Latest science news in Psychology & Sociology
Canadian woman loses benefits over Facebook photo
(AP) -- A Canadian woman on long-term sick leave for depression says she lost her benefits because her insurance agent found photos of her on Facebook in which she...
Houston, we have a baby
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Shuttle Atlantis astronaut Randy Bresnik awoke early on Sunday to a much-anticipated call that his new daughter had been born.
Shifting blame is socially contagious
Merely observing someone publicly blame an individual in an organization for a problem -- even when the target is innocent -- greatly increases the odds that the practice of blaming...
The developing child: Rating aggressive and delinquent behaviour in pre-adolescence
In a study published in an upcoming issue of The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry researchers show that over reactive parenting, such as heavy criticism or yelling as a...
Surgery not linked to memory problems in older patients
For years, it has been widely assumed that older adults may experience memory loss and other cognitive problems following surgery. But a new study from researchers at Washington University School...
Elsevier celebrates the 20th anniversary of the UN Convention for the Rights of the Child
Elsevier, the leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, announced today the publication of a freely available Special Issue of Child Abuse and Neglect The International...
Why can't some people give up cocaine?
Drug dependency is a recurrent but treatable kind of addiction. However, not all people who are drug dependent progress in the same way once they stop taking drugs. A new...
Older problem drinkers use more alcohol than do their younger counterparts
Older adults who have alcohol dependence problems drink significantly more than do younger adults who have similar problems, a new study has found. The findings suggest that older problem drinkers...
Study uses brain scans to discover how children 'read' faces
(PhysOrg.com) -- Oxford University scientists are using brain-scanning technology to understand how we learn to recognise and 'read' faces as children.
Parents desperate for autism strategy
Long wait times in P.E.I. for the diagnosis of autism, up to two years, are leaving parents in a "state of panic," said a protester at the legislature Thursday.
Psychological therapy 32 times more cost effective at increasing happiness than money
Psychological therapy could be 32 times more cost effective at making you happy than simply obtaining more money, according to a new study. The research has obvious implications for large...
Researchers Begin to Decipher Metabolism of Sexual Assault Drug
4-HB is a naturally occurring brain chemical that can be abused or used as a date-rape drug if taken by mouth.
Intervention can reduce hostile perceptions in children with prenatal alcohol exposure
Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) has been linked to significant impairments in social skills. Researchers have found that a social- skills intervention called Children's Friendship Training can lead to a decrease...
Examining mathematical abilities in children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder
Children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) have a number of cognitive deficits. Mathematical ability seems particularly damaged in children with FASD. A new study supports the importance of the...
Sounds can penetrate deep sleep and enhance associated memories upon waking
They were in a deep sleep, yet sounds, such as a teakettle whistle, somehow penetrated their slumber. The 25 sounds were reminders of earlier spatial learning, though the research participants...
Video: Robo Rodents Top Toy List
Every year, there seems to be one hard-to-find toy that tops children's Christmas lists. This year, Anthony Mason reports, the must-have toy is a pet for kids who want one...
"What's happening?" Twitter wants to know
Twitter used to ask "What are you doing?" No longer. The micro-blogging service now wants to know "What's happening?"
Letters: Girls can aspire to be high-flyers
As a group representing professional women working in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, social sciences, medicine and health in a leading UK university, we found your report on the lecture by Jill Berry, president...
Mandatory evolution classes proposed
LONDON, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- The British government is moving toward mandating evolution be taught in all public primary schools as a science subject starting in September 2011.
Alberta mulls new health-care funding strategy
Alberta Health Minister Ron Liepert says he's open to a new way of having Albertans pay for health care.
Hospital seeks funds for angioplasty centre
The foundation at one of Windsor's hospitals has begun soliciting funds from regional governments to help pay for a new, $12.5-million angioplasty centre.
New Tevatron Higgs Limits Got Worse, But The 115 GeV Excess Is Growing!
It happens in the best families, so they say. Two experiments work 24/7 to produce an improved result on the Higgs search, and the result is disappointing, to say the...
The Incoherence Of Free Will
I recently re-read a classic piece by J.L. Mackie (April 1955), entitled “Evil and Omnipotence,” a stupendous philosophical essay about why theologians like Richard Swinburne are forced by their belief...
Baby's sleep position is the major factor in 'flat-headedness'
A baby's sleep position is the best predictor of a misshapen skull condition known as deformational plagiocephaly -- or the development of flat spots on an infant's head -- according...
Reporting As Science
Call it contrarian stubborness, but I believe there remains that print journalism a critical aspect of American society. That said, what's journalism? Matt Bowden, in the October issue of The Atlantic, proposes...
Sex and evolution to be on primary curriculum
Primary pupils in England will have to study evolution, British history and sex education, under a new curriculum for 5-11 year olds announced today.Ministers said they had moved to solidify the place of...
On The Difference Between Science And Philosophy
Attentive readers of this blog may have noticed that those who post comments to my entries often show two interesting and complementary attitudes: a fundamental distrust of (if not downright...
Academic Researchers’ Conflicts of Interest Go Unreported
A report finds that universities often do not disclose faculty members’ conflicts of interest in government-financed studies.