Recent research suggests that racial prejudice within communities predicts the militarization of local police departments. In contrast, communicating scientific consensus appears to be an effective way to change factual beliefs about contested science topics. Additionally, studies have found that happy people tend to overestimate their...
Researchers found that experiences of early deprivation, such as parental neglect and financial difficulties, were more closely associated with cognitive and emotional functioning in adolescence. Deprivation was also linked to internalizing and externalizing problems, including lower performance on tests of intelligence.
Researchers propose a broader definition of learning that includes behavioral adaptation to environmental features, enabling collaboration across fields and promoting new research. This 'mechanism-free' approach highlights the importance of system-level responses to environment in various domains.
Research found that therapists with high warmth and competence can shape patients' expectations by inspiring more positive beliefs about the effectiveness of therapy. This study suggests that practitioners' characteristics, such as warmth and competence, can influence clinical outcomes.
Research suggests that social norms can be harnessed to bring about collective climate action and policy change, but requires deep contextual knowledge to be used effectively. Social norm interventions aim to increase adoption of sustainable behaviors, while social-tipping interventions disrupt unsustainable norms.
Research suggests that valuing cross-partisan empathy can decrease partisan animosity and make arguments more persuasive. Participants who endorsed empathy were more likely to support bipartisan cooperation and report less animosity towards the opposition.
Research suggests that encouraging girls to roleplay as successful female scientists can increase their persistence in science activities, counteracting negative gender stereotypes. By pretending to be a scientist, girls may psychologically distance themselves from biases and feel more engaged in STEM fields.
Research in Psychological Science found that super-recognizers process faces by dividing them into parts and storing composite images. They can recognize faces better than others even when only seeing smaller regions at a time.
Recent research has found significant decreases in bias across explicit attitudes in the US over 14 years. Fear responses to imagined stimuli are also acquired and generalized, with no long-term change in implicit attitudes towards age, disability, or body weight. Gender differences in verbal fluency and memory have been identified, wi...
Researchers found that top performers do not necessarily give better advice, but rather provide more of it, leading people to overvalue quantity over quality. This phenomenon is observed in various domains, including word puzzles and darts.
The APS 2022 Convention featured virtual news briefings covering topics like the pandemic's effect on education and ethnic minorities' well-being. Researchers shared insights on coping with stress, fake news, romance, and relationships, providing valuable information for journalists and the public.
The 2022 APS Annual Convention will feature leading researchers on various aspects of human behavior, including substance abuse and mental health. Complimentary registration is available for working journalists to cover the convention.
Researchers found that about 10% of Canadians with a history of mental illness met thriving criteria, compared to 24% of those without. People with a history of substance-use disorders were more likely to thrive than those with bipolar disorder or other conditions.
Two studies published in Psychological Science found that counties with higher racial prejudice against Black people have more frequent stops of Black drivers. Researchers analyzed data from the Stanford Open Policing Project and Project Implicit website, revealing a strong link between regional racial attitudes and police conduct.
New research highlights the issue of gender blindness in recognizing sexism. Studies found that men who are rude to both men and women are viewed as 'gender blind', making it difficult to acknowledge sexist behavior. This can lead to perpetrators using rudeness as a defense against accusations of sexism.
Research reveals cultural factors in childhood influence physical activity in adulthood, particularly affecting women. The study found that adult women are slightly more likely to be inactive than men, and this gap is smaller in women from disadvantaged social classes due to the exclusion of girls from sports.
Researchers used a haunted-house experience to study participants' physiological and subjective responses to perceived threats in a safe environment. The study found that friend-related emotional contagion, threat predictability, and subjective feelings of fear were relevant factors in the body's response.
Research found that popular children's books contain words associated with masculinity and femininity, contributing to children's gender knowledge. The study identified a range of books with varying levels of gender bias, including some with female main characters and others with male-dominated themes.
Research finds that taxing sugary drinks effectively reduces consumption when prices include an added tax, while clear labeling may not deter purchases for small tax increases. This study provides guidance on how taxes should be labeled to promote healthier beverage choices.
A new study published in Psychological Science found that moral views concerning recreational drugs and openness to noncommitted sex are approximately 50% heritable, with the remaining 50% explained by unique environment. The researchers also discovered substantial overlap in genetic effects underlying both factors.
Psychological interventions are essential for chronic pain treatment in adults, addressing mental health and coping mechanisms that impact pain management. The study emphasizes the importance of integrating psychology into pain treatment protocols to enhance patient well-being.
Moderate online engagement helps stressed teens cope better than those who avoid digital technology or overuse it. This 'Goldilocks' effect suggests that just the right amount of online support provides short-term relief from daily stressors.
Researchers found that listeners use uncertainty to determine where a musical phrase ends. The study suggests the brain anticipates what comes next in a melody based on past experiences. This discovery sheds light on how humans acquire knowledge and parse complex input into manageable segments.
Research suggests COVID-19 pandemic fuels antisystemic attitudes and motivations for political violence, with no correlation to peaceful activism. The study found that in the US, those experiencing higher psychological burden were more likely to engage in violence during Black Lives Matter protests.
A study examined how humans remember past locations using GPS tracking and sound recordings. Participants' memories were often incorrect, especially when events were similar or involved similar sounds/movements, highlighting the fallacy of an airtight alibi. The findings have implications for alibi generation and investigation strategies.
Research reveals a pervasive but unfounded stereotype: women with casual sex are perceived as having low self-esteem. A study of nearly 1,500 participants across six experiments found no relationship between self-esteem and sexual behavior.
A new study published in Clinical Psychological Science found little evidence of increased association between adolescents' technology engagement and mental health problems. Only social media use showed a slight increase in emotional problems, while other associations remained consistent or decreased over time.
A new study published in Psychological Science found that dogs display jealous behaviors when their owners interact with a potential rival, including forcefully attempting to reach the owner. The researchers tested 18 dogs using realistic artificial dogs and fleece cylinders, demonstrating three human-like signatures of jealous behavior.
A comprehensive review of early research on TV time and attention problems in children found no direct link, contrary to previous claims. The study's authors suggest that parents should not feel guilty for allowing their young children to watch TV.
A new study reveals that attitudes based on feelings and emotions can stand the test of time, challenging the conventional wisdom that opinions based on hard facts are more stable. The researchers conducted seven independent studies involving over 20,000 participants to test the role of emotion in forming long-lasting attitudes.
New research shows that explicit instruction significantly improves reading skills, especially for adults struggling with basic reading skills. The study found that learners who received explicit instruction outperformed those who learned through natural experience.
Researchers developed an intervention based on illeism, referring to oneself in the third person, to improve wisdom-centric approach to conflict resolution. The 'distanced-self-reflection' diary method showed effectiveness in changing people's wise reasoning about personally challenging interactions.
Researchers found that hypnotic suggestions can help people 'see' imaginary objects, improving their ability to solve visual puzzles. Participants who were highly susceptible to hypnosis showed a significant improvement in accuracy after receiving the suggestion.
A new study suggests that COVID-19 vaccines may be less effective in individuals with depression, stress, loneliness, or poor health behaviors. Engaging in exercise and getting a good night's sleep before vaccination can help boost the immune response.
Research supports early start to musical training, but underlying reasons are more complex. Familial influences, such as genetic factors and encouraging family environment, play a significant role.
A team of researchers recommends using psychological and cognitive sciences to develop interventions that empower users to control their digital environments. Cognitive tools such as "boosts" can enhance people's agency in online discourse and improve reasoning against manipulation.
Researchers found that people can recall past events with a high degree of accuracy (94%), despite age and time, suggesting that the stories we tell about past events are generally accurate.
A new study found that individuals with higher levels of positive affect had less steep memory decline over a nearly decade-long period. Positive emotions are associated with healthier aging, contradicting the notion that memories fade with age.
A study published in Psychological Science reveals that enjoying a fearful experience, like a haunted house, requires finding the perfect balance of fear and enjoyment. The researchers found an inverted U-shape trend showing that too little or too much fear can decrease enjoyment, while just-right fear levels maximize it.
New research suggests that reminding people of past misinformation can help protect against remembering it as true and improve recollection of real-world events. This technique may be beneficial in combating the spread of misinformation.
A study found that young adults tend to consider both risks and benefits in their sexual behavior, making consistent and thoughtful decisions. The research suggests that even those prone to heuristic decision-making become rational when faced with similar choices framed as sexual decisions.
In a new study, researchers found that 3- to 4-year-old children waited nearly twice as long for a reward in conditions where they thought their teacher or peer would find out how long they waited. This suggests that young children are motivated by social rewards and can make inferences about what others value.
Research reveals differing preferences for suffixes and prefixes across languages, including African Bantu language Kîîtharaka. English speakers favor suffixes, while Kîîtharaka speakers prefer prefixes.
A recent study published in Psychological Science found that marriage to a spouse with a history of parental alcohol misuse increases the likelihood of developing alcohol use disorder. The research suggests that it's not the spouse's genetic makeup but rather their upbringing by an AUD-affected parent that influences this risk.
A new analysis reveals that education has a positive impact on cognitive function in early and middle adulthood, but does not prevent age-related cognitive declines. Individuals with more years of schooling tend to have higher levels of cognitive function until later in life.
A new study published in Psychological Science found that improving subjective well-being through online and in-person interventions had positive effects on self-reported physical health. Participants who received the intervention reported increasing levels of happiness and fewer sick days compared to control participants.
Research highlights the link between unhealthy lifestyle habits, emotional stressors, and increased risk of respiratory infections. Social isolation, loneliness, and interpersonal conflicts are also major contributors to the spread of COVID-19.
Researchers found that priming people to consider accuracy makes them more adept at recognizing truth from falsehoods, even if they don't think about it directly. By subtly nudging the brain to consider accuracy, individuals can improve their choices about what to share on social media.
Researchers found that people are drawn to fictional villains who share similarities with themselves, as it removes discomfort and allows exploration of dark aspects. This preference is linked to the idea that fiction provides a 'safe haven' for comparison.
A new study found that only 40% of psychological assessment tools used in courts are favorably rated by experts. Lawyers rarely challenge these conclusions, and when they do, only one-third succeed. The study examined over 360 tools and 372 legal cases across the US.