Latest science news in Psychology & Sociology
Video game addiction: Does it exist?
Video game addiction is not an official diagnosis, but studies estimate eight per cent of all children and teens are affected. Researchers are just starting to address questions like what...
Kids with Autism Don't Experience Contagious Yawning
About 45 percent of us yawn when we see someone else yawn.
'Sound science' code draws fire
Critics assail the US Department of the Interior's draft policy on scientific integrity.
Children and adults see the world differently
Unlike adults, children are able to keep information from their senses separate and may therefore perceive the visual world differently, according to research published today...
Male maturity shaped by early nutrition
It seems the old nature versus nurture debate can't be won. But a new Northwestern University study of men in the Philippines makes a strong case for nurture's role in...
New study reconciles conflicting data on mental ageing
A new look at tests of mental ageing reveals a good news-bad news situation. The bad news is all mental abilities appear to decline with age, to varying degrees. The...
Can the kids be all right if they are gay too?
New research on the children of LGBTQ people (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) has unequivocally revealed that they are not only psychologically healthy, but often appear to exhibit better...
Smell of rotten fish detected faster than roses
(PhysOrg.com) -- Roses may smell better than rotten fish but the brain detects the latter faster and more accurately. This is according to a study published earlier this year in...
Schizophrenia: what we know now
(PhysOrg.com) -- Emory psychologist Elaine Walker, who has studied the origins and precursors of psychosis for 30 years, edited a special issue of 'Current Directions in Psychological Science,' summarizing the...
Attack on SC prison guard renews phone-jam debate
(AP) -- South Carolina authorities who have helped push for permission to block cell phone signals inside prisons say an officer in charge of keeping out contraband was nearly...
CU-Boulder study sheds light on how our brains get tripped up when we’re anxious
A new University of Colorado at Boulder study sheds light on the brain mechanisms that allow us to make choices and ultimately could be helpful in improving treatments for the...
Blacks with muscular dystrophy die 10-12 years younger than whites: study
African Americans with muscular dystrophy die 10 to 12 years younger than their white counterparts, according to research published in the Sept. 14 issue of Neurology, the medical journal of...
'Natural' male sex pill contains Cialis ingredient
A product that is billed as a 100 per cent natural aphrodisiac for men actually contains tadalafil, the active ingredient in Cialis.
Really?: The Claim: Paper Towels Thwart More Germs Than Air Dryers Do
A few studies have portrayed air dryers as bacterial breeding grounds. But those studies tend to have a conflict of interest: paper-industry financing.
Wives as the new breadwinners
During the recent recession in the United States, many industries suffered significant layoffs, leaving individuals and families to revise their spending and rethink income opportunities. Many wives are increasingly becoming...
When Kids Make Excuses to Avoid School
Some children make excuses to avoid school. For pediatricians and parents, the challenge is to find out why.
Fast-Growing Boys Have More Sex as Men
Research supports the idea that early infant experiences shape adult attributes
For that fabulous sculpted body, the Bowflex makes a good coat rack
Despite the buff models and the elevated claims in the ads, the Bowflex is a poor substitute for free weights, a sensible diet and like-minded friends.The people in the Bowflex...
Video mayhem enlivens decision making
Action gamers acquire advantage in evaluating sensory information.
Brain Drain
What happens in your brain when you get lost or forget something? Amy Shelton believes she can find the answer by testing human spatial recognition. Subjects learn and recall...
Vampire Books Like 'Twilight' May Be Altering Teen Minds
Researchers are studying how reading affects young brains.
Mobile phones to help diabetics and pregnant women
Text and voice messages will be used to support the self care of Chileans with type 2 diabetes and mothers-to-be in Peru.
Public handwashing: More adults than ever (85 percent) observed washing hands in public restrooms
A new observational study finds that 85 percent of adults washed their hands in public restrooms, compared with 77 percent in 2007.
Getting to the bottom of the matter
Nursing lecturer imparts embarrassing knowledge in research documentNurses must acquire some skills that non-medical people find embarrassing, disgusting, maybe even childish. Such knowledge can be difficult to obtain from the standard medical books...
Eye-witness identification may be attributed to bias
For the first time, eye-witness identifications are to be studied to determine if people avoid pointing the finger at someone they like in a police line-up.
Is God scraping the barrel for miracles? | Martin Robbins
The Vatican's latest 'miracle' is further evidence of a worrying long-term decline in God's powersIf you read the BBC's coverage of Deacon Jack Sullivan this morning, you might be tempted to believe that...
Truth-telling does not heal
The practice of encouraging Rwanda survivors to tell the truth in order to heal psychologically has been questioned on its benefits.
A Bleak View For Curbing CO2
Environment: Breaking the world's fossil-fuel addiction will be difficult at best, study suggests.