Latest science news in Psychology & Sociology
Who Assesses The Assessors? Bias Tests For Standardized Tests Biased
What if assumptions of bias factored into test results to overcome social or cultural bias that prevents some people from achieving high test scores turned out to be flawed? That's a...
Male modesty not appreciated by female or male interviewers, study suggests
A researcher who explored the consequences for men (and women) when they acted modestly in job interviews found that "modest" males were less liked, a sign of social backlash. Modesty...
Brain potentials reveal spectator effect
The neurological responses caused by observing somebody else playing a game have been uncovered. Researchers found differing responses for neutral observers, compared to those who wished the player to fail...
Mental health experts ask: Will anyone be normal?
LONDON (Reuters) - An updated edition of a mental health bible for doctors may include diagnoses for "disorders" such as toddler tantrums and binge eating, experts say, and could mean...
To make one happy, make one busy
In Greek mythology, the gods punished Sisyphus by condemning him to roll a rock up a steep hill for eternity. But he was probably better off than if they'd condemned...
Memory's master switch
Neuroscientists have long wondered how individual connections between brain cells remain diverse and "fit" enough for storing new memories. Reported in the prestigious science journal Neuron, a new study led...
Resting brain activity associated with spontaneous fibromyalgia pain
A recent study provides the first direct evidence of linkage between elevated intrinsic (resting-state) brain connectivity and spontaneous pain intensity in patients with fibromyalgia. This research shows an interaction of...
Audubon's first engraving of a bird discovered
In 1824, John James Audubon (1785-1851), the eminent American artist, created a drawing of a running grouse for use in the design for a New Jersey bank note. Although the...
B.C. ends sex tests as researcher charged
The B.C. government has cancelled a program that tested the sexual responses of young sex offenders by attaching sensors to their genitals, after it learned one of the researchers has...
A leap forward in addiction awareness and control
A study by a team of researchers at Bangor University has designed and tested two programs that help problem drinkers curb their alcohol abuse. The study shows positive results after...
Story tips from the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, August 2010
To arrange for an interview with a researcher, please contact the Communications and External Relations staff member identified at the end of each tip. For more information on ORNL and...
Dopamine Determines Impulsive Behavior
Binge-shoppers and serial daters might perpetually be living at the whim of their latest impulse, and now research is getting to the biological basis of their seemingly random behavior....
AMP Responds to Genetic Test Registry Request for Information
Today, the Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) submitted written comments in response to the Request for Information made by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for its Genetic Test Registry...
Good and bad in the hands of politicians
Politicians' gestures can reveal their thoughts, according to a new study. In laboratory tests, right- and left-handers associate positive ideas like honesty and intelligence with their dominant side of space...
Afghan and Pakistani scientists to collaborate
US initiatives connect Afghan and Pakistani scientists with American counterparts, but a new project will connect them with each other.
U.S. Nuclear Forensics Skill Is Declining, Report Says
A lack of resources and organizational problems are hampering America’s ability to identify nuclear weapons used in a terrorist attack, researchers say.
Protecting child 'witches' in Africa | Joachim Theis
The persecution of children accused of witchcraft is a reaction to the insecurity of modern Africa. We must protect themBeliefs in witchcraft and other occult forces are widespread in Africa, as they are...
N.L. laboratories lack expertise: review
A review of Newfoundland and Labrador's largest medical labs has found dysfunctional relationships among members of the medical staff and a lack of expertise in complex areas of medical testing.
Motion Sickness in Virtual Worlds
An experimental psychologist studies all forms of motion sickness, including cybersickness – a phenomenon that occurs in virtual reality environments such as those displayed by 3D movies.
The Evolutionary Illogic Of Crime, Punishment, And Attention
The attention we give to (or withhold from) tragedies has little to do with numbers: many hundreds can die in a cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe or hundreds of thousands in an...
Playing with pills: Students gaming for knowledge
A specially made computer game, developed at the University of Stavanger (UiS), is set to help Norwegian nursing students pass a vitally important exam.
What students really think about God | Keith S Taber
We want to find exactly out what kind of beliefs students bring to science lessons, and how teachers can deal with themAlom Shaha recently raised the issue of how science teachers should...
Teachers can close gender gap in classroom leadership during medical school
Half of U.S. first-year medical students are female, yet a new UCLA study shows that they volunteer for leadership roles in the classroom significantly less than their male counterparts. Subtle...
Crowd dynamics in the spotlight after Duisburg disaster
(PhysOrg.com) -- The Love Parade in Duisburg in western Germany on 24th July was supposed to be a night of music and celebration for the estimated 1.4 million revelers, but...
Proposition 23 backers sue over ballot language
The suit, filed against Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown, says the wording describing the measure is 'false, misleading and unfair.' The ballots will be printed in mid-August. ...
California Republicans shunning one traditional path to victory: the environment
In previous elections, GOP candidates have been rewarded for responding to voters' environmental concerns. Those concerns continue, a study finds, but Fiorina and Whitman are focusing elsewhere. For decades, Republicans who won statewide...
After the burning, a raft of IVF horror stories to come | Zoe Williams
The abolition of the HFEA will leave a major policy vacuum in biotech ethics. Without intervention, it'll be filled by the Daily MailGeorge Osborne promised us a bonfire of the quangos, and...
Novartis Plans Giveaway of New Children’s Medicine
The Swiss drug giant will give away up to 250,000 bottles of a liquid medicine to woo parents frustrated by the recall of liquid children’s Tylenol.