Psychology news

• Our elegant brain: Motor learning in the fast lane

  03-08-2015 21:55
  To learn new motor skills, neurons within the cerebellum engage in elegant, virtually mathematical, computations to quickly compare expected and actual sensory feedback. They then quickly readjust, changing the strength of connections between other neurons to form new patterns in the brain in order to accomplish the task at hand, researchers report.
  
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• Trouble spot in brain linked to learning difficulties in Down syndrome identified

  03-08-2015 21:50
  New brain research has mapped a key trouble spot likely to contribute to intellectual disability in Down syndrome. Scientists suggest the findings could be used to inform future therapies which normalize the function of disrupted brain networks in the condition.
  
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• Grief demands more of a man than a stiff upper lip | Letters

  03-08-2015 20:10
  
  Michael Bywater (When a manly pat on the back won’t do, 1 August) correctly points to the salience of culture in shaping our responses to grief, but when he writes “We have grown to distrust rationality; feeling is the new thinking”, whom is he referring to? For some, grief has to be stowed away because, in rational terms, they cannot allow it to dominate their lives when earning a living and supporting children have priority. They are not in a position to cogitate on “the rewriting of w
  
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• New survey to distinguish between expectable vs. worrisome early childhood misbehavior

  03-08-2015 18:00
  
  Researchers at Northwestern University are using a novel dimensional method for distinguishing misbehavior that is expectable in early childhood versus that which is cause for clinical concern.
  
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• Fly brains filter out visual information caused by their own movements, like humans

  03-08-2015 17:13
  To cut down on the barrage of sensory information, the human brain ignores input caused by eye movements. Researchers have found a similar process in flies, whose brains shut out input generated by flight turns. This discovery gives researchers a new tool with which to study this silencing process.
  
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• Brain teaser: 3-D printed 'tissue' to help combat disease

  03-08-2015 16:30
  A bench-top brain that accurately reflects actual brain tissue would be significant for researching not only the effect of drugs, but brain disorders like schizophrenia, and degenerative brain disease. Researchers have now completed 3-D printing a six-layered structure similar to brain tissue, in which cells are accurately placed and remain in their designated layer.
  
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• If you're using drugs, scientists want to help you avoid addiction

  03-08-2015 14:33
  Abstinence is the best way to avoid drug addiction. But in many societies, drug use is the norm, not the exception, especially by youth. What keeps the majority of users from becoming addicted? How drugs are taken has something to do with it, according to pharmacology researchers.
  
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• Study sheds surprising light on the causes of cerebral palsy

  03-08-2015 14:33
  Cerebral palsy is the most common cause of physical disability in children. It has historically been considered to be caused by factors such as birth asphyxia, stroke and infections in the developing brain of babies. In a new game-changing study, a research team has uncovered strong evidence for genetic causes of cerebral palsy that turns experts' understanding of the condition on its head.
  
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• Picky eaters may grow into depressed and anxious kids, research suggests

  03-08-2015 13:00
  
  New study claims tendencies, which pediatricians have long advised children will ‘grow out of’, are associated with more serious conditions For many in the toddler-rearing parent populationdinner-time can be a battle: their children are picky eaters, and have divined what seems like a both arbitrary and immovable set of guidelines for their foods.The foods they can’t touch, the crusts that have to be cut off or the ketchup that has to be a certain brand.Continue reading...
  
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• Where Are The Heroes?

  03-08-2015 12:48 via counsellingresource.com
  
  Where are all the heroes? They're there. They're just not always where you might think. They're everyday people of remarkable character.Tags: character disturbance, responsibility
  
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• 'Brain training' app could improve lives of people with schizophrenia

  03-08-2015 12:00
  
  A new computer game has been developed by scientists that could improve the episodic memory and everyday functioning of people with schizophrenia.
  
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• 'Brain training' app could help people with schizophrenia

  03-08-2015 12:00
  
  A new computer game has been developed by scientists that could improve the episodic memory and everyday functioning of people with schizophrenia.
  
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• New 'brain training' app could improve lives of people with schizophrenia

  03-08-2015 10:00
  
  A new computer game has been developed by scientists that could improve the episodic memory and everyday functioning of people with schizophrenia.
  
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• UK Firms Will Have to Reveal Efforts to End Supply Chain Slavery

  03-08-2015 08:14 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: The GuardianFrom October all companies doing business in the UK with a turnover of £36m or more will have to deliver annual statement covering international supply chains. The major supermarkets, the likes of Primark, Marks & Spencer and well-known food and technology brands, will all have to set out how they are preventing slavery and human trafficking taking place in their supply chains, under rules announced by the UK government. From October, all...
  
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• Suicide Risk Tied to Women's Social Connectedness

  03-08-2015 08:14 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: Yahoo News - HealthBeing connected to friends, family and social groups may offer some protection against suicide, suggests a new U.S. study. "It’s an important problem," said Dr. Alexander Tsai, of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. "Suicide is one of the top 10 leading causes of death among women, and rates are climbing." Tsai told Reuters Health that society's response to suicide tends to be focused on mental illness, but it needs to be broader...
  
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• Map Shows Which Countries Are the Worst for Human Trafficking

  03-08-2015 08:14 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: The GuardianThe US Department of State released its 2015 report into human trafficking on Monday . The map below shows the ratings of countries around the world according to the US. For a country to make it into tier one it has to comply fully with the US trafficking victim protection act’s minimum standards . Some EU countries such as Greece, Lithuania and Cyprus remain in the second tier while Belarus was downgraded to tier three – the category...
  
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• Desegregation: The Hidden Legacy of Medicare

  03-08-2015 08:14 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: U.S. News and World ReportSegregation in hospitals was virtually eliminated thanks to the groundbreaking 1965 legislation.
  
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• Can People Learn to Curb Their Chocolate Cravings?

  03-08-2015 08:14 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: BBC News - UK NewsCan you cut your cravings for chocolate by pretending to eat it? The BBC "Trust Me, I'm a Doctor" team aims to find out.
  
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• A Primer on the Debate Over Transgender People and Bathrooms

  03-08-2015 08:14 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: Time MagazineThis is the latest civil rights fight over America's restrooms.
  
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