Latest science news in Psychology & Sociology
Facebook IPO shows Zuckerberg's power, fears
CNET's Molly Wood says filing shows Facebook founder has immense control at the company's helm, fears FTC privacy regulation
Scratching Feels Better on Certain Parts of Your Body
Itching your ankle may feel better than itching your arm.
Hope for those with a depressive disposition
Good news for the 13 per cent of the population with depressive personality traits: their negative outlook does not have to be permanent. This has been shown by psychologist Rachel Maddux...
The Pupils are the Windows to the Mind
The eyes are the window into the soul—or at least the mind, according to a new paper published in Perspectives on Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological...
The Amygdala And Fear Are Not The Same Thing
In a 2007 episode of the television show Boston Legal, a character claimed to have figured out that a cop was racist because his amygdala activated – displaying fear, when...
Republicans and democrats less divided than commonly thought
Republicans and Democrats are less divided in their attitudes than popularly believed, according to new research. It is exactly those perceptions of polarization, however, that help drive political...
Opinion: Children’s A.D.D. Drugs Don’t Work Long-Term
Millions of children take drugs to help them pay attention — but do they really help?
Teens have fewer behavioral issues when parents stay involved
When parents of middle school students participate in school-based, family interventions, it can reduce problem behavior, according to new research.
Sex role stereotyping and prejudices in children explored
Girls are not as good at playing football as boys, and they do not have a clue about cars. Instead they know better how to dance and do not get...
Are we over-diagnosing autism? The psychiatric debate
The American Psychiatric Association is considering a report that would narrow the mental health definition of autism and potentially excluse up to three-quarters of current cases.
How To Learn -- From Robert Bjork, Director Of UCLA Learning And Forgetting Lab
Taking notes during class? Topic-focused study? A consistent learning environment? All are exactly opposite the best strategies for learning. Really, I recently had the good fortune to interview Robert Bjork,...
Brain Stimulation And Ethics
Transcranial direct current stimulation (or TDCS), is a type of non-invasive brain stimulation in which weak electrical currents are applied to the head via electrodes for a short time (about...
Renegade sperm donor triggers US probe
A California man who donates his sperm for free to couples who want to have a baby is being investigated by US regulators but insists he will continue his efforts...
Twitter's new censorship plan rouses global furor
(AP) -- Twitter, a tool of choice for dissidents and activists around the world, found itself the target of global outrage Friday after unveiling plans to allow country-specific censorship...
Most people fudge numbers on weight and height surveys
When people in the U.S. are asked to provide their weight for research surveys, they underestimate their weight and overestimate their height, despite numerous public reports about increasing rates of...
Couple decide to implant frozen embryos
Grateful for the in vitro fertilization that enabled a couple to become parents, one believed donating the extra embryos to advance reproductive technology or treat debilitating diseases would be best....
The Truth About Race & Religion in Politics
A new method tries to tell whether prejudice plays into voting choices.
A physiological marker for false memories
False memories can be distinguished from real ones with a simple physiological test, report researchers from GermanyOur memories are not as accurate as we like to think they are. Every recollection is a...
Why are people friendly? | Andrew Brown
Without selection between competing groups, the advantages of co-operation are not great enough to make it spreadThis week's Nature has a report on how hunter-gatherers co-operate, which shows the way in which the...
Twilight Learning: Looking Back and Forward to the Possibilities of Subliminal Messages
The concept of the subliminal message is now familiar. A subconscious suggestion can help a person bring about positive change, such as smoking cessation, or otherwise influence one's actions. The...
First Nations need millions to tackle drug addiction
Matawa First Nations leaders are proposing a $34 million strategy to halt prescription drug abuse — a strategy that would fund addiction and mental health workers in nine communities.
Controversial bill would end right to comprehensive health care, say UK academics
Researchers from Queen Mary, University of London, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and public interest lawyers have made a detailed legal and policy analysis of the Government’s...
Study identifies why some young people choose to get tested for STDs and others don't
(Medical Xpress) -- A recent study by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Maryland identified the reasons why college-age individuals would be tested for sexually transmitted...
Multitasking may harm the social and emotional development of tweenage girls, researchers say
(Medical Xpress) -- Too much screen time can be detrimental to girls 8 to 12 years old, but there is a surprisingly straightforward alternative for greater social wellness.
Navy's Robot Warplane Tests Its 'Brains' for Midair Refueling
A Learjet tests the brains of the Navy's robotic warplane to see how the military drone could do autonomous aerial refueling.
Business, social media to prevent babies with HIV
(AP) -- Business and social media leaders teamed up Friday to tackle the transmission of HIV from mothers to babies, saying the medicine and the money are largely in...
Jumping spider uses fuzzy eyesight to judge distance
(PhysOrg.com) -- One of the ways in which humans determine distance is by estimating the sharpness of an imagecloser objects produce a sharp image, while those further away are out...
Chicago News Cooperative: Cook County Tracks High Rate of Sick Leave for Workers
On average last fiscal year, each Cook County employee took 6.64 hours of paid sick leave a month, compared with 3.6 hours a month for state and local government workers...