promoting nurturing, protective growth factors, according to a new study.

10 Dec 2009

Social scientists say compassion is humans' strongest trait

Researchers at UC Berkeley are challenging long-held beliefs that human beings are wired to be selfish. In a wide range of studies, social scientists are amassing a growing body of evidence to show we are evolving to become more compassionate and collaborative in our quest to survive and thrive.

10 Dec 2009

Behavioral intervention can improve cognitive performance in children

Carnegie Mellon University scientists Timothy Keller and Marcel Just have uncovered the first evidence that intensive instruction to improve reading skills in young children causes the brain to physically rewire itself, creating new white matter that improves communication within the brain.

10 Dec 2009

Personality tests can predict success rate of medical students, says new study

With medical schools flooded with applications, three industrial-organizational psychologists have conducted a study to determine if giving personality tests to prospective students would enable admissions officers to better predict which applicants will be successful.

10 Dec 2009

New study focuses on chronic parental reactive negativity

Any parent knows that sometimes maintaining your cool with misbehaving children is a challenge. We all have times when we get frustrated or angry and lash out at someone without thinking. A new study by psychologists at Virginia Tech and two other universities suggests that parents with poorer working memory skills are less likely to be able to control their emotions with their children.

9 Dec 2009

Research study on breast cancer susceptibility in rats

Social isolation and stress appear to increase susceptibility to breast cancer in rats, a US study has suggested.

9 Dec 2009

Psychological trauma leaves a trail of damage in a child's brain, reveal scientists

Psychological trauma leaves a trail of damage in a child's brain, say scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. Their new study gives the first direct evidence that children with symptoms of post-traumatic stress suffer poor function of the hippocampus, a brain structure that stores and retrieves memories. The research helps explain why traumatized children behave as they do and could improve treatments for these kids.

9 Dec 2009