Psychology

Nature Or Nurture? Neither, Say Developmental Systems Theorists

Ever say someone's actions were 'in their genes'?   That's not only a simplification, according to a group of University of Iowa scientists, scientists who have debated nature versus nurture for centuries are guilty of 'intellectua ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 20 2009 - 2:13pm

A Rose By Any Other Name Still Reduces Stress, Says Study

Feeling stressed?  The scent of a lemon or any other fragrant plants will help you feel better, say scientists in Japan who report the first scientific evidence that inhaling certain fragrances alters gene activity(!) and blood chemistry in ways that can r ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 22 2009 - 11:45am

Darkness Linked To Greater Cognitive Decline In Depressed People

Depressed people may prefer the dark but it won't be a good thing for their cognitive abilities, say researchers writing in Environmental Health. They  used weather data from NASA satellites to measure sunlight exposure across the United States and li ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 28 2009 - 12:07pm

What The "Bystander Effect" Can Teach Us About Email Response Rates

I'll set the scene... You return to the office after a satisfying lunch, sluggishly move the mouse to break the hypnotic effect of the screen saver, and come face-to-face with a far too full email inbox. Like a skilled field medic you start the triage ...

Article - Christopher Lysy - Jul 30 2009 - 12:48am

Five Values

An exercise performed in class one fall afternoon to demonstrate the helplessness of the terminally ill has left me with much to ponder.  If I knew in advance that death was near, what five things had been most important to me in life, and which of them c ...

Blog Post - Laura Hult - Jul 29 2009 - 6:08am

Because You Demanded It: Everything You Need To Know About Squirrel Psychology

A University of Exeter research team recently tested squirrels' ability to learn to choose between two pots of food after watching another squirrel remove a nut from one of the pots. One group was rewarded for choosing the same pot as the previous squ ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 30 2009 - 12:15pm

Why Humans Do And Zebrafish Don't Get The Amphetamines Buzz

The effects of amphetamines on gene expression in zebrafish have been discovered. This new study, published in BioMed Central's open access journal Genome Biology, provides clues to the genetics that underlie susceptibility to addiction by describing ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 31 2009 - 5:32pm

Stop The Colloquialism Madness- Your Boss Isn't Narcissistic Just Because You Don't Like Him

Do guys like Bernie Madoff do what they do because of greed... or ego?    A Florida State professor says it's the latter.    It makes some sense because it takes a certain drive to become CEO of a large company and that takes a certain self-confidenc ...

Article - Hank Campbell - Aug 7 2009 - 11:25am

Stop The Cat Bias- Dogs Are Smarter Than You Think

Cats have a reputation for being smart but dogs deserve more respect, says canine researcher Stanley Coren, PhD, of the University of British Columbia, who spoke on dog psychology (seriously) today on the topic “How Dogs Think” at the American Psychologica ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 8 2009 - 2:54pm

Unchurched Believers On The Rise And Liberals Less Religious Than 20 Years Ago- Study

Americans go to church less but the rate of departure previously reported may have been incorrect, according to sociologists Michael Hout and Claude S. Fischer of the University of California, Berkeley. According to the new data, 93 percent of Americans be ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 9 2009 - 11:28am