Latest science news in Psychology & Sociology
Oprah's "No Phone Zone" Crusade
Talk Queen Wants People to Stop Texting, Talking on Phone while Driving
Texas A&M scientist tracks origins of bootleg honey from China
A Texas A&M University scientist spends hours at a time peering at slides of pollen samples, comparing them to track down the origins of honey with questionable heritage. Some of...
First symptoms of psychosis evident in 12-year-olds
Children normally experience flights of fancy, including imaginary friends and conversations with stuffed animals, but some of them are also having hallucinations and delusions which might be the early signs...
What I'm really thinking: The creative writing tutor
'Civil servants are usually the best writers. Perhaps it's because they spend their lives in the most soul-sapping of environments'The students who look like creative types – floaty scarves, dangly earrings – often...
China Child Attacks: Are They Copycat Crimes?
Some crimes do appear to be contagious, according to experts who study criminology.
Kent State Tape Due for High-Tech Analysis
40 Years Later, Investigators Hope to Learn If There Was an Order to Open Fire on Campus Protesters
Coordinated punishment leads to increased cooperation in large
Humans are incredibly cooperative, but why do people cooperate and how is cooperation maintained? A new research study by UCLA anthropology professor Robert Boyd and his colleagues from the Santa...
UBC video-game camp disturbs health experts
Health professionals are shaking their heads over a decision by the University of British Columbia to offer a summer camp that lets children play video games for several hours a...
The Talents of a Middle-Aged Brain
Middle-agers who forget their keys or don't remember someone's name can take heart. A new book on aging brains assures us that in many ways, our brains get better with...
On-Ice Testing of Hockey Players Trumps Stationary Bike
Michigan Tech exercise scientists find that on-ice testing provides a more accurate prediction of hockey players' fitness.
Poor want biomass, not biodiversity, finds study
The quest to preserve biodiversity means little to the poor, who instead want to increase biomass, a study has unexpectedly found.
Beyond Birth: A Child's Cells May Help or Harm the Mother Long after Delivery
A pregnant woman knows she is shaping her child's future from the moment of conception. But she might not realize that the baby is already talking back. Mother and child...
100 Years Ago: Tunneling under the Hudson river
MAY 1960 DEVELOPING INFANTS --?“We expected that the shocked rats would be affected by their experience, and we looked for signs of emotional disorder when they reached adulthood. To our...
Africa Analysis: Lateral thinking for research funding
African academics must cast their net wide for research funding, or risk financial squeeze and loss of control, says Linda Nordling.
Probing Question: Is time-out a good form of discipline for children?
Television`s Jo Frost, also known as the "Supernanny," calls it "sitting on the naughty step." Others prefer calling it "time-in." Some have dubbed it a bad idea altogether. Most parents...
Interview: Analytical conversation
Gunda Köllensperger talks about elemental speciation, analytical chemistry and crime fiction
Hormone spray improves male sensitivity
48 healthy males participated in the experiment. Half received an oxytocin nose spray at the start of the experiment, the other half a placebo. The researchers then showed their test...
Out of mind, out of sight: Blinking eyes indicate mind wandering
When your mind wanders, you're not paying attention to what's going in front of you. A new study suggests that it's not just the mind, it's the body, too; when...
Monkeys feast on swarm of locusts
Gelada monkeys are filmed feasting on a swarm of locusts in the highlands of Ethiopia, behaviour rarely seen before.
Fatherhood gave men new hope
A study of men from an area of high unemployment in New Zealand found that fatherhood reshaped their attitude to life and work.
Suspect makes 'Jason Bourne' escape from LAPD, authorities say
It started 11 days ago when a resident at an upscale downtown L.A. high-rise tower smelled fumes coming from neighboring apartment. Firefighters knocked on the neighbor's door, but he refused...
Academic claims that election colours have faded
As the UK election looms, a historian at the University of Hertfordshire has revealed that political colours have lost much of their impact.
China's Busy Blogosphere Won't Stifle State Surveillance
China's cyberculture may be growing rapidly, but experts say it is unlikely to usher in an age of social and political freedom in the communist state, and may even facilitate...
Man with knife slashes 28 children at Chinese kindergarten
Five children are critically wounded before the assailant, an unemployed salesman, is overpowered. It is the latest in a series of similar attacks in which 10 children have died and dozens were injured....
Susanna Isaacs Elmhirst obituary
Child psychiatrist adept at observing disorders from playSusanna Isaacs Elmhirst, who has died aged 88, was a follower of the children's psychoanalyst Melanie Klein, who believed that the early relationship between the young...
Vital Signs: Students Who Are Addicted to Indoor Tanning
Researchers in New York found that among 421 university students in a 2006 study, 229 had used indoor tanning facilities and 70 to 90 students in that group appeared to...
Vital Signs: Risks for Children of Parents Who Commit Suicide
A Swedish study found that children whose parents commit suicide were almost twice as likely to kill themselves.
Mirror, mirror: Scientists find cause of involuntary movements
Researchers have identified the genetic cause of mirror movements, where affected people are unable to move one side of the body without moving the other. For example, when trying to...