Feature Channels: Psychology and Psychiatry

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Salk scientists show that the little-known supportive cells are vital in cognitive function.

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New research from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business finds that the positive reaction one would have when succeeding is lessened if it doesn't follow the expected course.

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The secret to boosting the language skills of preschoolers with disabilities may be to put them in classrooms with typically developing peers, a new study finds.

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Humans aren’t the only species to react strongly to actions they consider unfair. A similar drive for fairness in monkeys and some dogs may offer insight into people’s desire for equity, according to experts presenting at the American Psychological Association’s 122nd Annual Convention.

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Friends play an extremely important role in a person’s life. From infancy on, we have a desire to connect and those early relationships help to mold and develop our adult character. Through interactions with one another, we learn to think beyond ourselves to understand the needs and desires of others.

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Dogs exhibit jealous behaviors. The first experimental test of jealousy in dogs supports the view that the emotion evolved to protect social bonds from interlopers.

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Child psychologist Gerald Koocher led a recent poll of 139 experts to discredit “quack” treatments and assessments for children. Published in the Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, the study identifies and rates pseudoscientific and potentially harmful practices.

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The physical and mental well-being of people with cancer may be affected by how they feel about their relationship with their physician and by differences in attachment styles, finds a new study from General Hospital Psychiatry.

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The latest work from a Kansas State University philosopher appears in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, which is a rarity for philosophy research.

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A performance improvement initiative for physicians can significantly increase their use of evidence-based practices in screening for and treating depression, in the July Journal of Psychiatric Practice. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

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Epley and co-author Juliana Schroder found that participants in the experiments not only underestimated others’ interest in connecting, but also reported positive experiences by both being spoken to and to speaking with a stranger.

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A new study by University of Chicago researchers suggests the difference between love and lust might be in the eyes. Specifically, where your date looks at you could indicate whether love or lust is in the cards. The new study found that eye patterns concentrate on a stranger’s face if the viewer sees that person as a potential partner in romantic love, but the viewer gazes more at the other person’s body if he or she is feeling sexual desire.

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New research from Nicholas Epley of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business finds that exceeding a promise isn't viewed any more highly than keeping a promise.

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By using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging scans from before the attack and survey data from after, the researchers found that heightened amygdala reaction to negative emotional stimuli was a risk factor for later developing symptoms of PTSD.

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Researchers at Ithaca College and UCLA and have found that gestures mothers use in teaching their infants new words are vital for infant word learning.

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Cigarette warning labels can influence a smoker to try to quit even when the smoker is trying to avoid seeing the labels, according to a survey of thousands of adult smokers in four countries published by the American Psychological Association.

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A Kansas State University researcher has found that short smartphone breaks throughout the workday can improve workplace productivity, make employees happier and benefit businesses.

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People are focused on the external world and don’t enjoy spending much time alone thinking, according to a new study led by University of Virginia psychologist Timothy Wilson and published in the journal Science.

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New study finds decades-old psychological “sacrificial dilemma” experiments may have outlived their usefulness.

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Poor physical health and financial health are driven by the same underlying psychological factors, finds a new study out of the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis.

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From the grocery aisle to the TV dial, health and safety claims about foods and their ingredients are dominating conversation, often scaring consumers away from many products and ingredients. The new Cornell University study, “Ingredient-based food fears and avoidance: antecedents and antidotes” published in the journal Food Quality and Preference, investigated food fears – why people have them and what can be done to correct misconceptions.

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For children, stress can go a long way. A little bit provides a platform for learning, adapting and coping. But a lot of it — chronic, toxic stress like poverty, neglect and physical abuse — can have lasting negative impacts. A team of University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers recently showed these kinds of stressors, experienced in early life, might be changing the parts of developing children’s brains responsible for learning, memory and the processing of stress and emotion.

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Humans have a well-documented tendency to see winning and losing streaks in situations that, in fact, are random. But scientists disagree about whether the “hot-hand bias” is a cultural artifact picked up in childhood or a predisposition deeply ingrained in the structure of our cognitive architecture.

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Developmental psychologist Daphne Maurer has spent more than four decades studying the complexities of the human mind. As the director of the Visual Development Lab at McMaster University and president of the International Society on Infant Studies, Maurer will present her life’s work at the Biennial International Conference on Infant Studies in Berlin July 4th.

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The need for psychiatric services in inpatient hospitals continues to grow, according to the latest annual survey from the National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems (NAPHS) released today.

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Researchers have shown that moving with others in time to music increases altruistic behavior in babies who have barely learned to walk.

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According to University of Chicago Booth School of Business Professor Christopher K. Hsee, we still have negative feelings about things that approach us — even if they objectively are not threatening.

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Some people find it easier to be their 'true selves' online, a new study says, but posting too much information on Facebook doesn't get users the validation they seek.

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Weight stigma and discrimination are likely more common than previously studied, a new research study from Western New England University suggests.

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Do you jump to help the less fortunate or cry during sad movie scenes? If yes, you may be among the 20 percent of our population that is genetically pre-disposed to empathy, according to a study by Stony Brook University psychologists.

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Recent research findings from Wayne State University show that the physical presence of romantic partners in intergroup friendships – friendships with different racial and ethnic groups, religious groups, or sexual orientations – positively influences interactions with people who are perceived to be different from themselves.

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Sexting among youth is more prevalent than previously thought, according to a new study from Drexel University that was based on a survey of undergraduate students at a large northeastern university. More than 50 percent of those surveyed reported that they had exchanged sexually explicit text messages, with or without photographic images, as minors. The study also found that the majority of young people are not aware of the legal ramifications of underage sexting.

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It's easier for people to forgive someone for doing wrong against them if some form of punishment is involved, according to psychology researchers at the University of Adelaide.

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Combining two smoking cessation therapies is more effective than using just one for male and highly nicotine-dependent smokers who weren't initially helped by the nicotine patch, according to researchers at Duke Medicine.

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According to a new study by social scientists at Cornell University, the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and Facebook, emotions can spread contagiously among users of online social networks.

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A Lafayette College study has found that older adults who lose their spouse tend to fare better health-wise if they have a friend—someone who is not a family member—in whom they can confide.

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Scientists look at how brain responds to memory and familiarity with fMRI to discover the mathematical predicting models have had it right all along.

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Teenage girls with a familial or genetic risk for breast cancer worry more about getting the disease, even when their mother has no history, compared to girls their age with no known high risks, according to new data presented today by researchers from Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago.

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Having regular positive interactions with family and friends and being involved in several different social networks can help older adults be healthier, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association.

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Penn Medicine researchers have discovered that cerebral blood flow (CBF) levels decreased similarly in males and females before puberty, but saw them diverge sharply in puberty, with levels increasing in females while decreasing further in males, which could give hints as to developing differences in behavior in men and women and sex-specific pre-dispositions to certain psychiatric disorders.

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Most discrimination in the U.S. is not caused by intention to harm people different from us, but by ordinary favoritism directed at helping people similar to us, according to a theoretical review published online in American Psychologist.

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Low-income Latino children who experienced one year of Montessori pre-K education at age 4 made dramatic improvements in early achievement and behavior even though they began the year at great risk for school failure, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.

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In this month’s release, find studies about adolescent weight status and how it may impact choosing friends; types of policies that may be the most helpful in lowering fast food consumption and increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables; and the quality of tap water in public schools.

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Trusting a stranger may have more to do with feeling morally obligated to show respect for someone else's character than actually believing the person is trustworthy, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association.

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Forgiving ourselves for hurting another is easier if we first make amends — thus giving our inner selves a “moral OK,” according to Baylor University psychology researchers.

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Depression in preschool teachers is associated with behavioral problems ranging from aggression to sadness in children under the teachers’ care, new research suggests.

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Using new stem cell technology, scientists at the Salk Institute have shown that neurons generated from the skin cells of people with schizophrenia behave strangely in early developmental stages, providing a hint as to ways to detect and potentially treat the disease early.

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- Freshly minted college graduates, take note: Buying a new suit may be No. 1 on your list for landing that first big job, but new research shows picking the right job training program could give you the real winning edge.

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Primary care teams that include both psychologists and physicians would help address known barriers to improved primary health care, including missed diagnoses, a lack of attention to behavioral factors and limited patient access to needed care, according to health care experts writing in a special issue of American Psychologist, the flagship journal of the American Psychological Association.