Feature Channels: Behavioral Science

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Released: 4-Feb-2020 9:00 AM EST
Publicly sharing a goal could help you persist after hitting failure
Binghamton University, State University of New York

Publicly sharing a goal may help you persist after hitting a failure, but only if you care about what others think of you, according to new research from Binghamton University, State University of New York.

   
30-Jan-2020 2:00 PM EST
Altruistic babies? Study shows infants are willing to give up food, help others
University of Washington

New research by the University of Washington’s Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences finds that altruism may begin in infancy. In a study of nearly 100 19-month-olds, researchers found that children, even when hungry, gave a tasty snack to a stranger in need.

Released: 3-Feb-2020 4:35 PM EST
Researchers study the intricate link between climate and conflict
University of Notre Dame

New research from the University of Notre Dame is shedding light on the unexpected effects climate change could have on regional instability and violent conflict.

Released: 3-Feb-2020 1:20 PM EST
Helping Patients With Binge Eating Disorders: There’s an App for That
Mount Sinai Health System

Study suggests that adaptation of smartphone technology is a scalable option that significantly improves clinical outcomes

   
Released: 3-Feb-2020 12:20 PM EST
National Study Confirms Nurses at Higher Risk of Suicide than General Population
UC San Diego Health

In the first national study of its size, researchers at UC San Diego have found that nurses are at higher risk of suicide than the general population. Results were published in the February edition of WORLDviews on Evidence Based-Nursing.

Released: 3-Feb-2020 11:10 AM EST
Research sheds light on the evolutionary puzzle of coupling
University of Texas at San Antonio

A UTSA researcher has discovered that, whether in a pair or in groups, success in primate social systems may also provide insight into organization of human social life.

Released: 31-Jan-2020 12:50 PM EST
Can Exercise Improve Video Game Performance?
McGill University

Time spent playing video games is often seen as time stolen from physical activities. Research has shown that exercise has many physical and cognitive benefits.

   
Released: 31-Jan-2020 12:45 PM EST
Want to change your personality? It may not be easy to do alone
University of Arizona

Most people have an aspect of their personality they'd like to change, but without help it may be difficult to do so, according to a study led by a University of Arizona researcher and published in the Journal of Research in Personality.

28-Jan-2020 4:20 PM EST
People May Lie to Appear Honest
American Psychological Association (APA)

People may lie to appear honest if events that turned out in their favor seem too good to be true, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association.

Released: 29-Jan-2020 4:20 PM EST
Brain networks come 'online' during adolescence to prepare teenagers for adult life
University of Cambridge

New brain networks come 'online' during adolescence, allowing teenagers to develop more complex adult social skills, but potentially putting them at increased risk of mental illness, according to new research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

   
Released: 29-Jan-2020 2:25 PM EST
Third Reich's legacy tied to present-day xenophobia and political intolerance
Rice University

Who -- or what -- is to blame for the xenophobia, political intolerance and radical political parties spreading through Germany and the rest of Europe?

Released: 29-Jan-2020 11:20 AM EST
Study Challenges Assumptions About Social Interaction Difficulties in Autism
University of Texas at Dallas

Results suggest social interaction success for autistic adults revolves around partner compatibility, not just participant skill set. “If autistic people were inherently poor, you’d expect two autistic people to struggle more than an autistic and non-autistic person. That’s not what we found.”

28-Jan-2020 11:00 AM EST
Past Trauma Exposure, Major Depression Risk Factors for Suicidal Thoughts in Deployed Soldiers
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU)

Lifetime history of exposure to a traumatic event and self-reported lifetime and current depression are predictive of recent suicide ideation in deployed soldiers, according to a new JAMA Network Open study published January 29, 2020. Researchers suggest that attention to deployment experiences that increase suicide ideation in soldiers with past trauma and major depressive disorder can assist clinicians and leadership in identifying and treating Soldiers at increased risk for suicide.

   
Released: 29-Jan-2020 10:40 AM EST
Praise, rather than punish, to see up to 30% greater focus in the classroom
Taylor & Francis

To improve behavior in class, teachers should focus on praising children for good behavior, rather than telling them off for being disruptive, according to a new study published in Educational Psychology.

Released: 27-Jan-2020 2:30 PM EST
A Brain Link to STI/HIV Sexual Risk: Young women with Low Condom Use During Sex Find Visual Sexual Cues Less Pleasant and Less Evocative
University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing

Data show that young adult women in the United States have high rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) that increase their risk of HIV. Though epidemiologic and behavioral factors for risk have been studied, we know very little about brain factors that may be linked to STI/ HIV sexual risk.

Released: 27-Jan-2020 11:15 AM EST
Victims of mass atrocities often portrayed as disempowered in international law
University of Helsinki

According to a doctoral thesis completed by Nadia Valentina Tapia Navarro, victims of mass atrocities are often portrayed as disempowered, passive, defenceless and docile in discourses pertaining to international law.

Released: 27-Jan-2020 10:55 AM EST
AI to help monitor behaviour
Universite de Montreal

Algorithms based on artificial intelligence do better at supporting educational and clinical decision-making, according to a new study.

     
Released: 27-Jan-2020 9:00 AM EST
Autism Diagnosis Test Needs Improvement, Rutgers Researchers Say
Rutgers University-New Brunswick

Rutgers researchers have found that a test widely used to diagnose whether children have autism is less reliable than previously assumed.

   
Released: 24-Jan-2020 4:05 PM EST
Horror movies manipulate brain activity expertly to enhance excitement
University of Turku (Turun yliopisto)

Finnish research team maps neural activity in response to watching horror movies. A study conducted by the University of Turku shows the top horror movies of the past 100 years, and how they manipulate brain activity.

   
Released: 24-Jan-2020 3:25 PM EST
Study: Commercial air travel is safer than ever
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

It has never been safer to fly on commercial airlines, according to a new study by an MIT professor that tracks the continued decrease in passenger fatalities around the globe.

   
23-Jan-2020 10:00 AM EST
Increasing opportunities for sustainable behavior
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)

A new study shows how even minor changes to available infrastructure can trigger tipping points in the collective adoption of sustainable behaviors.

   
Released: 23-Jan-2020 2:05 AM EST
Tick-tock! The countdown is on for back-to-school sleep routines
University of South Australia

With less that a week to go until the start of a new school year, parents are preparing themselves for the inevitable back-to-school rush. But amid the dash for backpacks, books and last-minute haircuts, children’s sleep routines must also be high on the agenda if parents want to start kids off on the right foot.

   
Released: 22-Jan-2020 1:05 PM EST
Medical Minute: Trying to quit smoking? Don’t go it alone.
Penn State Health

We live in an era of self-empowerment. But when it comes to quitting smoking, going it alone isn’t the best approach. Read on for effective strategies from Penn State Health experts.

Released: 22-Jan-2020 9:40 AM EST
The color of your clothing can impact wildlife
Binghamton University, State University of New York

Your choice of clothing could affect the behavioral habits of wildlife around you, according to a study conducted by a team of researchers, including faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York.

Released: 21-Jan-2020 8:05 AM EST
Dr. Francine Conway, Dean of Rutgers University’s GSAPP, prepares the next generation of socially responsive psychologists to lead social change
Rutgers University-New Brunswick

On Monday, January 20th, Dr. Francine Conway, Dean and Distinguished Professor for Rutgers University, Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP) and President of the National Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology (NCSPP) will host psychology professionals from across the country at the NCSPP Mid-Winter Conference.

Released: 17-Jan-2020 1:35 AM EST
Women in leadership positions face more sexual harassment
Stockholm University

Power in the workplace does not stop women's exposure to sexual harassment. On the contrary, women with supervisory positions are harassed more than women employees.

Released: 16-Jan-2020 11:20 AM EST
Police platform patrols create 'phantom effect' that cuts crime in London Underground
University of Cambridge

A massive experiment that deployed regular police patrols on platforms in the London Underground has shown that four 15-minute patrols a day in some of the capital's most crime-ridden stations reduced reported crime and disorder by 21%.

Released: 16-Jan-2020 9:00 AM EST
#Stayathomeparents tweet anti-spanking beliefs but for some, their behaviors might differ
University of Michigan

Stay-at-home parents are likely to tweet anti-spanking beliefs and desires, but those 280-character messages may not always convey what's happening in homes.

Released: 15-Jan-2020 3:45 PM EST
National survey seeks musicians' input on mental health and substance misuse challenges
Tulane University

The goal of the survey is to collect data that will help experts develop interventions to support musicians.

   
Released: 14-Jan-2020 4:50 PM EST
In Mice, Alcohol Dependence Results in Brain-Wide Remodeling of Functional Architecture
UC San Diego Health

Using novel imaging technologies, researchers produce first whole-brain atlas at single-cell resolution, revealing how alcohol addiction and abstinence remodel neural physiology and function in mice.

Released: 14-Jan-2020 2:55 PM EST
Sugar changes the chemistry of your brain
Aarhus University

The idea of food addiction is a very controversial topic among scientists. Researchers from Aarhus University have delved into this topic and examined what happens in the brains of pigs when they drink sugar water.

   
8-Jan-2020 9:00 PM EST
U.S. protections for constitutional rights falling behind global peers
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

New research from the WORLD Policy Analysis Center at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health (WORLD) shows that the United States is falling behind its global peers when it comes to guarantees for key constitutional rights. Researchers identified key gaps in the U.S. including guarantees of the right to health, gender equality, and rights for persons with disabilities.

     
Released: 13-Jan-2020 2:05 PM EST
Higher rates of post-natal depression among autistic mothers
University of Cambridge

Autistic mothers are more likely to report post-natal depression compared to non-autistic mothers, according to a new study of mothers of autistic children carried out by researchers at the University of Cambridge.

Released: 13-Jan-2020 12:30 PM EST
Calculated Surprise Leads to Groundbreaking Discovery in Cognitive Control Research
Florida Atlantic University

To better understand how motivational control processes help maximize performance when faced with task challenges, researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and provide fascinating insights into the role of the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) as a component network of brain regions that support motivated behavior. They have unified conflicting findings by discovering that the single mechanism of surprise best accounts for activity in dACC during a task requiring motivated control.

   
9-Jan-2020 5:05 PM EST
Drinking among sport-playing college students is strongly influenced by peer perceptions
Research Society on Alcoholism

Alcohol misuse among college students remains a major public health concern. Students’ perceptions of how much their peers are drinking, and of peers’ attitudes to alcohol, are known to be a key influence on their own alcohol use. Two distinct types of social norms that can shape students’ drinking are recognized – ‘injunctive’ norms, namely perceptions of peers’ attitudes about how much a college student should drink, and ‘descriptive’ norms, which are perceptions of how much their peers do drink.

     
9-Jan-2020 5:05 PM EST
Beyond the binge: Extreme drinking common among working-age adults
Research Society on Alcoholism

Binge drinking is a common and harmful pattern of alcohol use, often defined as consuming at least four (for women) or five (for men) drinks in one drinking episode. However, some people drink well beyond this, consuming two or even three times the binge threshold, putting them at very high risk of acute harm. Previous research on such ‘high-intensity drinking’, or ‘HID’, has been mostly limited to college-age youth, with less known about HID in the mid-adult age group. A new study published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research has evaluated the prevalence, consequences, and influences of HID among Australian adults of working age.

     
8-Jan-2020 8:05 PM EST
Maturing Out of Alcohol Use in Young Adulthood
Research Society on Alcoholism

Rates of heavy drinking and alcohol use disorder peak in the late adolescent and early adult age-group (19-25 years), before decreasing from around age 26. This supports the notion that many young people ‘mature out’ of heavier drinking behavior. However, changes in young adults’ alcohol consumption vary widely, and depend on a range of factors including role transitions (e.g. marriage, parenthood), social networks, and personality. Dr. Michael Windle from Emory University, Georgia, assessed the variation in ‘maturing out’ by evaluating trajectories of alcohol use from adolescence through young adulthood, up to around 33 years of age. The study, published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, also explored whether different alcohol use trajectories were associated with other indicators of young-adult functioning, relating to health, sleep, and social and occupational functioning.

     
Released: 10-Jan-2020 2:05 AM EST
Beyond the Bushfires, What Can Teachers Do to Help Their Kids?
University of South Australia

In a little over two weeks, more than three million Australian students will return to school, ready to start a new year. But, amid the packed lunches and book bags, many may also be returning with a sense of anxiety and confusion in the aftermath of Australia’s devastating bushfires.

   
Released: 9-Jan-2020 1:45 PM EST
Harnessing Biology and Technology to Develop New Depression Treatments – Update from Harvard Review of Psychiatry
Wolters Kluwer Health: Lippincott

New research into the biology of depression, along with new and evolving technologies, provides the basis for developing the next generation of treatments for major depressive disorder (MDD), according to the special January/February issue of Harvard Review of Psychiatry. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

Released: 9-Jan-2020 8:05 AM EST
Addressing the Emotional Toll of Pediatric Chronic Conditions
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

Report led by experts at Cincinnati Children's, published today in Pediatrics, urges pediatricians to increase support for parents of children with chronic conditions.

Released: 8-Jan-2020 1:45 PM EST
Highlighting women's achievements makes them want to be the boss, research shows
University of Exeter

Highlighting female achievements in the workplace makes capable women significantly more likely to want to be the boss, a study shows.

Released: 8-Jan-2020 12:40 PM EST
Many in LA jails could be diverted into mental health treatment
RAND Corporation

More than 3,300 people in the mental health population of the Los Angeles County jail are appropriate candidates for diversion into programs where they would receive community-based clinical services rather than incarceration, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

Released: 8-Jan-2020 12:20 PM EST
Study highlights how American universities may help bridge social divide between international, domestic students
University at Buffalo

Self-esteem is a valuable resource for undergraduate international students trying to socialize with their domestic counterparts at American universities, but new research by a University at Buffalo psychologist suggests that while self-esteem predicts better socialization with domestic students, it is curiously unrelated to how international students socialize with other internationals.

Released: 8-Jan-2020 8:00 AM EST
UCI team of researchers assess the psychological and physiological effects of augmented reality
University of California, Irvine

The UCI School of Medicine, in partnership with Chenega Healthcare Services, LLC and MedCognition, was awarded a $1.2 million contract through the Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium to examine the psychological effects of augmented reality (AR) medical simulation training.



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