Star employees often get most of the credit when things go right, but also shoulder most of the blame when things go wrong, according to new research from Binghamton University, State University of New York.
Tag: Psychology
A Remote, Computerized Training Program Eases Anxiety in Children
Using a computerized and completely remote training program, researchers have found a way to mitigate negative emotions in children. Results support the link between inhibitory control dysfunction and anxiety/depression. EEG results also provide evidence of frontal alpha asymmetry shifting to the left after completing an emotional version of the training. Computerized cognitive training programs can be highly beneficial for children, not just for academics, but for psychological and emotional functioning during a challenging time in their development.
How Does Your Brain Process Emotions? Answer Could Help Address Loneliness Epidemic
In a study published in the March 5, 2021 online edition of Cerebral Cortex, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine found that specific regions of the brain respond to emotional stimuli related to loneliness and wisdom in opposing ways.
Digital solutions including remote monitoring can help chronic pain sufferers manage their pain and reduce the probability of misuse of prescription opioids.
For the first time, an app has been shown to reduce key symptoms of chronic pain. A UNH-led study evaluated the impact of Manage My Pain(MMP), a digital health solution on chronic pain patients.
Scholarship and Practice of Undergraduate Research Issue Features Nontraditional Approaches to Research
The winter 2020 issue of Scholarship and Practice of Undergraduate Research (SPUR), the academic journal of the Council on Undergraduate Research, focuses on unusual approaches to undergraduate research such as research for chefs and a video game for biology majors.
Expert Available: School Psychologists, COVID-19, and the Return of In-Person Learning
By now, with the COVID-19 pandemic approaching the one-year mark, the impacts of extended quarantine on all ways of life have been well documented. And no group may be more affected than the youngest members of society: children. Virtual schooling…
Do atheists have a moral compass?
University of Illinois Chicago social psychologist examines what values people view as relevant for morality
Innovative Parenting Programs Address Inequality in Young Children’s Development
Parent education programs and interventions that begin shortly after the birth of a child have shown to significantly impact parenting behaviors that support social and academic engagement for children growing up in poverty.
Body shape, beyond weight, drives fat stigma for women
Fat stigma in women contributes to poor medical outcomes and negatively affects educational and economic opportunities. A new study from scientists at Arizona State University and Oklahoma State University shows that body shape, beyond overall weight, drives fat stigma. Women with overweight and obesity who carry gluteofemoral fat were less stigmatized than those who carry abdominal fat. These findings could affect how interventions for overweight and obesity are designed and delivered.
Mean or Nice? These Traits Could Make or Break a Child’s Friendships
While it’s logical to assume that children who are mean have friendships characterized by growing strife and that children who are nice report little of the same, these assumptions haven’t been tested in the real-world friendships. A study of elementary-school children is the first to examine the extent to which being “nice” and being “mean” shape changes in friend perceptions of their relationship. Results confirm the widespread assumption that one child’s behavioral traits drive the other child’s friendship experiences.
Study Aims to Break the Chains of Incarceration in African American Males
The majority of African American men return to prison within one to three years of their first release. A study explores why re-entry programs are not as effective for them when compared to others. Researchers suggest a holistic approach that addresses psychological and historical trauma in conjunction with the environmental factors that perpetuate the stigma justice-involved African American men experience. The approach accounts for negative associations developed in the centuries of oppression and segregation that shape their current societal interactions.
U.S. Adults Report Highest Stress Level Since Early Days of the Covid-19 Pandemic
As the U.S. confronts a bitter election season, political unrest and violence, a shaky economy, and a soaring death toll due to COVID-19, 84% of U.S. adults say the country has serious societal issues that we need to address, according to a new poll.
Dean Appointed to Committee on Health Equity
Rutgers School of Public Health dean, Perry N. Halkitis, has been appointed to the American Psychological Association’s inaugural Ad Hoc Committee on Health Equity.
The Medical Minute: Understanding seasonal affective disorder
Clinical depression that sets in at a season’s start and goes into remission at the end is called seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. With a proper diagnosis, effective treatment is available.
Family life can make you a better boss
New research from the University of Georgia, published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, found that positive interactions with your child during your off hours can make you a better leader.
Sexual harassment claims by less feminine women perceived as less credible
Women who do not fit female stereotypes are less likely to be seen as victims of sexual harassment, and if they claim they were harassed, they are less likely to be believed, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.
Sexual harassment claims considered more credible if made by ‘prototypical’ women, study finds
A new UW study reveals people’s perceptions that sexual harassment primarily affects young, feminine and conventionally attractive women. Women who fall outside that prototype not only are perceived as unharmed by harassment, but also have a harder time convincing others that they have been harassed.
Depression and Stress Could Dampen Efficacy of COVID-19 Vaccines
Health behaviors and emotional stressors can alter the body’s ability to develop an immune response to vaccines, including—potentially—the new COVID-19 vaccines. Simple interventions, including exercising and getting a good night’s sleep in the 24 hours before vaccination, may maximize the vaccine’s initial effectiveness.
Wives bore the brunt of child care during the shutdown
Traditional gendered patterns of child care persisted during the COVID-19 shutdown, with more than a third of couples relying on women to provide most or all of it.
5 Things You Must Do While You Wait for the COVID-19 Vaccine
Even as vaccinations against COVID-19 are under way, the virus continues to kill thousands of Americans every day, making it more important than ever to stay safe and be ready in case it strikes you or your family. Here’s what you need to do to prevent and prepare for the novel coronavirus.
Covering faces around kids won’t mask emotions
The proliferation of face coverings to keep COVID-19 in check isn’t keeping kids from understanding facial expressions, according to a new study by University of Wisconsin–Madison psychologists.
Holidays ‘full of love and connection’: UW psychologist offers tips for celebrating the season during COVID-19
Whether you celebrate Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, or none of the above, how you spend the holiday season likely will look different during the COVID-19 pandemic. Gatherings of family and friends are discouraged. Many community events have gone virtual, or have…
The power of validation in helping people stay positive
Telling a distressed friend or family member something as simple as “I understand why you feel that way” can go a long way toward helping loved ones feel better, new research suggests.
Experts: How to Navigate the Holiday Season During COVID-19
ALBANY, N.Y. (Nov. 24, 2020) – The 2020 holiday season will be like no other. With COVID-19 cases surging around the country and officials fearing further increases due to anticipated group gatherings around the holidays, the University at Albany has…
Francine Conway Brings Experience, Expertise to Role of Rutgers-New Brunswick Provost
Francine Conway, a child psychologist and the first Black dean of Rutgers University-New Brunswick’s Graduate School of Applied Psychology who helped expand student enrollment and double federal grant revenue, has been named provost and executive vice chancellor of academic affairs.
New research finds we don’t empathize with others equally – but we believe we should
According to new research, while we don’t always empathize with others equally–most of us believe we should.
NAU researchers publish new report, recommendations to increase concussion disclosure in athletes
Psychology chair Heidi Wayment co-authored the report with Ann Huffman, Deborah Craig and Monica Lininger. The work was a result of a grant funded by the Mind Matters Challenge, which provides recommendations for increasing concussion symptom disclosure in collegiate athletic departments and military service academies.
Rutgers Expert Available to Discuss Risk Perception in COVID-19 Era
New Brunswick, N.J. (Oct. 26, 2020) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick Professor William Hallman is available for interviews on the science of risk perception and its practical implications in the COVID-19 era – a time of fear and anxiety among millions of…
Why Are Men So Negatively Impacted by Depression?
Anxiety, worry and depression are natural responses to the coronavirus pandemic and all of the problems that accompany it. Paul Ingram, in Texas Tech University’s Department of Psychological Sciences, said the impact on men might be more serious than for women because of how men deal with mental health.
HOW LONG DOES THE PRESCHOOL ADVANTAGE LAST?
Children who attend preschool enter kindergarten with greater skills than those who don’t, but that advantage is nearly halved by the end of the year as their counterparts quickly begin to catch up, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.
Screen time can change visual perception — and that’s not necessarily bad
The coronavirus pandemic has shifted many of our interactions online, with Zoom video calls
replacing in-person classes, work meetings, conferences and other events. Will all that screen time damage our vision? Maybe not. It turns out that our visual perception is highly adaptable, according to research from Psychology Professor and Cognitive and Brain Sciences Coordinator Peter Gerhardstein’s
lab at Binghamton University.
FAU Receives $5.3 Million NIH Grant to Detect Cognitive Change in Older Drivers
Testing a readily and rapidly available, discreet in-vehicle sensing system could provide the first step toward future widespread, low-cost early warnings of cognitive change in older drivers. The use of an advanced, multimodal approach involves the development of novel driving sensors and integration of data from a battery of cognitive function tests, eye tracking and driving behaviors and factors. These in-vehicle technologies could help detect abnormal driving behavior that may be attributed to cognitive impairment.
Top SEL expert named NoVo Foundation Endowed Chair at UIC
Kimberly Schonert-Reichl, who is currently at the University of British Columbia, will be appointed to the chair at UIC and start in January 2021.
For Black Girls, Attitudes About Being Black Affect Risk of Depression
A new study suggests that the messages Black girls hear at home about being Black, and about being Black women in particular, can increase or decrease their risk of exhibiting the symptoms of depression.
Cellular processes and social behaviors and… zombies?
The Zombie Apocalypse Medicine Meeting will happen online October 15-18, 2020. The meeting spans the sciences, the arts and the scary while bringing scientists, artists and journalists together with the general public. This year’s meeting has been reanimated into a livestream broadcast on Channel Zed. Registrants will have access to programming on topics like how birth control, race relations, the pandemic, sex, literature and social media can all be thought of as zombification processes.
Rutgers Scholar Available to Discuss Concerning Trends of Suicidal Behavior Before and During COVID-19
Rutgers psychologist Edward Selby is available to comment on the need for greater awareness and prevention of suicidal behavior during COVID-19 pandemic. “Suicidal behavior has been escalating in the United States over the last 20 years, and we saw a…
The Marshmallow Test Revisited
Children will wait longer for a treat to impress others, new psychology experiments show.
Study Highlights Ties Between Racism and Activism in Black Youth
A new study finds that experiences with racism are associated with increased social consciousness and social justice activism in Black youth.
Why You Should be Concerned About What Your Kids Watch During School Closures
As the COVID-19 pandemic persists, children across the country are facing social isolation. With many school districts in the U.S. choosing remote learning, students are likely to consume more mass media. You might be wondering, should parents be concerned?
Children with social anxiety, maternal history of depression more likely to develop depression
Although researchers have known for decades that depression runs in families, new research from Binghamton University, State University of New York, suggests that children suffering from social anxiety may be at particular risk for depression in the future.
WHEN DOING GOOD BOOSTS HEALTH, WELL-BEING
Performing acts of kindness and helping other people can be good for people’s health and well-being, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. But not all good-hearted behavior is equally beneficial to the giver. The strength of the link depends on many factors, including the type of kindness, the definition of well-being, and the giver’s age, gender and other demographic factors.
Children Notice Race Several Years Before Adults Want to Talk About It
Adults in the United States believe children should be almost 5 years old before talking with them about race, even though some infants are aware of race and preschoolers may have already developed racist beliefs, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association.
Frequent soft drink consumption may make adolescents more aggressive
Soft drink consumption is a likely predictor of aggressive behavior, according to a new study from UAB.A study from the University of Alabama at Birmingham has shown that frequent soft drink consumption by adolescents may contribute to aggressive behavior over time. Previous studies have shown associations between soft drink consumption and mental health problems in adolescents.
Who Could Benefit From Exercise and Behavioral Treatment?
Aerobic exercise clearly benefits young adults with major depression, and a Rutgers-led study suggests it may be possible to predict those who would benefit from behavioral therapy with exercise. Unique to this precision medicine study, published in the journal Psychological Medicine, is an assessment of cognitive control and reward-related brain activity, two facets of brain function that are impaired in people with depression. Like previous studies, this one showed that aerobic exercise helps young adults with major depression.
When it comes to supporting candidates, ideology trumps race and gender
Voters who express prejudice against minorities and women are still more likely to support candidates who most closely align with their ideologies, regardless of the race or sex of such candidates, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.
Mental Health Experts Available to Discuss Increased Mental Health Needs Due to COVID-19
Media Advisory WHAT: Recent data released by the CDC indicates that COVID-19 has contributed to an increase in the number of young adults, minorities, essential workers, and unpaid caregivers reporting symptoms of anxiety and depression. This is not completely unexpected.…
Rutgers Dean Receives Award for Acclaimed Book on Realities and Challenges Faced by Three Generations of Gay Men
Rutgers School of Public Health Dean, Perry N. Halkitis, has received the Distinguished Book Award from the American Psychological Association’s Society for the Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity for Out in Time: The Public Lives of Gay Men from Stonewall to the Queer Generation.
Authors’ ‘Invisible’ Words Reveal Blueprint for Storytelling
The “invisible” words that shaped Dickens classics also lead audiences through Spielberg dramas. And according to new research, these small words can be found in a similar pattern across most storylines, no matter the length or format.
Waning attention to climate change amid pandemic could have lasting effects
Attention to climate change has significantly declined in recent months, as the pandemic has monopolized news coverage. That’s concerning, say study authors who found that simply directing one’s attention to an environmental risk—even briefly and involuntarily—makes people more concerned about it and willing to take action.
OHIO STATE EXPERTS OFFER TIPS FOR STUDENTS WHO MISS NORMALCY OF SPORTS, ACTIVITIES
As the nation continues to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, the future of school sports and extracurricular activities remains unclear. Sports psychologists at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center say this time can be difficult for students, whose identities are deeply rooted in their sport.