Latest science news in Psychology & Sociology
Tobacco Smuggling Is Killing More People Than Illegal Drugs, Experts Claim
Tobacco smuggling causes around 4,000 premature deaths a year -- four times the number of deaths caused by the use of all smuggled illegal drugs put together -- but the...
Babies And Beethoven: Infants Can Tell Happy Songs From Sad
A new study shows that 5-month-old babies can distinguish an upbeat tune, such as "Ode to Joy" from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, from a lineup of gloomier compositions. By age 9...
Scientists Adapt Economics Theory To Trace Brain's Information Flow
Scientists have used a technique originally developed for economic study to become the first to overcome a significant challenge in brain research: determining the flow of information from one part...
Learning How Not to Be Afraid
Why do some people have the ability to remain calm and relaxed even in the most stressful situations? New experiments in mice by Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) researchers are...
Charles Arthur: The difficult decision that would change our son's life
Charles Arthur: Two years ago, at 14 months, our son Lachlan had an operation to give him a cochlear implant
Rebecca Atkinson: I wouldn't have minded if my baby had been born deaf, but the embryology bill suggests I should
Rebecca Atkinson: Deaf, like black, is not just a description of a physical attribute, but an expression of pride, belonging and cultural identity
Pushing child to 'clean his plate' can backfire, study warns
(PhysOrg.com) -- Telling preschoolers to "clean" their plate can backfire, resulting in the children asking for larger portions when they are away from home, concludes a new Cornell study.
Babies with Delayed Gross Motor Skills Need Specific Early Intervention
If babies are not achieving specific movement skills, such as rolling or sitting, by a certain age, it is a sign that something could be wrong. Currently, more emphasis is...
Brainy genes, not brawn, key to success on mussel beach
It's hard being a mussel: you have to worry about hungry starfish and even hungrier humans, not to mention an environment that can change your body temperature 50 degrees Fahrenheit...
Risk and reward compete in brain
That familiar pull between the promise of victory and the dread of defeat - whether in money, love or sport - is rooted in the brain's architecture, according...
'It's not science fiction — it's even cooler'
From medicine cabinets to the fermented beer in the fridge, Americans are surrounded by science all the time. The St. Louis Science Center is launching a festival this week to...
Deathways Open Doors To Unexpected Cultural Practices
Cremation, "air burial," grave cairns, funeral mounds, mummification, belief in life after death -- death practices sacred to one culture are often considered "odd" or even terrifying by another. In...
Gene-testing startup's study responds to critics
(AP) -- A Silicon Valley gene-testing startup is responding to criticism that the tests could spur bad health-care choices by teaming up for a broad study of how the...
Experts Conclude Pfizer Manipulated Studies
The drug maker manipulated the publication of studies to bolster use of its epilepsy drug Neurontin, according to expert witnesses in a lawsuit against the company.
Oscars will take movie ads, ending 50-year ban
The decision by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences comes as TV advertising budgets tighten and viewership falls. ...
Robot created to look like young girl
OSAKA , Japan, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- Japanese scientists say they've created a life-like robot resembling a 5-year-old girl.
Psychologists Show Experience May Be The Best Teacher For Infants
There's a lot of truth in the old proverb "experience is the best teacher," and apparently it even applies to 10-month-old infants.
Cocaine addicts' brains predisposed to abuse: study
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Cocaine addicts may have brain deficits that predispose them to drug abuse, and abusing drugs appears to make matters worse, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday.
The pepperoni pizza hypothesis
What's the worst that could happen after eating a slice of pepperoni pizza? A little heartburn, for most people.
Mice overcome fear, depression with natural Prozac
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The brain can produce antidepressants with the right signal, a finding that suggests that meditating, or going to your "happy place," truly works, scientists reported on Wednesday.
Online players beware the video game police
Xbox Live's head cop discusses how he keeps law and order in an online world.
Insider trading: Another glass ceiling?
(PhysOrg.com) -- Martha Stewart notwithstanding, female executives who legally trade on inside information make nice, tidy profits—but not as much as men in the same positions, say researchers at the...
Horse moms tend to be nicer to sons
Do mothers inherently favor sons over daughters? They do if the mom is healthy and she is a wild horse, according to a new study on literal horseplay.
IT workers paid less in P.E.I.
A new study on the information technology labour force on P.E.I. shows workers are paid less on the Island, and employers are having a hard time filling positions.
Major research project highlights the changing face of nurses in films over the last 100 years
An extensive study of how the nursing profession has been portrayed in films over the last century has shown that unflattering stereotypes are becoming less common and nurses are now...
GPs and patients getting older
Not only are patients getting older, the number of general practitioners under 45 has also declined over the past decade, new research has found.
Emory University psychiatrist accused of conflict of interest
Dr. Charles B. Nemeroff failed to report a third of the income he received from companies whose drugs he was evaluating, a congressional investigation finds. ...
Research ethics must still apply in disaster zones
Disaster research can help future interventions, but urgency should never excuse exploitation of survivors, says Athula Sumathipala.