Latest science news in Psychology & Sociology
Gray Versus Grouse: Wolfram Research's Co-Founder on His New Knowledge Engine
PopSci's Grouse recently reviewed Wolfram|Alpha. I guess that's what happens when you ignore your editors for a week: They let someone else write about your project! read more
Poor Attention In Kindergarten Predicts Lower High School Test Scores
As thousands of students nationwide prepare to leave high school, anew study shows a clear link between attention problems early in school -- as early as kindergarten -- and lower...
Scientists reaching consensus on how brain processes speech
Neuroscientists feel they are much closer to an accepted unified theory about how the brain processes speech and language, according to a scientist at Georgetown University Medical Centre who first...
Strict maternal feeding practices not linked to child weight gain
A new study published online in the journal Obesity provides further evidence that strict maternal control over eating habits - such as determining how much a child should eat and...
Genetic Basis Of Musical Aptitude: Neurobiology Of Musicality Related To Intrinsic Attachment Behavior
Music is social communication between individuals -- humming of lullabies attach infant to parent and singing or playing music adds croup cohesion. The neurobiology of music perception and production is...
Brain-behavior Disconnect In Cocaine Addiction
A new brain-imaging study reveals differences in cocaine users' ability to monitor their behavior and emotions in comparison to healthy control subjects. Such impairments may underlie vulnerability to drugs and...
Transparency urged for out-of-province health funding decisions
The province needs to fully and clearly disclose the reasons behind decisions it makes on funding out-of-province medical procedures, Alberta's ombudsman said in a report released Tuesday.
Brain takes just 200 milliseconds to interpret facial expressions
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at the University of Glasgow have discovered that it takes the brain just 200 milliseconds to gather most of the information it needs from a facial expression...
New research helps explain how connexin hemichannels are kept closed
Hemichannels are connexin channels that can dock with each other to create a gap junction across two plasma membranes. In the June 2009 issue of the Journal of General Physiology...
‘Super-recognizers' never forget a face
Some people say they never forget a face, a claim now bolstered by psychologists at Harvard University who’ve discovered a group they call “super-recognizers”: those who can easily recognize someone...
Evidence supports use of Web- and computer-based programs to help adults quit smoking
Available evidence supports the use of online or other computer-based smoking cessation programs for helping adults quit smoking, according to a meta-analysis of previously published studies appearing in the 25...
Smart and social?
Packs of hunting dogs, troops of baboons, herds of antelope: when people observe social animals, they are often struck by how intelligent they seem, and recent studies suggest that sociality...
Fear of family reaction is barrier to treatment for depressed teens
Although teen depression poses a widespread problem for which proven treatments exist, few depressed teens receive any care...
Time spent on meaningful pursuits may cut risk of physician burnout
Faculty physicians at academic medical centres may be less likely to experience burnout if they spend at least one day per week on the aspect of their work that is...
Gene research finds opposites do attract
The bond of true love may be forged in the genes as well as in the mind, researchers have found.
Faith in science
Huge audiences for science talks are a positive indication of the flourishing and lively constituency of interest in the subject
Division between sciences and arts 'puts planet in peril'
Speaking at the Hay festival today, biographer Richard Holmes has urged scientists and artists to w
Psychologists Find That Head Movement Is More Important Than Gender In Nonverbal Communication
Psychologists and computer scientists have found that gender is less important than head motion in the nonverbal dynamics of how people converse.
Psychiatrists rewriting the mental health bible
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, commonly called DSM, is getting an update. Now experts must decide what is a disorder and what falls in the range of...
Legalize it? Medical evidence on marijuana blows both ways
Sparked anew by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's call for the state to study the legalization of marijuana, both sides in the smoldering pot debate point to research to bolster their positions.
Using 'Dominance' To Explain Dog Behavior Is Old Hat
A new study shows how the behavior of dogs has been misunderstood for generations: in fact using misplaced ideas about dog behavior and training is likely to cause rather than...
Twitter coming to television in form of series
Twitter is migrating from computer to TV screens. The micro-blogging website will partner with Reveille and Brillstein Entertainment to produce an unscripted television series, a project announced with few details...
Study: ADHD kids benefit from fidgeting
ORLANDO, Fla., May 25 (UPI) -- Children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder can actually concentrate better if allowed to fidget, a University of Central Florida study says.
Iran blocks access to Facebook ahead of election
Iran has blocked the popular social media website Facebook ahead of elections, causing critics to charge that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is trying to weaken the youth vote.
'Jet-lagged moms' prone to postpartum depression, says doctor
A group of Canadian clinicians say they think the incidence of postpartum depression could be reduced by a simple remedy: sleep.
More to Second Life than just sex
Researchers at the University of Toronto and the University Health Network's Centre for Innovation in Complex Care (CICC) have found that a wide array of health-related activity occurs in the...
Most vets get bad backs
A study has revealed that back pain is a problem for 96 per cent of vets, with nearly one in five taking time off because of the discomfort.
Morgentaler clinic worker says N.B. government 'waiting for him to give up'
Seven years after Dr. Henry Morgentaler launched his legal challenge against the New Brunswick government, an employee at his abortion clinic in Fredericton says she thinks the province is deliberately...