Latest science news in Psychology & Sociology
Communication Breakdown in Brain Caused by a Gene Defect May Contribute to Schizophrenia
More than 15 years after a genetic variant was shown to predispose its carriers to schizophrenia, scientists have finally uncovered how the chromosomal abnormality might cause symptoms of the...
Exploration in toddlers activated by fathers
A new study has found that fathers give toddlers more leeway and that allows them to actively explore their environments, according to a new study on parent-child attachment.
Laughing no joke, scientists say
Laughter isn't so much the result of someone making a joke. Most of it comes from natural social responses, scientists say.
"Climategate" Researchers Largely Cleared
Investigation Finds No Evidence Supporting Allegations of Tampering with Data or Peer Review Process
Crack and cocaine use a significant HIV risk factor for teens
Teens with a history of crack or cocaine use are significantly more likely to engage in unprotected sex than youth who have never used these drugs, putting themselves at increased...
To remember the good times, reach for the sky
When people talk about positive and negative emotions they often use spatial metaphors. A happy person is on top of the world, but a sad person is down in the...
Children use space to think about time
To probe the relationship between space and time in the developing mind, Daniel Casasanto of the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, and colleagues at the Aristotle...
Probation officers rehabilitation aim at odds with government punishment agenda
In recent years the UK Government has been placing less emphasis on the idea of probation as a form of rehabilitation, instead re-framing it as 'punishment in the community,' with...
Armed with information, people make poor choices, study finds
When faced with a choice that could yield either short-term satisfaction or longer-term benefits, people with complete information about the options generally go for the quick reward, according to new...
The 'blues' can surprise even adoptive parents
The unmet or unrealistic expectations adoptive parents often have is a recurring theme in postadoption depression, according to new research.
Adapting to change? Remember the good, forget the bad!
It's not easy being a bacterium and constantly having to adapt to whatever your environment throws at you. Bacteria rely on their "memories" to fine-tune their ability to sense food...
'Lighting a match in a tornado' is 1 of multiple feats for propulsion center
When Walter O'Brien was a young boy, he recalls a moment of complete exhilaration when he was able to design and build a balsa wood airplane model that actually flew...
Autism Awareness Month
The month of April is National Autism Awareness month. Because this is a subject that touches many, and is frequently a topic of discussion not only on this site -...
To remember the good times, reach for the sky
A study published in the April issue of Cognition shows that motor actions can partly determine people's emotional memories. Moving marbles upward caused participants to remember more positive life experiences,...
Public Universities Rally for Increased Support
The leading public research universities in the United States have begun a campaign for...
A suitable case for libel?
As a member of the British False Memory Society, I and others like me are portrayed as giving comfort to child sex abusers. Is it worth suing our accusers?Some weeks ago, I...
Even highly qualified women in academic medicine paid less than equally qualified men
Women conducting research in the life sciences continue to receive lower levels of compensation than their male counterparts, even at the upper levels of academic and professional accomplishment.
Open thread | Disaster fore-toad
Toads predicted the earthquake in L'Aquila, according to zoologists. Has an animal ever forewarned you of something?It seems that toads have succeeded where seismologists failed: according to an article published...
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Alex BellosWhen I walked into Pierre Pica's cramped Paris apartment, I was overwhelmed by the stench of mosquito repellent. Pica, a linguist, had just returned from spending five months with a community of...
Manga Illustrator to Inspire Interest in Science
A manga illustrator hopes to encourage skeptical thinking and interest in science among female fans of Japanese manga comics.
New Paper Pinpoints a Seat of Self-Control in the Brain
The ability to delay gratification allows humans to accomplish such goals as saving for retirement, going to the gym regularly and choosing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In a new...
Meaningful conversation may be key to happiness
(PhysOrg.com) -- Outgoing, gregarious people who fill their lives with deep, meaningful conversations may have found at least one key to a happier life, suggests research from Washington University in...
Experts call to end secrecy surrounding approval of new drugs
Changes are urgently needed to end the secrecy surrounding approval of new drugs in Europe, argue experts in the British Medical Journal today.
Personality may influence brain shrinkage in aging
(PhysOrg.com) -- Psychologists at Washington University in St. Louis have found an intriguing possibility that personality and brain aging during the golden years may be linked.
Unusual sex chromosome creates third sex in Hessian flies
(PhysOrg.com) -- Expectant human parents might wish for a boy or girl, but Hessian flies actually have a third option, and, no matter what, the flies are never surprised by...
Brucellosis increasing among some elk
BOZEMAN, Mont., March 30 (UPI) -- U.S. Geological Survey scientists say brucellosis, a bacterial infection of cattle, elk and bison, appears to be increasing in northwestern Wyoming elk herds.
AMA to publish disaster medicine journal
CHICAGO, March 30 (UPI) -- The American Medical Association says it has become the exclusive publisher and distributor of the Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness journal.
China attempts inducing rain for drought
BEIJING, March 30 (UPI) -- In an attempt to bring relief to drought-stricken southwestern China, the government launched canons and rockets loaded with cloud-seeding chemicals throughout the weekend.