Psychology News and Research

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

New insights into how the brain processes social, economic reward

Researchers have mapped the brain regions that process social standing and money rewards, yielding new insights that they said will aid understanding of the basis of social behaviors.

23 Apr 2008

An assessment of fixed-capacity models of visual working memory

A mind is a terrible thing to waste, but humans may have even less to work with than previously thought. University of Missouri researchers found that the average person can keep just three or four things in their "working memory" or conscious mind at one time. This finding may lead to better ways to assess and help people with attention-deficit and focus difficulties, improve classroom performance and enhance test scores.

23 Apr 2008

Link found between relational victimization in adolescence and depression and anxiety in early adulthood

Spreading rumors and gossiping may not cause bruises or black eyes, but the psychological consequences of this social type of bullying could linger into early adulthood, a new University of Florida study shows.

22 Apr 2008

65% of women in U.S. have eating disorders

Sixty-five percent of American women between the ages of 25 and 45 report having disordered eating behaviors, according to the results of a new survey by SELF Magazine in partnership with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

22 Apr 2008

Brain may be hard-wired to treat fairness as a reward

The human brain responds to being treated fairly the same way it responds to winning money and eating chocolate, UCLA scientists report. Being treated fairly turns on the brain's reward circuitry.

21 Apr 2008

Is there convincing biological or behavioral evidence linking vitamin D deficiency to brain dysfunction?

In a definitive critical review, scientists at Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland ask whether there is convincing biological or behavioral evidence linking vitamin D deficiency to brain dysfunction.

21 Apr 2008

Advocate calls on media in Ethiopia to be more sensitive when reporting on HIV/AIDS

Media outlets in Ethiopia should be more sensitive when reporting on or about people living with HIV/AIDS because some of the language used has been improper, Sonya De Masi, resident adviser at Internews Network, said on Monday during a media workshop, the Daily Monitor/AllAfrica.com reports.

18 Apr 2008

Constraint induced therapy causes increase in gray matter

A rehabilitation therapy developed by a UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham) neuroscientist produces changes in the structure of the brain, the first evidence of actual brain remodeling resulting from a rehabilitation therapy.

17 Apr 2008

Too many choices hinder productivity and can be mentally exhausting

Each day, we are bombarded with options -- at the local coffee shop, at work, in stores or on the TV at home.

15 Apr 2008

Mental health services in the bush failing

Figures released by the Australian government show that a Medicare scheme aimed at improving mental health services appears to be failing to meet its original objective.

14 Apr 2008

Young macho men with serious injuries often abuse alcohol

Men with serious injuries, such as traumatic brain injury or spinal cord injury, must deal with a range of emotions.

11 Apr 2008

Phytochemical-rich foods effective at reversing age-related deficits in memory

If you are getting forgetful as you get older, then a research team from the University of Reading and the Peninsula Medical School in the South West of England may have good news for you.

11 Apr 2008

Burn care skills shortage to be treated by UK's first specialist professional qualification

The University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust has launched the UK’s first programme specifically for practitioners in burns care - with backing from Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU).

10 Apr 2008

When it comes to emotions, eastern and western cultures see things very differently

A team of researchers from Canada, Japan and Amsterdam have uncovered some remarkable results on how eastern and western cultures assess situations very differently.

10 Apr 2008

Parents' behavior has direct impact on children's sleep

Parents who want their babies to sleep through the night would be wise to avoid co-sleeping arrangements or feeding their children evening snacks beyond early infancy.

9 Apr 2008

Negligent, attentive mouse mothers show biological differences

In mice, child neglect is a product of both nature and nurture, according to a new study.

9 Apr 2008

Irregular sleep patterns and shift work linked to organ disease

Disruption of an individual's natural sleep-wake cycle has been determined to be a contributing factor in the development of organ disease.

8 Apr 2008

Computer developed to interpret attractiveness in women

Beauty goes the old saying, "is in the eye of the beholder." But does the beholder have to be human?

7 Apr 2008

Pediatricians alerted to the developmental nature of underage drinking in special journal supplement

In a special supplement to Pediatrics, edited and sponsored by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), physicians will have access in one place to the reviews and analyses of current research on biological, behavioral, and environmental changes during childhood and adolescence that foster the initiation, maintenance, and acceleration of illegal use of alcohol by underage youth.

7 Apr 2008

Too many students depressed and anxious

A University of Queensland psychology researcher is warning that many university students are suffering from psychological problems which jeopardise their futures.

2 Apr 2008