Psychology News and Research

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

Okay girls, relax, 20.85 is now the perfect body!

If new research is to be believed, and most women will!, the ever growing millions of women who nip, tuck, plump and stitch in search of the body beautiful could be wasting their money.

29 Jun 2005

Findings suggest important differences among smokers in brain responses that underlie the smoking habit

Not all smokers are alike when it comes to cravings, and a new study conducted by researchers at Duke University Medical Center suggests the difference may lie in their brains' sensitivity to drug cues.

29 Jun 2005

Compelling evidence that language comprehension is a continuous process

The theory that the mind works like a computer, in a series of distinct stages, was an important steppingstone in cognitive science, but it has outlived its usefulness, concludes a new Cornell University study. Instead, the mind should be thought of more as working the way biological organisms do: as a dynamic continuum, cascading through shades of grey.

27 Jun 2005

Danger of mixing mobile phones and motoring

The reason talking on a cell phone makes drivers less safe may be that the brain can't simultaneously give full attention to both the visual task of driving and the auditory task of listening, a study by a Johns Hopkins University psychologist suggests.

21 Jun 2005

Breakthrough in understanding of children's brain development to help parents set kids on path to emotional, intellectual health

A major new research initiative at York University will build on new knowledge of the brain’s development, and help set children --including those with developmental disorders -- on the path towards emotional and intellectual health.

21 Jun 2005

When it comes to brains bigger is definitely better

New research has settled an historical debate that the larger the brain the brighter the individual.

21 Jun 2005

Researchers advance understanding of how the brain sorts physical sensations

On the basis of observations of how we interpret the sensation of a simple finger-tap, researchers have advanced our understanding of how the brain sorts important, externally-derived sensations, such as those created by an insect crawling on the skin, from unimportant, internally-derived sensations, such as the brush of one's own hand.

20 Jun 2005

Acting violently could be protective against the effects of community violence

Researchers have known for some time that violent adolescents tend to become more depressed over time than other adolescents. And young people living in violent neighborhoods also are more subject to depression. But violent adolescent boys who also live in unsafe neighborhoods where they witness violent acts do not appear to get as depressed.

20 Jun 2005

Brain size and intelligence are related

People with bigger brains are smarter than their smaller-brained counterparts, according to a study conducted by a Virginia Commonwealth University researcher published in the journal "Intelligence."

19 Jun 2005

Early exposure to inflammatory disease multiplies Alzheimer's risk

A new study of dementia in identical twins suggests that exposure to inflammation early in life quadruples one's risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.

19 Jun 2005

Chronic insomnia medicines have not yet been rigorously evaluated for long-term use

Many of the medications widely used to manage chronic insomnia have not yet been rigorously evaluated for long-term use, according to an independent scientific panel convened this week by the National Institutes of Health.

16 Jun 2005

Pioneering new technology helps ease dementia

In a remarkable enterprise psychologists at St Andrews University, computer experts at Dundee University, and researchers at the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in Dundee, have collaborated to produce a "memory jukebox".

16 Jun 2005

Most powerful predictor for how much children eat is how much food is put on their plate

Contrary to what many people believe, preschool children do not adjust how much they eat in response to how much they ate at their last meal or in the past 24 hours or how calorie-rich their meal is. By far, the most powerful predictor for how much children eat is how much food is put on their plate, concludes a new study by Cornell University researchers.

15 Jun 2005

Classic movies could bring back lost memories for dementia sufferers

Based on an interactive multimedia computer system and a clearer understanding of how dementia sufferers respond to social situations, the aid aims to stimulate more enjoyable, rewarding conversation between sufferers and those who care for them.

15 Jun 2005

Perceptual learning can have a cost

Our ability to learn to see things that may be new or unfamiliar to us is a plus; it allows us to adapt to changes in our surrounding environment.

13 Jun 2005

DNA discovery may help explain disorders such as autism

Researchers have made a discovery that may in future help to explain many aspects of human social behavior and disorders such as autism.

10 Jun 2005

Variations in genetic code affect social behavior

Why are some people shy while others are outgoing? A study in the current issue of Science demonstrates for the first time that social behavior may be shaped by differences in the length of seemingly non-functional DNA, sometimes referred to as junk DNA.

9 Jun 2005

Healthy neighborhoods for older adults subject of study

Doctors often advise their older patients to walk more to enhance their health, but what if the sidewalks are crumbling; if they don't know a neighbor who could serve as a walking partner to help them feel safe; or if there's nothing interesting to see outside of their homes?

9 Jun 2005

Neuroscientists redefine the dyslexic brain

The dyslexic brain may have a general problem forming perceptual categories, including the templates for printed letters and speech sounds, say University of Southern California (USC) neuroscientists.

5 Jun 2005

Scientists create digital bacteria to advance biomedical research

Scientists at the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory have constructed a computer simulation that allows them to study the relationship between biochemical fluctuations within a single cell and the cell's behavior as it interacts with other cells and its environment.

5 Jun 2005