Psychology News and Research

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

Brain folding could be an indication of how smart a person is

A study by Melbourne scientists has provided the first direct evidence that differences in the way the surface of the human brain is folded could be an indication of how smart a person is.

18 Apr 2004

Lack of exercise causes physical and psychological setbacks

Use it or lose it, fitness experts tell us. Now a new study offers evidence that the adage really does ring true – that a lack of exercise can not only cause physical setbacks, but also psychological setbacks as well.

16 Apr 2004

Sound sleep in infants lessens likelihood of drug abuse in later years

A long-term study has found a significant connection between sleep problems in children’s toddler years and the chance that they’ll use alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs early in their teen years. Young teens whose preschool sleep habits were poor were more than twice as likely to use drugs, tobacco, or alcohol.

16 Apr 2004

Vast majority of college smokers don't quit

Almost 90 percent of college students who were daily smokers and 50 percent of occasional smokers were still smoking four years later, according to a study conducted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and just published in the current issue of Health Psychology.

14 Apr 2004

Extra funding aids brain research

A healthy arrival of funds over the past couple of years has produced "endorphins" in McMaster’s "brain" that has psychology researchers very excited.

14 Apr 2004

Lecture will explore the visual world of the newborn

Imagine creating an eye chart for someone who can't read or tell you what they see.

12 Apr 2004

Australian symposium on stroke and head injury

A condition which leaves some stroke and head injury victims unable to see half their world will be the subject of a one-day symposium being hosted by Southern Cross University (SCU) this week.

10 Apr 2004

Effects of lead in petrol are well-known however a recent additive to petrol manganese may be just as toxic

The disastrous environmental and health effects of lead in petrol are well-known, and western countries have been phasing it out for many years now. However, a recent additive to petrol - manganese - may be just as toxic. A Macquarie University study aims to find out.

7 Apr 2004

Researchers are helping car manufacturers come up with the best ‘audible icons’ to convey alerts

Researchers have subjected volunteers to the sounds of cockerels, bells, babies crying and footsteps to find out how people perceive urgency and pleasantness. The two-year EPSRC-funded project aims to find the most appropriate sounds – such as those of screeching tyres or car horns – to warn drivers of hazards on the road.

6 Apr 2004

Yohimbe Tree Bark Hold Promise for Revolutionizing Treatment of Anxiety Disorders

New findings at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute demonstrate the potential of a substance found in yohimbe tree bark to accelerate recovery from anxiety disorders suffered by millions of Americans.

4 Apr 2004

Whites and African-American pain thresholds most likely the same

Previous research and anecdotal clinical evidence have suggested that African-Americans tend to be more sensitive to pain than Whites, but the latest research study shows the two groups simply interpret standard pain rating scales differently. The new study also confirms earlier findings that women are more sensitive to pain than men.

1 Apr 2004

Newly formed FAS Center for Systems Neuroscience

Harvard has long been recognized for its strength in neuroscience: Researchers in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) are leaders in studies of behavior, perception, and brain development, while Harvard Medical School (HMS) was the first in the nation to establish a department of neurobiology.

29 Mar 2004

Psychologists Study Zero-Gravity Effects on the Human Brain

Psychologists from the University of Birmingham are taking part in a project where they will experience how it feels to be weightless as part of their studies into how we use the sense of touch to help control and guide our movements.

24 Mar 2004

The placebo effect, study suggest pain management is possible

A Columbia professor has uncovered fresh evidence of the existence of the often-debated placebo effect. Even the professor himself, Tor D. Wager, of the Department of Psychology, was surprised by his team's findings. The study showed that the human brain processes pain differently when people believe that they have been given a pain-relieving skin cream. Wager, lead author of the study, defines "placebo" as a treatment that has no direct pharmacological effect and that may influence one's experience and physiology through one's beliefs.

22 Mar 2004