A report of the American Psychological Association (APA) released today found evidence that the proliferation of sexualized images of girls and young women in advertising, merchandising, and media is harmful to girls' self-image and healthy development.
The way in which individuals think, feel, and behave in their adult romantic relationships is governed not only by factors in their immediate surroundings, but is also a direct result of their past relationships and personal attachment extending all the way back to childhood.
German researchers have found additional evidence that the stress hormone cortisol can have positive effects in certain situations. Although chronic stress, which brings long-term elevations of cortisol in the bloodstream, can weaken the immune system and induce depression, this new study adds to mounting evidence that cortisol given near in time to a physical or psychological stress may lessen the stressor's emotional impact.
The American Psychological Association (APA) recently announced the hiring of its newest executive, Tony Habash, D.Sc, as the Chief Information Officer (CIO). Habash will lead the association's IT strategy and operations, including all core business systems development.
Organizational leaders who come across as low or high in assertiveness tend to be seen as less effective, according to a new study. Leaders in the middle may have an "optimal" level of assertiveness, but there is plenty of company on the extremes. The research suggests that being seen as under- or over-assertive may be the most common weakness among aspiring leaders.
Australian researchers say that a genotype that heightens the risk for Alzheimer's disease does not contribute to cognitive change during most of adulthood. The largest study of its kind has found that carriers and non-carriers show the same type and extent of normal age-related cognitive declines, decades before carriers start to more often develop symptoms of dementia.
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins and Yale university medical schools have found that a simple blood test to measure uric acid, a measure of kidney function, might reveal a risk factor for cognitive problems in old age. Of 96 community-dwelling adults aged 60 to 92 years, those with uric-acid levels at the high end of the normal range had the lowest scores on tests of mental processing speed, verbal memory and working memory.
Males experience more traumatic events on average than do females, yet females are more likely to meet diagnostic criteria for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), according to a review of 25 years of research reported in the November issue of Psychological Bulletin, published by the American Psychological Association (APA).
Remember those kids who wanted to study only what was on the test? They may have cheated themselves. New research reveals that the simple act of taking a test helps you remember everything you learned, even if it isn't tested. In three experiments, psychologists at Washington University in St. Louis determined that testing enhanced long-term recall for material that was not tested initially.
Parents who engage in the age-old tradition of picture-book reading are not only encouraging early reading development in their children but are also teaching their toddlers about the world around them.
New research offers tantalizing clues as to why some teenagers taking common anti-depressants may become more aggressive or kill themselves. The research is published in the October Behavioral Neuroscience, which is published by the American Psychological Association (APA).
Specific personality variables, such as anger or irritability predict the tendency to either engage in aggressive behavior willingly or to engage in aggressive behavior when provoked.
As the obesity epidemic among youths and its associated risks for later health problems -- heart disease, diabetes II and some cancers "“ grow, health researchers are finding that many current programs aimed at preventing unhealthy weight gain fall short. And, those programs that are successful only work for short periods of time.
According to a review of the research on anxiety and pregnancy outcomes, researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch found that experiencing anxiety symptoms during pregnancy is not associated with an increased risk of a number of pregnancy complications such as having a longer labor or a low birth weight baby.
Age may be more related to reactions to stress and the absence of disease rather than to a person's chronological age, say leading researchers in the fields of neurobiology and psychoneuroendocrinology. And healthy aging is a good bet if stress can be moderated along with adopting an active, healthy lifestyle.
Based on a review of studies on exercise and its effect on brain functioning in human and animal populations, researchers find that physical exercise may slow aging's effects and help people maintain cognitive abilities well into older age. Animals seem to benefit from exercise too and perform spatial tasks better when they are active. Furthermore, fitness training "“ an increased level of exercise "“ may improve some mental processes even more than moderate activity.
An ability to be open to new situations may predict intelligence earlier in life, says a new study, but disagreeableness may predict intelligence later in life. According to the findings, differences in personality predictors of intelligence were found between young adults, and those who retain a normal level of overall cognitive ability in old age and those older adults who are cognitively superior.
According to a recent study, faith-based positive religious resources can protect psychological well-being through enhanced hope and perceived social support during stressful experiences, like undergoing cardiac surgery. Furthermore, having negative religious thoughts and struggles may hinder recovery.
Hurricane Katrina is acknowledged to be one of the worst natural disasters to ever strike the United States. The storm and its aftermath displaced more than 1 million people, mostly African-Americans, and unveiled issues of national disaster preparedness, socioeconomic status and race.
Depression among youth is a growing public health concern. To determine what programs are effective in preventing depressive symptoms, researchers conducted a meta-analysis of the last 20 years of research on interventions aimed at preventing depressive symptoms in youth. The results showed that targeted interventions for those at risk for depression have greater effect sizes than universal interventions.
As part of the effort to develop effective behavioral and medical sleep therapies, scientists consider the potential for dependence and abuse associated with prescription sleep drugs. This line of research has produced findings showing [news] that a recently approved prescription sleep drug may spare users the potential for dependence and abuse found with other sleep aids.
Program highlights of APA's 114th annual convention in New Orleans, August 10-13, 2006.
According to the latest research presented in a special issue of Developmental Psychology, published by the American Psychological Association (APA), spending a lot of time on the Web can have both negative and positive effects on young people.
Groups of three, four, or five perform better on complex problem solving than the best of an equivalent number of individuals, says a new study appearing in the April issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, published by the American Psychological Association (APA).
Neuroscientists at Harvard Medical School and its affiliate Mclean Hospital have shown that long-term exposure to stress hormone in mice directly results in the anxiety that often comes with depression. After years of circumstantial evidence linking stress and depression, this evidence may be the "smoking gun" of what, for some, causes some types of mood disorders.
Juries that include white and black members are likely to exchange more information about the details of a case than all-white juries, a process that may lead to more detailed deliberations and fairer verdicts, according to a study that examined racial composition and group decision making in a mock jury scenario.
Psychologists wanting to help old people safely cross the street and otherwise ambulate around this busy world have found that from age 70 and up, safe walking may require solid "executive control" and memory skills. For the old, slow gait is a significant risk factor for falls.
Children who are excluded from activities by their peers are more likely to withdraw from classroom activities and suffer academically.
Anabolic steroids not only make teens more aggressive, but may keep them that way into young adulthood. The effect ultimately wears off but there may be other, lasting consequences for the developing brain.
The impacts of parental alcoholism in children are well known, particularly the alcohol consumption habits of children of alcoholics. However, until now, little research has been conducted on the correlation between parental alcoholism and illicit drug use in emerging adults.
Personal and professional success may lead to happiness but may also engender success. Happy individuals are predisposed to seek out and undertake new goals in life and this reinforces positive emotions, say researchers who examined the connections between desirable characteristics, life successes and well-being of over 275,000 people.
People with high blood pressure and their doctors have a new reason to work at controlling this common but high-risk condition: As patients get older, they might otherwise have worse-than-normal problems with short-term memory and verbal ability.
Can stress also raise a person's cholesterol? It appears so for some people, according to a new study that examines how reactions to stress over a period of time can raise a person's lipid levels.
Two studies show that when animals are stressed, deprived and exposed to tempting food, they overeat, with different degrees of interaction. The powerful interplay between internal and external factors helps explain why dieters rebound and even one cookie can trigger a binge if someone's predisposed to binge.
In two studies, researchers show the benefits of universal pre-K programs and Early Head Start programs on children's cognitive and language development, but especially for those children who are from low-income families.
Mental health professionals need to be watchful of mental health problems beyond depression in order to prevent youth suicide, according to new research from the World Health Organization.
Recent findings show that work-related burnout can lead to inflammatory processes, which plays a key role in the initiation and progression of cardiovascular disease and other inflammatory-linked illness. Now, researchers find evidence that men and women differ in their inflammatory reactions to work-related burnout and depression.
Three researchers who study behavior-based means of cutting the risks of tobacco use have made a case for counseling patients about the health risks of exposure to secondhand smoke when they're asked about direct tobacco use.
Two recent studies may help clinicians and researchers better predict and understand dementia of the Alzheimer's type early in its history. Psychologists focus on early detection in part because current medications are useful only when given very early in the course of the disease.
The popular media has portrayed men and women as psychologically different as two planets "“ Mars and Venus - but these differences are vastly overestimated and the two sexes are more similar in personality, communication, cognitive ability and leadership than realized.
A new study has found that opiate drugs such as morphine leave animals more vulnerable to stress. This means that stress and opiates are in a vicious cycle: Not only does stress trigger drug use, but in return the drug leaves animals more vulnerable to stress.
Researchers have known for some time that expressive writing can have a positive effect on the writer's health, such as illness recovery. Now, researchers have shown that the effects of affective expressions are not necessarily fixed but rather dependent on the writer's mental context at the time.
Those who feel sad and lack an interest in regular life activities for at least two weeks and qualify for a diagnosis of minor depression are six times as likely to develop major depression compared to those who don't have these symptoms, according to a longitudinal study.
Violent video games can increase aggressive behavior in children and adolescents, both in the short- and long-term, according to an empirical review of the last 20 years of research.
What is the mental health of inmates in local jails, state and federal correctional facilities? Do many inmates suffer from a mental disorder and are they getting the treatment they need? A lack of mental health diagnosis and treatment does exist in many U.S. correctional facilities for those inmates who have a mental illness.
Art serves as a way to teach the public about psychology in "Heads Up Kentucky! Psychology Promotes Healthy Living," an innovative public health education campaign that pairs consumer information about psychological aspects of health with appealing street art.
A coalition of 24 health care provider, public health and consumer groups today called for the integration of behavioral and mental health services into the nation's primary and public health systems.
CBS News' popular morning news program, The Early Show, will receive the 2005 News Media Recognition Award for excellence in reporting of psychological research and information.
Psychologists have gained insight into how people judge their personal health risks. The findings suggest that people aren't horribly off the mark as long as they do not rely on media reports and stick to what's happened to people they know.
By combing through dozens of Alzheimer's disease studies, psychologists have gained a clear picture of cognitive problems in people who will develop the degenerative brain disease. The meta-analysis reveals that people can show early warning signs across several cognitive domains years before they are officially diagnosed.
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