New research found that preschoolers (4-5 years old) use their past experience with language to infer what speakers are going to say, just like adults. They can incorporate their learned expectations into ambiguous speech descriptions, adapting to noisy conditions.
Research highlights the intersection of nutrition and mental health, with studies investigating various levels and perspectives. Nutrition's impact on inflammation and stress is a key area of focus.
Researchers found that precise bids are more effective with novice negotiators who interpret high precision as a sign of competence. However, experts prefer moderately precise bids, and providing a rationale for a highly precise bid can counteract the negative effect. The study's findings have broad relevance in everyday negotiations.
A new study finds that using emotion regulation strategies like reappraisal in situations with control over outcomes may actually hinder well-being, while those with higher well-being use these strategies more in uncontrollable situations. Context plays a significant role in the effectiveness of emotion regulation strategies.
Researchers Philip Kortum and Michael D. Byrne examine how voting interface design affects voter behavior, revealing potential for errors and flawed designs. Poor interfaces can lead to ambiguous ballots, unintended vote selection, and nullified votes.
Researchers found that reminding people of close relationships decreases the need to anthropomorphize objects as a means of feeling socially connected. Attachment anxiety was also linked to this tendency, suggesting it may be a driven process to seek out support.
A coordinated replication effort across 17 labs failed to replicate the 1988 study suggesting that facial expressions can trigger emotional reactions. The multilab study used a standardized protocol with over 1,900 participants but found no evidence that inducing particular facial expressions affected their emotional state.
A new study published in Psychological Science reveals that school principals' personal values influence the school atmosphere and ultimately shape students' values over time. The researchers found a consistent pattern for three out of four value categories, with one exception that may be attributed to unstudied mechanisms.
Research on dogs' cognition reveals their ability to comprehend human communicative cues and recognize individual faces, but also limited spatial memory and numerical discrimination. The field is still in its infancy, with more studies needed to examine individual variability and complex behaviors.
Research shows that people from higher social classes tend to spend less time looking at others compared to those from lower social classes, a difference rooted in spontaneous cognitive processes. This finding suggests that social class affects how relevant others are to us in terms of our own goals and motivations.
Researchers found that framing spatial tests as social tasks eliminated the gender gap in performance, with women performing just as well as men. The study suggests that traditional measures of spatial ability may be underestimating women's abilities and limiting their accessibility to STEM fields.
A study of 81 men found that those with nurturing childhood environments were more likely to have secure attachments to their romantic partners late in life. This association was partially explained by better emotion regulation skills in midlife, which predicted more secure marriages.
Research suggests that children view unconflicted characters as morally superior, while adults judge those who overcome moral conflict as more deserving of credit. As people develop, they come to value the exercise of willpower and self-control, according to a series of four studies published in Psychological Science.
Research suggests that financial incentives for fundraisers can compromise their ability to convey sincerity, leading to lower donation rates. Despite this, incentives may still engage unmotivated individuals and recruit top talent.
Research published in Psychological Science found that cultural values shape environmental behavior. In individualistic countries, personal concerns drive eco-friendly actions, while in collectivistic societies, social norms are a stronger motivator. The study suggests that tailoring messages to local culture is crucial for promoting p...
New research finds that taking breaks to sleep between study sessions can improve recall of previously learned information, allowing participants to relearn faster and retain what they've forgotten for longer periods. The study showed significant benefits in memory retention even after 6 months.
Research reveals that 8-month-old infants are more likely to reach for distant toys when an adult is present, indicating they understand the social context and plan their actions. The study suggests that babies perceive adults as expanding their ability to act in the world.
A new research replication project involving 24 labs and over 2100 participants failed to reproduce findings suggesting self-control is a depletable resource. The study, published in Perspectives on Psychological Science, used computerized tasks to test the ego depletion effect, but found no significant difference between conditions.
Research suggests that witnesses are more willing to identify a suspect when they view a lineup in which the suspect alone has a distinguishing feature. However, this can also lead to confusion between actual guilty suspects and innocent suspects with similar features, impairing their ability to make accurate identifications.
A new study reveals four stages of problem-solving: encoding, planning, solving, and responding, using functional MRI to analyze brain activity patterns. The method holds promise for designing more effective classroom instruction and broader applications in cognitive research.
A special series in Clinical Psychological Science highlights the importance of broadening traditional scope of clinical science research to address diverse populations. Research reveals ethnic and cultural differences in mental health issues, treatment, and prevention, emphasizing the need for diversity science.
Researchers found that playing action video games for as little as 5 hours can improve essential visuomotor-control skills used for driving. Experienced players showed greater precision in steering a virtual vehicle down the lane, while those with no gaming experience improved their skills after training.
Research shows that 5-year-old children outperform younger counterparts in taking turns, a fundamental social behavior. Chimpanzees also demonstrate cooperation but fail to adopt consistent turn-taking strategies.
Research found that genetic links with educational attainment predict outcomes beyond schooling completion, including career success, financial management, and social mobility. Higher polygenic scores were associated with increased socioeconomic success, regardless of birth family conditions.
The study found that reminders through association, such as a visible cue at the exact moment of need, can significantly increase follow-through on daily tasks. Participants who received these cues demonstrated higher rates of completion compared to those without reminders.
A study published in Psychological Science found that people tend to prefer options that are most similar to what they can't have, but often choose less-similar alternatives that are actually more satisfying. This bias occurs when mental comparisons between wanted and available options lead to dissatisfaction with the chosen substitute.
Parents' attitudes toward failure, not their views on intelligence, influence children's mindset about intelligence growth. Children are attuned to parents' emotional responses to failure.
Researchers found no correlation between self-reported relationship satisfaction and sexual frequency, but automatic behavioral responses revealed a positive link between the two. Studies showed that couples who had sex more frequently were more likely to associate their partners with positive attributes.
A comprehensive review of scientific research on sexual orientation reveals that non-heterosexual feelings are a small but nontrivial percentage of the population across cultures. The study suggests that biological and environmental factors jointly influence sexual orientation, with no evidence to support social learning or increased p...
Research shows that people who face uncertain outcomes may prioritize high-risk options even when unrelated to romance. This study found that exposure to unfavorable sex ratios led participants to make riskier financial decisions, such as investing more in a single high-stakes option.
A study published in Psychological Science found that humans are often driven by a desire to resolve uncertainty, even if it leads to harm. The researchers used experiments to demonstrate that individuals will click on pens with uncertain outcomes more frequently than those with clear consequences.
A new study examines nearly 77,000 UK bank spending transactions and reveals that individuals who spend more money on products matching their personality traits report greater life satisfaction. This effect is stronger than the relationship between total income or total spending and life satisfaction.
Research suggests that bilingual speakers can avoid language-switching costs by consistently using the same language throughout a conversation or task. In experiments, participants were shown to respond faster when they stuck with a language rather than switching mid-sentence.
Researchers found intentional mind wandering is more common when tasks are boring and less common when tasks are challenging. This challenges the common view that all mind wandering is unintentional, highlighting the need to distinguish between two unique subtypes of mind wandering.
A study comparing blind and sighted participants reveals that language learning shapes gesture patterns, with Turkish speakers producing more separated sentence units. The findings suggest that speech carries the imprint of the language, marking it as a source of cross-linguistic variation in gestures.
African American adolescents experiencing high levels of racial discrimination show cellular wear and tear, but supportive family environments protect against premature aging. Family support reduces the link between discrimination and cellular aging.
A longitudinal study of over 6,000 adults found that lower self-rated health and age-related decrements in processing speed are strong predictors of mortality risk. Being a woman and having better perceived health were also associated with reduced mortality risk.
Research reveals a direct link between economic insecurity and physical pain, with feelings of lack of control exacerbating the issue. The study found that individuals who experience financial stress report more physical pain and have reduced pain tolerance.
Researchers found that young Black boys' faces trigger thoughts of guns and violence, even at a young age. This bias affects automatic social cognition and can shape perceptions of Black Americans as hostile and violent.
Research finds that growing up poor promotes overeating when not hungry in adulthood, with childhood environment influencing food intake regulation. Studies replicate findings across different populations, suggesting early environmental experiences shape energy needs, even after socioeconomic status improves.
A new study published in Psychological Science found that exposure to exemplary peer work can undermine student motivation and lead to quitting. Researchers discovered that students who assessed exemplary peers' essays were substantially less likely to earn course credit than those who assessed average peers' essays.
Research suggests that while positive fantasies may alleviate depressive mood in the moment, they can actually exacerbate symptoms over time. The study found a link between increased positivity and lower grades, which is associated with higher depression scores.
A recent study found that adolescents are more prudent in their decision-making when a slightly older adult is present. The researchers discovered that groups with younger soldiers benefited from the inclusion of a mid- to late-20s soldier, who led to fewer risks and a stronger preference for delayed rewards.
Researchers found that unexpected sports wins and sunny days increased daily lottery purchases in New York City neighborhoods. The effect was seen across both wealthy and poorer areas, with a total increase of $160,000 in spending on lottery gambling on days with multiple sports team wins.
A large-scale survey of U.S. adults found no association between depressive symptoms and seasonality, contradicting the notion of seasonal depression as a commonly occurring disorder. The study's findings cast doubt on major depression with seasonal variation as a legitimate psychiatric disorder.
A team of psychological scientists found little evidence to support speed reading as a shortcut to understanding and remembering large volumes of written content. Effective skimming is a more effective approach when interested in getting the gist of what's being read.
New research finds that a person's quality of life is linked to their deceased spouse's earlier quality of life, even when they are no longer living. The study suggests that this interdependence persists, with the deceased spouse's characteristics continuing to influence the surviving partner's well-being.
A study published in Psychological Science reveals that an innate ratio processing ability may play a role in determining aptitude for mathematical concepts. Researchers found that students' ability to gauge nonsymbolic ratios was correlated with their competence in symbolic math, including fractions and algebraic equations.
Research published in Psychological Science found a link between lead exposure and ADHD symptoms in children with the HFE C282Y gene mutation. The study showed that lead effects were more robust in males and that environmental pollutants like lead play a role in explaining ADHD symptoms.
New research shows that interventions targeting individual students can improve the classroom environment, triggering second-wave benefits for all classmates. The study found that sharing a classroom with more students who participate in an intervention boosts all students' grades beyond initial benefits.