Fat substitutes used in popular snack foods to help people control weight may have the opposite effect, according to Purdue University research. “These substitutes are meant to mimic the taste of fat in foods that are normally high in fat while providing a lower number of calories, but they may end up confusing the body,” said Susan E. Swithers, professor of psychological sciences…

One underperforming member, or ‘bad apple’, can spoil the work of a whole team, according to research being presented this weekend at the 9th Industrial and Organisational Psychology Conference (IOP) in Brisbane, hosted by the Australian Psychological Society College of Organisational Psychologists…

Workplace bullying affects those who witness bullying as well as those who are bullied but those who are both observers and targets of bullying suffer the most, according to a new study…

Domestic violence in pregnancy is linked to depression and childhood behavioural problems, suggests new research published today in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Domestic violence has significant health consequences and it is estimated that around 24% of women have suffered from it…

Once we learn the relationship between a cue and its consequences – say, the sound of a bell and the appearance of the white ice cream truck bearing our favorite chocolate cone – do we turn our attention to that bell whenever we hear it? Or do we tuck the information away and marshal our resources to learning other, novel cues – a recorded jingle, or a blue truck? Psychologi…

Young people who identify themselves as gay, lesbian or bisexual, experience same-sex attractions or engage in same-sex sexual behaviors are more likely to experience sexual abuse, parental physical abuse and bullying from peers than other youth, according to a new study. In addition, the meta-analysis found these adolescents were more likely to miss school due to fear.

A woman can more accurately identify a man’s sexual orientation when looking at his face, when she is closest to her time of peak ovulation, psychologists show. Further, having romantic thoughts or a mating goal heightens a woman’s ability to discriminate between straight and gay men.

A new biomarker may help identify which people with mild memory deficits will go on to develop Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study. The biomarker may be more accurate than the currently established biomarkers.

Neuroscientists have defined, for the first time, three different processing stages that a human brain needs to identify sounds such as speech — and discovered that they are the same as ones identified in non-human primates.

In a new corporal punishment study based on actual audio recordings, mothers spank, slap or hit their young children, sparking crying, tantrums and whimpering. Believed to be the first study of its kind, 37 mothers recorded up to 36 hours of interactions with their children, says the psychologist involved in the study. The data capture the moments before, during and after punishment, which ranged from spanking with a belt to admonishments while hitting.