Latest science news in Psychology & Sociology
Videogames getting minds of their own
Videogames are getting smarter with virtual enemies improvising during battles, storylines shifting based on moral choices and in-game characters sending players text messages for help.
Healthy Diets Shown to Have Benefit Despite Modest Weight Losses
The results of a tightly controlled dieting experiment highlight the difficulty of weight loss and that most diets just don’t work very well.
Congress Overrides Bush’s Veto on Medicare
President Bush cast a futile veto, rejecting a bill that would protect doctors from cuts in Medicare payments.
New Model Explains Why We Overestimate Our Future Choices
When people make choices for future consumption, they select a wider variety than when they plan to immediately consume the products. A new study examines the reasons behind this diversification...
Context Is Everything: New Research Uncovers Key To Consumer Preferences
New research in the Journal of Consumer Research reveals that a product's attractiveness can shift depending on the other choices that are available at the time. The authors demonstrate that...
Good News For Veggies: Personal Values Deceive Taste Buds
Many heavy meat eaters believe they eat a lot of meat because of the taste. But according to groundbreaking new research the reason that a beef burger tastes better than...
Mississippi remains most obese state, CDC reports
(AP) -- Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee lead the nation when it comes to obesity, a new government survey reported Thursday.
Polio resurfaces in region of Pakistan
(AP) -- An eight-month-old Pakistani girl has tested positive for polio in an area where militants campaigned against vaccination, a World Health Organization official said Thursday.
Scientists Creates Touch-based Illusion
Anyone who has seen an optical illusion can recall the quirky moment when you realize that the image being perceived is different from objective reality. Now, scientists have designed a...
Emotional robots in the spotlight
(PhysOrg.com) -- A robot with empathy sounds like the stuff of sci-fi movies, but with the aid of neural networks European researchers are developing robots in tune with our emotions....
Drug-resistant TB needs massive research increase
Multidrug-resistant TB needs more research to equip healthcare workers with the right tools, write Frank G. J. Cobelens and colleagues.
Interview: Medicinal reasons
Yixin Lu talks to Vikki Allen about his dreams and the importance of medicinal chemistry
‘Macho’ work ethic forcing women out of chemistry
Isolation and lack of encouragement fuel exit from academia
Negative perception of blacks rises with more news watching, studies say
Watching the news should make you more informed, but it also may be making you more likely to stereotype, says a University of Illinois researcher. In a pair of recently...
Decisions under pressure: it's all in the heartbeat
A person's heart rate can reveal a lot about how they make decisions when feeling stressed, a Queensland University of Technology academic says.
Researchers find a partially shared genetic profile between schizophrenia and bipolar disorder
Both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder can be disabling conditions, and both present clinically with significant mood and psychotic symptoms. These two illnesses also share genetic variants that might be...
Chalk and talk
The traditional view of a teacher scribbling on a chalkboard while talking at students has changed in recent years, not only with the advent of net-connected classroom displays and other...
Comrades To Consumers: Advertisements In Chinese Media
A new study looks at the role advertising has played in China's transformation. Researchers analyzed advertisements in the Chinese media for clues on how sociological and ideological change has taken...
Opinion: Great research how about some outcomes?
Though Australian health research is strong in theory, it needs to be translated into social and commercial outcomes, according to Peter Andrews.
Addicted to Grief? [News]
Editor's Note: This story will be published in the October/November issue of Scientific American Mind.Losing a loved one is always painful, but for most people time eventually heals the wounds....
Talk to the Newsroom: Dennis Overbye, Science Reporter
Dennis Overbye, who covers what he likes to call “cosmic affairs,” answered readers’ questions.
'Star Wars' video game bridges gap between films
(AP) -- Consider it "Star Wars III and a Half" - complete with a pivotal plot twist.
Decisions Shut Door on Bush Clean-Air Steps
A court ruling and an E.P.A. decision deferred to the next president any significant new effort to fight air pollution.
Tongue Orchids’ Sexual Guile: Utterly Convincing
Many orchids have evolved elaborate ruses to lure pollinators, but one species takes the deception to shameless heights.
Home violence hinders education
Children who have been exposed to violence in their homes tend to have difficulties at school or don't enjoy it, according to a literature review.
Undersea Intelligence
All Together Now: AquaJellies are an experiment to create autonomous robots that can work alone or cooperatively. Photo by AP Photo; Kai-Uwe KnothSwimming around in their tank, these autonomous robotic...
Empathy Is 'Hard-Wired' in Children's Brains
Scans show young naturally prone to relate to pain in others, study says
Nursing homes: What to look for in a long-term care facility
More than 150,000 Canadian seniors were living in residential care facilities in 2004/2005, according to figures from Statistics Canada. That's about three per cent of the country's population over the...