Psychology news

• Cortical circuits that encode black and white

  18-11-2015 21:54
  While some things may be 'as simple as black and white', this has not been the case for the circuits in the brain that make it possible to distinguish black from white. The patterns of light and dark that fall on the retina provide a wealth of information about the world around us, yet scientists still don't understand how this information is encoded by neural circuits. But things just got a lot clearer.
  
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• Brain scan reveals cognitive deficits in older 'cognitively normal' HIV+ individuals

  18-11-2015 21:53
  Although a group of HIV+ older individuals scored 'cognitively normal' in standard neuropsychology testing, a scan of their brains tells a different story, report neuroscientists following a small study.
  
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• Scientists turn tastes on and off by activating and silencing clusters of brain cells

  18-11-2015 21:51
  Most people probably think that we perceive the five basic tastes -- sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami (savory)--with our tongue, which then sends signals to our brain 'telling' us what we've tasted. However, scientists have turned this idea on its head, demonstrating in mice the ability to change the way something tastes by manipulating groups of cells in the brain.
  
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• Is sex once a week enough for a happy relationship?

  18-11-2015 21:11 via npr.org
  
  Study finds that for established couples, having sex once a week is the right amount for happiness and well-being.
  
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• How counselors help survivors of terrorism

  18-11-2015 21:09 via ktxs.com
  
  Experts say the ultimate goal is for terror survivors to regain a daily routine.
  
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• Light therapy effective for treating depression, not just winter blues

  18-11-2015 21:07 via washingtonpost.com
  
  Experts say the therapy is inexpensive, easy to use, and comes with few side effects.
  
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• College studies may reduce risk of dementia for older adults, research finds

  18-11-2015 19:10
  Older adults who take college courses may increase their cognitive capacity and possibly reduce their risk for developing Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia, according to new research.
  
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• Couples who have sex weekly are happiest

  18-11-2015 17:00
  
  More sex may not always make you happier, according to new research published by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology.
  
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• Bright light treatment efficacious for nonseasonal major depressive disorder

  18-11-2015 17:00
  
  Bright light treatment either alone or combined with an antidepressant was an effective and well tolerated treatment for adults with nonseasonal major depressive disorder (MDD) in a randomized...
  
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• Male hormone testosterone cause of sex differences in parkinson's disease risk, study suggests

  18-11-2015 16:19
  Men are twice as likely as women to develop Parkinson’s disease. New research suggests that testosterone enhances the susceptibility of brain cells that control movement to damage from chemical imbalances, explaining the sex differences in the occurrence of Parkinson’s.
  
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• Greater stress, depression risk for teens with lots of Facebook friends

  18-11-2015 16:00
  
  Teenagers who have more than 300 friends on social media site Facebook may have higher stress levels, putting them at greater risk for later-life depression, a new study suggests.
  
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• IU study: Short winter days trigger aggression hormones differently based on sex

  18-11-2015 14:00
  
  Territorial hamsters reveal biological mechanism behind the difference in male versus female aggression.
  
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• New options for treating autism

  18-11-2015 13:13
  The operating mechanism of oxytocin, the molecule involved in social behavior, has been researched by a team of European scientists. The results obtained in the research suggest that one of the mechanisms by which oxytocin causes interpersonal relations to be perceived as pleasant could be through the release of anandamide.
  
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• Short winter days trigger aggression hormones differently based on sex

  18-11-2015 13:07
  Researchers have discovered a hormonal mechanism in hamsters that connects short winter days with increased aggression in females, and that it differs from the mechanism that controls this same response in males.
  
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• Younger generations of those in the military more vulnerable to suicide

  18-11-2015 13:00
  
  In the last 10 years, the U.S. military has experienced an unprecedented increase in suicides among personnel.
  
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• Young whites usually more optimistic than minority peers about likelihood of living to 35

  18-11-2015 13:00
  
  A new study of young people finds that, with one exception, whites are more optimistic -- sometimes drastically so -- than their minority peers about their likelihood of living to 35.
  
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• Is There a “Formula” for Depression?

  18-11-2015 12:47 via counsellingresource.com
  
  Certain things we do inadvertently can foster a sense of helplessness in us that can eventually lead to depression. Here are four ways to avoid this behavioral "formula" for depression.Tags: depression, in practice, news and research
  
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• Eating to impress

  18-11-2015 12:00
  
  If you're a man, how much you eat may have more to do with the gender of your dining companions than your appetite.
  
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• Many hands make light work and improve health, researchers have found

  18-11-2015 10:00
  
  Getting help with baby care could keep families healthier and extend their lives, according to a new study into bird behaviour.
  
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• University Students Hold Anti-Racism Protests Across U.S.

  18-11-2015 09:27 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: The Guardian#StudentBlackOut demonstrations have taken place from Yale to Mizzou, as students demand diversity training, resignations, and more faculty of color.
  
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• "Experimenter" Movie on Milgram Takes Shock Tactics to New Level

  18-11-2015 07:37 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: BBC News - Science and EnvironmentActor Peter Sarsgaard talks about his challenging new movie Experimenter in which he plays the psychologist Stanley Milgram, who carried out the 1961 electric shock experiment that stunned the world.
  
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• Failing Sense of Smell Might Be Alzheimer's Warning

  18-11-2015 07:36 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: Google News - HealthLosing your sense of smell may mark the start of memory problems and possibly Alzheimer's disease, a new study suggests. Researchers found that older adults who had the worst smell test scores were 2.2 times more likely to begin having mild memory problems. And if they already had these memory problems, they were more likely to progress to full-blown Alzheimer's disease.
  
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• "Pin-Up" Milk Labels Spark Sexism, Racism Claims

  18-11-2015 07:34 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: MSNBC - Top NewsMüller is at the center of an online storm over a Christmas edition of its flavored-milk product that critics have condemned as sexist and racist.
  
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• 20 Million Tweets Used to Understand People and Real-World Situations

  18-11-2015 07:34 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  Source: ScienceDailyWhat can you tell about people and their situations from only 140 characters? Quite a lot according to a new study about Twitter. To date, no research has tapped the vast data from social media to study situations. Using more than 20 million tweets, researchers provide insights about the psychological experience of a typical workday or week, and reveal the psychological characteristics of real-world situations that people actually experienced...
  
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• Yale President, Responding to Protests, Says Will Make School More Inclusive

  18-11-2015 07:33 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: Reuters - US NewsMILFORD, Conn. - Responding to boisterous student protests, the head of Yale University vowed on Tuesday to build a more inclusive school, in part by expanding financial aid to low-income students and creating a center for the study of race, ethnicity and "social identity.".
  
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• About 1,500 Mormons Resign From Church in Protest of Same-Sex Policy

  18-11-2015 07:33 via feeds.socialpsychology.org
  
  Source: Reuters - US NewsAbout 1,500 Latter-day Saints have submitted letters of resignation from the Mormon Church to protest a new policy barring children of married same-sex couples from being baptized until they are adults, movement organizers said on Sunday.
  
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