Psychology News and Research

RSS

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

Patients with type 2 diabetes who participate in group education programs require less medication

Group-based education resulted in improved diabetes control as reflected by blood glucose levels and patients’ knowledge of diabetes. Evidence also suggested that participants in diabetes group education programs may reduce their blood pressure and body weight and increase self-empowerment, quality of life, self-management skills and treatment satisfaction.

18 May 2005

Yoga is associated with fewer symptoms of eating disorders

A study published in the latest issue of Psychology of Women Quarterly reports that mind-body exercise, such as yoga, is associated with greater body satisfaction and fewer symptoms of eating disorders than traditional aerobic exercise like jogging or using cardio machines.

17 May 2005

Being a popular child has a downside

Although being popular is a primary goal for many teenagers--and their parents--a new study published in the May/June 2005 issue of the journal Child Development finds that popularity itself has a downside.

17 May 2005

Children understand the emotional benefits of following the rules

Want to get your child to wear a bike helmet, quit playing in the street, and stop teasing her little brother? Try showing her how much pleasure you get from following the rules.

17 May 2005

Multi-tasking skills develops late in adolescence

Parents of teenagers frustrated by their children's inability to focus on more than one thing at a time can take hope: a new study from researchers at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis finds behavioral evidence that the part of the brain responsible for the ability to multi-task continues to develop until late adolescence.

17 May 2005

People in their mid-60s are more vulnerable to memory-related scams

Especially if you're older, get everything in writing, from estimates to receipts. Psychologists at Washington University report that the memory function of people in their mid-60s and up is easily swayed by the power of suggestion, making them more vulnerable to memory-related scams.

16 May 2005

Brains of one species of mouse actually shrink during the winter

The brains of one species of mouse actually shrink during the winter, causing the mice to have more difficulty with some types of learning, a new study found.

15 May 2005

Older people appear better able than younger people to pick their battles

Older people are less likely than younger people to react aggressively when problems come up in their relationships, University of Michigan research shows.

15 May 2005

Combining behavior modification therapy with medication is the most effective way to improve the behavior of many ADHD children

In fact, when the two are combined, the study showed, the amount of medication required to achieve the same results as use of medication alone can be reduced by two-thirds.

10 May 2005

Creative thinking: try lying down

Keep that pen and paper by the bed: new research by an Australian National University (ANU) PhD graduate suggests it may be that our most creative thoughts come when we’re lying down.

10 May 2005

Gesturing while you talk linked to better speaking

Can't find the right word? You might want to start moving your hands. New research at the University of Alberta suggests that gesturing while you talk may improve your access to language.

9 May 2005

African Americans and Caucasians viewing African American faces display extremely similar changes in the activity of brain structures that respond to emotional events

The changes occur in the amygdala, a region of the brain that serves as an "alarm" to activate a cascade of other biological systems to protect the body in times of danger, said Matthew D. Lieberman, assistant professor of psychology at UCLA and lead author of the study.

9 May 2005

Withdrawal symptoms from marijuana may make quitting harder

Often considered a relic of the 1970's culture, marijuana is no longer a baby boom generation issue. Today, nearly 50 percent of U.S. teenagers try marijuana before they graduate high school, and by 12th grade, about 21 percent are regular users.

9 May 2005

Children's experiences at home can have a direct impact on their performance at school

Recent findings from the South Wales Family Study suggest that the quality of relations between parents not only affects children's long-term emotional and behavioural development but also affects their long-term academic achievement.

9 May 2005

Persistent use of ecstasy leads to a loss of everyday memory

Persistent use of ecstasy leads to a loss of everyday memory, researchers from Northumbria University have discovered. For the study 23 regular users of ecstasy were compared to 30 people who had never used the drug.

8 May 2005

Small classes in elementary school yields big rewards at graduation time

It is well established that small class size in the early elementary grades boosts student achievement in those grades and allows students to be more engaged in learning than they are in larger classes. But there has been little research on the long-term effects of small class size.

8 May 2005

Research is first to test effectiveness of a new patch for treating ADHD

A new University at Buffalo study of treatments for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has found that combining behavior modification therapy with medication is the most effective way to improve the behavior of many ADHD children.

5 May 2005