Archive for the 'Psychology news' Category

Tweeting teenage songbirds reveal impact of social cues on learning

Posted on February 26 2011 by NewsBot

In a finding that once again displays the power of the female, neuroscientists have discovered that teenage male songbirds, still working to perfect their song, improve their performance in the presence of a female bird.

Storytelling program improves lives of people with Alzheimer’s

Posted on February 25 2011 by NewsBot

Participation in TimeSlips, a creative storytelling intervention, improves communication and facilitates positive emotions in persons with dementia, researchers find. In the study a nursing researcher found that TimeSlips participants had increased expressions of pleasure and initiation of social communication.

Staring contests are automatic: People lock eyes to establish dominance

Posted on February 25 2011 by NewsBot

Imagine that you’re in a bar and you accidentally knock over your neighbor’s beer. He turns around and stares at you, looking for confrontation. Do you buy him a new drink, or do you try to out-stare him to make him back off? New research suggests that the dominance behavior exhibited by staring someone down can be reflexive.

Planning and visualization lead to better food habits

Posted on February 25 2011 by NewsBot

If you want to improve the way you eat, the best way to do so is to both make an action plan and visualize yourself carrying it out, according to researchers.

Stereotypes can deter consumer purchases

Posted on February 25 2011 by NewsBot

The perception of negative stereotyping, particularly in the areas of financial services and automobile sales and service, can cause consumers to fear being duped and forgo their purchases, according to new research. Researchers also found that the scent of vanilla helps consumers feel calmer and more assured of their transaction.

Happy children make happy adults

Posted on February 25 2011 by NewsBot

Being a “happy” teenager is linked to increased well-being in adulthood, new research finds.

Willingness to listen to music is biological, study of gene variants suggests

Posted on February 25 2011 by NewsBot

Our willingness to listen to music is biological trait and related to the neurobiological pathways affecting social affiliation and communication, suggests a recent study. This is one of the first studies where listening to music has been explored at molecular level, and the first study to show association between arginine vasopressin receptor 1A (AVPR1A) gene variants and listening to music.

How brain cells control their movement to form the cerebral cortex

Posted on February 25 2011 by NewsBot

A study has identified new players that put the brakes on. They show in mice that lack the star player “JNK1″, that newborn neurons spend less time in the multipolar stage, which is when the cells prepare for subsequent expedition, possibly choosing the route to be taken.

Brain imaging provides window into consciousness

Posted on February 25 2011 by NewsBot

Using a sophisticated imaging test to probe for higher-level cognitive functioning in severely brain-injured patients provides a window into consciousness — but the view it presents is one that is blurred in fascinating ways, say researchers.

‘Taming The Pound Using Psychology To Manage Your Money’

Posted on February 25 2011 by NewsBot

With rising cost of living, inflation steadily increasing and many of us looking at pay freezes help is at hand to give you some useful techniques on how to take control of your money…