Psychology News and Research

RSS

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

New perspectives on risk taking in adolescence

While the government spends billions of dollars on educational and prevention programs to persuade teens not to do things like smoke, drink or do drugs, a Temple University psychologist suggests that competing systems within the brain make adolescents more susceptible to engaging in risky or dangerous behavior, and that educational interventions alone are unlikely to be effective.

15 Apr 2007

Aftermath of suicide attempts - helping families cope

When a child attempts suicide, these emotions hit families like a Mack truck. Some family members bury their feelings deep inside and refuse to accept the stark reality.

15 Apr 2007

Faster diagnosis of early-stage Alzheimer's disease

Research by faculty and staff at Rowan University, Glassboro, N.J.; the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine; and Drexel University may lead to better diagnosis of early-stage Alzheimer's disease.

15 Apr 2007

Study describes impact of post-9/11 media exposure to dreams

Dream journals being kept by students in a college psychology class have provided researchers with a unique look at how people experienced the events of 9/11, including the influence that television coverage of the World Trade Center attacks had on people's levels of stress.

14 Apr 2007

Clinical psychologist to discuss stress disorder and soldiers in Iraq

Clinical psychologist Katherine T. Platoni, who is a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve Medical Service Corps, will discuss her experiences treating soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder during active combat in Iraq Thursday, April 26, at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

12 Apr 2007

Role of hope in cooperative learning studied

Research conducted at the University of Arkansas suggests that when university graduate students are assigned to work in cooperative groups, they might want to start by exchanging scores on the Hope Scale along with cell phone numbers.

11 Apr 2007

Team sports helps breast cancer survivors

Breast cancer survivors may find participation on a team that incorporates physical fitness, such as boating, walking or running, can help improve their quality of life, says a Purdue University sport and exercise psychologist.

11 Apr 2007

Dieting might mean you end up fatter that before!

After analyzing the effects of 31 studies on the longterm effects of a number of diets, scientists in the U.S. say not only do they not work but they can also put a person's health at risk.

10 Apr 2007

UCLA research project targeting teens who leave home and their families

When emotions swell between teenager and parent, both sides sometimes say and do things they later wish they could take back.

7 Apr 2007

Remarkable power of social norms

Most people want to be normal. So, when we are given information that underscores our deviancy, the natural impulse is to get ourselves as quickly as we can back toward the center.

7 Apr 2007

San Antonio students aim to raise $500,000 to save the life of Adrian Flores-Saucedo

They started out a small group of students from San Antonio universities coming together regularly to pray for the world around them, now 25 members of the St. Matthew's Catholic Church prayer group Oriens have embarked on a more challenging mission, a humanitarian effort to try and raise $500,000 to save the life of Adrian Flores-Saucedo, a seven-year-old boy from Piedras Negras, Mexico in desperate need of a heart transplant.

7 Apr 2007

Behavior influenced by our genes

A new study in Journal of Personality shows that selfless and social behavior is not purely a product of environment, specifically religious environment.

7 Apr 2007

Study shows adverse effects of violent video game exposure

New research by Iowa State University psychologists provides more concrete evidence of the adverse effects of violent video game exposure on the behavior of children and adolescents.

5 Apr 2007

War study has implications for understanding male and female psychology

A man's health and behavior are more adversely impacted by war and the associated disruption than a woman's---as evidenced by the dramatic jump in non-combat mortality for Croatian men during the Croatian War of Independence, a new study shows.

5 Apr 2007

What makes a healthy personality?

There is broad consensus today that personality traits are best described by the "Big Five": Extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and openness to experience.

5 Apr 2007

Japanese may be better than Americans at detecting lies

Research has uncovered that culture is a determining factor when interpreting facial emotions.

5 Apr 2007

Liposuction and tummy tucks are not the answer for obese kids

In light of recent media coverage on teenagers seeking surgical options to lose weight, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) cautions that liposuction and tummy tucks are inappropriate procedures for weight loss.

5 Apr 2007

Positive impact of parents as teachers

Today, new research was unveiled on the outcomes of Parents as Teachers participation on children's school readiness and how these effects are sustained through third grade.

5 Apr 2007

UT Metroplex institutions to collaborate on biomedical research

Researchers from the three University of Texas campuses in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area are combining their expertise in biomedical science, engineering and physical sciences on projects aimed at solving real-world medical problems.

5 Apr 2007

Study looks at the prevention of adolescent substance abuse

Why do young people smoke cigarettes or use alcohol or drugs? What skills do they need to avoid starting these habits? A new study by researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College shows that competence skills can reduce adolescent substance use over the long term, even when friends smoke or use alcohol.

5 Apr 2007