Your Psychology Psychology articles and news

Neuroscientists studying the olfactory — sense of smell — system in mice have discovered that fear reaction can occur at the sensory level, even before the brain has the opportunity to interpret that the odor could mean trouble.

Peer solicitation – a child inviting another to play – can improve reciprocal social interaction among children with autism, according to a study.

A cross-cultural study shows prosocial media positively influence behavior regardless of culture. The study, a first-of-its-kind, tested empathy and helpfulness of thousands of children in seven countries.

Researchers have shown that optogenetics — a technique that uses pulses of visible light to alter the behavior of brain cells — can be as good as or possibly better than the older technique of using small bursts of electrical current. Optogenetics ha…

A new study suggests that political bias can influence how people perceive the facial characteristics of a presidential candidate — even after seeing his face on TV thousands of times.

Two unusual treatment approaches may have beneficial effects on the symptoms of autism in children and adults. Using a hot bath to raise body temperature and thereby mimic the effects of infection, or using worm eggs to stimulate the production of immu…

A new study shows that high levels of maternal care during the early post-natal period in rodents can reduce the sensitivity of the offspring to stressful events during adulthood. Maternal care is shown to chemically modify and thereby re-program genes…

The critical enzyme beta-secretase1 (BACE1) is known to be elevated in brains with sporadic Alzheimer disease (AD). Scientists have now found increased levels of BACE1 in brains with mild cognitive impairment, suggesting that BACE1 activity is importan…

The structure of the brain shows the way in which we process numbers. People either do this spatially or non-spatially. A study shows for the first time that these individual differences have a structural basis in the brain.

In a large UK study of teenage twins, researchers found that differences in exam grades owed more to genes than family environment, schools and teachers. In math, English and science, genes accounted for nearly 60% of the differences, they found.