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UrduAustralia has suffered a significant drop in teenage maths proficiency in the past 20 years – sliding from 11th in the OECD rankings to 29th place out of 38 countries, prompting widespread debate over potential curriculum changes. One University of South Australia researcher says hand gestures could stop the slide.
Tag: Psychology
Mental health assessments often fail to identify suicidal ideation with gun owners
More people are willing to talk about their mental health struggles, including thoughts of suicide. Now, a new study by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine aims to ensure medical professionals are asking the right questions to prevent a tragedy.
Graduating senior Marissa Ouverson is a world champion griller
When the pandemic sent students online, Marissa Ouverson decided to try her hand at competitive steak grilling, traveling around the country and ultimately becoming a world champion.
COVID-19 pandemic led to increase in loneliness around the world
People around the world experienced an increase in loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic, which, although small, could have implications for people’s long-term mental and physical health, longevity, and well-being, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.
Mentioning ‘white privilege’ increases online polarization
If there’s an online discussion about race, using the term “white privilege” can create a polarized situation, say University of Michigan researchers.
NIH awards Joseph Mikels $2.6 million to research motivation and health
Tapping into positive emotions and social connections may be key to motivating older adults to exercise. DePaul University psychology professor Joseph Mikels has been awarded a $2.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to continue his work on emotion, aging and decision-making throughout the life span.
For cooperative teams, modesty leaves the best impression
People may forgo displaying luxury brands and other signals of status when they want to convince others that they will collaborate well with a team, as people who signal their wealth and social status could be perceived as uncooperative, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.
Both Mothers and Friends Shape Adolescent Self-esteem
A new longitudinal study takes a deep dive into adolescent self-esteem and the role that parents – specifically mothers – and friends play in shaping how youth feel about themselves.
Gay, Bisexual Men Have Lower Suicide Risk in More Tolerant Countries
Gay and bisexual men who move from a country with high stigma toward LGBTQ people to one more accepting of LGBTQ rights experience a significantly lower risk of suicide and depression, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.
Conflicting Health Information Compromises Patients’ Attention and Health Decisions
The 24-hour news cycle and social media bombardment often resulting in conflicting messages about health issues might be making it harder than ever for people to make critical decisions, according to a Rutgers-led study.
Barbershop Program Helps Reduce Violence in Philadelphia
A coping-skills program with young Black men in Philadelphia barbershops helped reduce reported violent behavior for up to three months, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.
Urgent Need to Address Mental Health Effects of Climate Change, Says Report
With a large majority of Americans concerned about climate change and an increasing number expressing alarm and distress, it is past time to address this burgeoning public health crisis at the individual, community and societal levels, according to a report from the American Psychological Association and ecoAmerica.
It’s true: Be nice and others are more likely to be nice to you
When two people meet for the first time, they tend to see the other person as having a similar personality to their own. A friendly and sociable person will tend to see others as friendly and sociable. Someone who is shy and reserved will see those characteristics in others. In the world of psychology, this is known as the “assumed similarity effect.” Psychologists have theorized people use their own personalities to fill in the blanks with someone they don’t know well. Now University of Oregon psychologists have proposed, tested and found support for another contributing factor: people tend to reciprocate each other’s behavior. A person who acts friendly and sociable is more likely get the same in return.
Navigating Holiday Family Gatherings in Tense Times
Rush psychologist offers help handling some tricky situations that may come up this holiday season
Mechanisms of addiction: Psychology professor receives NIH grant for brain research
A five-year, $2.59 million grant from the National Institutes of Health will allow a psychology professor at Binghamton University, State University of New York to study the mechanisms of addiction.
New Tool Assesses How Well People Read Kids’ Emotions
Researchers have developed and validated a tool for assessing how accurate people are at recognizing emotion in elementary school-aged children. The technique facilitates research on understanding emotions of children – and shows that adults are often wrong when assessing the emotions of children.
You Might Not Know What You’re Saying
SUNY Geneseo’s Jason Ozubko is the first author on a recent paper that looks at a type of memory glitch called a “recognition failure.” It’s when you can come up with a word—like the name of a restaurant you’re struggling to remember—without being sure that the name you just blurted out is the correct name.
Punishment alone isn’t the deterrent many think it is, ASU professor says in new book
Adam Fine, an ASU assistant professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Arizona State University, has co-written a book on misbehavior.
Media Invited to Acoustical Society of America Meeting in Seattle, Nov. 29 – Dec. 3
After more than a year of virtual conferences, the Acoustical Society of America (ASA) is holding its 181st meeting in person in Seattle, Washington, at the Hyatt Regency Seattle from Nov. 29 through Dec. 3. This major scientific conference brings together interdisciplinary groups of acoustics professionals, spanning many fields, including physics, medicine, music, psychology, wildlife biology, and engineering, to discuss the latest advancements. Follow conference highlights with social media hashtag #ASA181.
FDA authorization of COVID-19 vaccine for kids 5 to 11: IU experts available to comment
Following a daylong meeting Oct. 26, the FDA authorized Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for use in children ages 5 to 11. This was the first in a series of meetings to make this vaccine available to younger children. Next, the Advisory…
PTSD symptoms vary over course of menstrual cycle
In women who have experienced trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms may vary over the course of the menstrual cycle, with more symptoms during the first few days of the cycle when the hormone estradiol is low, and fewer symptoms close to ovulation, when estradiol is high, finds research published by the American Psychological Association.
Stress In America™ 2021: Pandemic Impedes Basic Decision-Making Ability
Americans are struggling with the basic decisions required to navigate daily life as the effects of pandemic-related stress continue to take a toll, especially on younger adults and parents, according to a national survey from the American Psychological Association.
UNLV Research Bolsters Link Between Diabetes and Alzheimer’s Disease
In a study published in the September issue of the journal Communications Biology, UNLV neuroscientists show that chronic hyperglycemia impairs working memory performance and alters fundamental aspects of working memory networks.
New NIH research study to investigate psychosocial determinants of cardiovascular disease risk among urban African American adults
The Biopsychosocial Health lab from Wayne State University has been awarded $3,590,488 from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health to conduct a project titled “Stress and Cardiovascular Risk Among Urban African American adults: A Multilevel, Mixed Methods Approach.”
Who’s in cognitive control?
A new study into cognitive control from the lab of Todd Braver promises to be the first of many aimed at understanding its origins in the brain and its variations between people and among groups.
Cameras, not meetings, cause Zoom fatigue
In the post-pandemic world, a few things have become ubiquitous: masks, hand sanitizer and Zoom fatigue, or the feeling of being worn out after a long day of virtual meetings. But new research from a team led by University of Georgia psychologist Kristen Shockley suggests that it’s not the meetings causing the fatigue—it’s the camera.
Too Much Free Time May Be Almost As Bad As Too Little
As an individual’s free time increases, so does that person’s sense of well-being – but only up to a point. Too much free time can be also be a bad thing, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.
People look alike if we think they have similar personalities, new study finds
Do Vladimir Putin and Justin Bieber look alike? They do if you think they have similar personalities, shows a new study by a team of psychologists.
Believing Leisure Is Wasteful Reduces Happiness
While many – from Aristotle to the Dalai Lama – have opined on the state of human happiness, a new Rutgers-led study finds that utter contentment depends, at least in part, on believing that leisure activities are not a waste of time.
New Latinx Scholarships for Psychology & Counseling Undergrads
Northern California’s leading school of psychology and counseling the creation of ten scholarships of $10,000 each for Spanish speaking, Latinx undergraduate students in the University’s BS in Psychology and Social Action program.
Coping in College? Female Students Much More Stressed Than Their Male Counterparts
Researchers measured both the psychological perception of stress and evaluated how undergraduate males and females cope with stress. The differences are vast. Females experienced much higher levels of stress than males and used emotion-focused approaches to cope more than males. Females used self-distractions, emotional support and venting as coping strategies. Male students on the other hand sought much lower levels of support, since they either may lack the social network or may not have developed those skills.
Older People Reluctant to Seek Help for Mental Health Concerns
A new Edith Cowan University (ECU) study has found that more than 40 per cent of older Australians living with chronic disease would be unlikely to seek help for mental health conditions even if they needed it.
‘Virtual nature’ experiences reduce stress in prisons
For people who are in jails or prisons, experiencing nature virtually is usually their only option. A new study from University of Utah researchers finds that exposure to nature imagery or nature sounds decreased physiological signs of stress in the incarcerated, and spurred their interest in learning more about the habitats they experienced. The researchers also found that, in general, people didn’t strongly prefer visual to auditory nature experiences.
We are More Forgiving When People Close to Us Misbehave
When people behave badly or unethically, their loved ones may judge them less harshly than they would judge a stranger who committed the same transgressions, but that leniency may come at the cost of the judger’s own sense of self-worth, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.
Many parents still believe boys are better, more competitive at sports than girls
Female Olympian handballers fined for playing in shorts instead of bikini bottoms. A female Paralympian told by a championship official that her shorts were “too short and inappropriate.” Olympic women gymnasts, tired of feeling sexualized, opted for full-length unitards instead of bikini-cut leotards.
Healing trauma: Research links PTSD, emotion regulation and quality of life
Research from Binghamton University, State University of New York provides insight into the impact PTSD has on emotional regulation and quality of life, and points to ways to improve both.
From ‘distress’ to ‘unscathed’ — mental health of UW students during spring 2020
To understand how the UW’s transition to online-only classes affected college students’ mental health in the spring of 2020, UW researchers surveyed 147 UW undergraduates over the 2020 spring quarter.
Officers’ tone of voice reflects racial disparities in policing
The Black Lives Matter movement has brought increasing attention to disparities in how police officers treat Black and white Americans. Now, research published by the American Psychological Association finds that disparity may exist even in subtle differences in officers’ tone of voice when they address Black and white drivers during routine traffic stops.
Childhood Lead Exposure May Adversely Affect Adults’ Personalities
A study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, sampled more than 1.5 million people in 269 U.S. counties and 37 European nations. Researchers found that those who grew up in areas with higher levels of atmospheric lead had less adaptive personalities in adulthood — lower levels of conscientiousness and agreeableness and higher levels of neuroticism.
Report finds fewer early childhood education expulsions following Illinois law
The report, which covers the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 school years, details survey responses from Illinois area early childhood professionals.
Why Britney Feels Like Your BFF: Understanding Social Media and Parasocial Relationships
Parasocial relationships are generally defined as imagined, one-sided connections with celebrities or media figures. Tracy Gleason, professor of psychology at Wellesley, has researched the nature of parasocial relationships in adolescence.
Reopening Anxiety? Here’s How to Overcome it According to University of Kentucky Experts
For nearly a year, we relied on masks to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Now, many are removing the facial coverings, but that doesn’t mean it will be easy to shed the anxiety that accompanies a global pandemic. If you’re having difficulty coping with this added stress, psychology experts at the University of Kentucky say you’re not alone.
Just Enough Information Will Motivate Young Children to Learn, Drive Curiosity
Preschool children are sensitive to the gap between how much they know and how much there is to learn, according to a Rutgers University-New Brunswick study.
Language Trade-off? No, Bilingual Children Reliably Acquire English by Age 5
A first-of-its kind study in U.S.-born children from Spanish-speaking families finds that minority language exposure does not threaten the acquisition of English by children in the U.S. and that there is no trade-off between English and Spanish. Rather, children reliably acquire English by age 5, and their total language knowledge is greater to the degree that they also acquire Spanish. Children’s level of English knowledge was independent of their level of Spanish knowledge.
CUR Social Sciences Division Announces Mentoring Awardee, Undergraduate Presentation Awardees
The CUR Social Sciences Division announces its latest awardees: Andrew “Drew” Christopher (Albion College), mentoring awardee; Jack Dempsey and Taylor McGown (TAMU), undergraduate conference presentation awardees
Exposure to Homophobic Attitudes Linked to Higher Stress Levels Among Sexual Minorities
Lesbian, gay and bisexual people who encounter homophobic attitudes experience increases in heart rate, blood pressure and stress hormones, potentially putting them at risk for multiple health problems, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.
Olfactory virtual realities show promise for mental health practices and integrative care
Study shows that scent-enhanced virtual reality technologies, or OVR, can be a safe and effective integrative approach to target anxiety, stress, and pain when combined with standard inpatient psychiatric care.
People prefer ‘natural’ strategies to reduce atmospheric carbon
A cross-disciplinary collaboration led by Jonathon Schuldt, associate professor of communication at Cornell University, found that a majority of the U.S. public is supportive of soil carbon storage as a climate change mitigation strategy, particularly when that and similar approaches are seen as “natural” strategies.
Taking photos can impair your memory of events
It is a common practice to photograph events that we most want to remember, such as birthdays, graduations and vacations. But taking photos can actually impair your memory for the experience, according to new research from Binghamton University, State University of New York.
Policing and Racism, Insights from Psychological Science: Expert Panel
On May 21, the Association for Psychological Science (APS) will convene a panel of experts on policing and racism to discuss the latest scientific data and share insights into the factors behind racial bias during police encounters. Journalists are invited…