Posts Tagged ‘behavioral science’
Best of 2009 - Nov 30, 2009 18:27 - 52 Comments
BEST OF 2009: God’s beliefs mirror our own
U. CHICAGO (US)—Religious people tend to use their own beliefs as a guide in thinking about what God believes, but are less constrained when reasoning about other people’s beliefs, according to a new study. (more…)
Society & Culture - Nov 30, 2009 17:42 - 2 Comments
Antidote for kids’ antisocial behaviors
U. OREGON (US)—A school-based intervention program for young children who display an antisocial behavior pattern or show clear signs of developing one has proven effective at encouraging positive interactions with teachers, parents, and peers, according to a new study. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Nov 25, 2009 12:34 - 1 Comment
Childhood abuse may lead to early aging
BROWN (US)—Children who suffer physical or emotional abuse may be at greater risk of developing a variety of aging-related medical conditions as adults, including cardiovascular disease and cancer. (more…)
Society & Culture - Nov 23, 2009 18:24 - 2 Comments
Skin tone through a political lens
NYU (US)—Political beliefs may affect perceptions of skin tone. People perceive lighter skin tone to be more representative of a candidate with whom they share political ideology than darker skin tone, a new study finds. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Nov 16, 2009 15:37 - 2 Comments
Fight sensibly to stay fit
PENN STATE (US)—Couples who bring thoughtful words to a fight release lower amounts of stress-related proteins, suggesting that rational communication between partners can ease the impact of marital conflict on the immune system. (more…)
Society & Culture - Nov 13, 2009 14:44 - 5 Comments
Avatars behaving badly
TEXAS-AUSTIN (US)—Digital personas, known as avatars, can affect the way people think and feel when interacting in a virtual environment, new research shows. (more…)
Society & Culture - Oct 27, 2009 15:41 - 0 Comments
What are you laughing at?
RUTGERS (US)—Laughing at funny things is universal, but what individuals find funny is not. An anthropologist studying the evolutionary function of laughter has found that for something to be funny, it must ring true. (more…)
Society & Culture - Oct 23, 2009 10:59 - 3 Comments
Lesson in nurture from Mother Nature
U. ROCHESTER (US)—Paying attention to the natural world not only makes you feel better, it makes you behave better, finds a new study. The researchers say the results highlight the importance of creating green spaces in cities and have implication for urban planners and architects. (more…)
Society & Culture - Oct 17, 2009 12:26 - 3 Comments
Too much gaming, too little focus?
IOWA STATE (US)—High-volume action video game players—those who play around 40 hours a week—had more difficulty keeping focused on tasks requiring longer, more proactive attention than those who played video games less than a couple of hours a week. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Oct 15, 2009 18:04 - 7 Comments
Imagination helps kids cope with pain
UNC CHAPEL HILL (US)—Children with functional abdominal pain who combined the use of guided imagery with standard medical treatment were almost three times as likely to improve their pain problem, compared to children who received standard treatment alone. (more…)
Society & Culture - Oct 8, 2009 11:17 - 0 Comments
Shame motivates better than subsidy
DUKE (US)—Government subsidies persuade some people to change habits, but social shame works even better, suggests a recent study of efforts to reduce elevated childhood death and disease rates in rural India blamed on the microbial pathogens that cause diarrhea. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Oct 6, 2009 11:46 - 0 Comments
BPA making toddler girls grow aggressive?
UNC CHAPEL HILL (US)—The first study to examine a possible link between prenatal bisphenol A (BPA) exposure and behavior problems in children finds that daughters of women exposed to BPA early in pregnancy are more likely to have unusually aggressive and hyperactive behaviors as 2-year-olds. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Sep 28, 2009 10:36 - 3 Comments
Wonder drug may treat cancer, addiction
UC IRVINE (US)—A drug in development to treat cancer could have the added benefit of helping prevent relapse in people trying to overcome cocaine addiction. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Aug 26, 2009 11:28 - 1 Comment
Timid teen sharks stay close to home
From 1995 to 2007, more than 1,700 immature lemon sharks were caught, tagged, and released. The implanted tags, plus subsequent recaptures and DNA analysis, showed that more than half of the 3- to 7-year-old sharks caught off Bimini were born locally and had lingered near their birthplace for years.
Health & Medicine - Jul 22, 2009 15:03 - 4 Comments
Gene linked to aggression in disabled adults
“Problem behaviors in these populations account for billions of dollars in intervention costs each year, but nearly all of these interventions occur after the fact,” says study coauthor Craig Kennedy.
Health & Medicine - Jul 16, 2009 14:28 - 0 Comments
Brain maps may trace early signs of disorder
This topographical composite map shows abnormal changes over two years in brain structures of individuals with schizophrenia. The green and blue colors represent shrinkage in such brain structures as the thalamus, caudate, and amygdala. Blue areas represent the greatest amount of shrinkage. (Courtesy: Lei Wang/Northwestern University)
Society & Culture - Jul 10, 2009 17:50 - 0 Comments
Too saintly? A little sin might be in order.
New research suggests that when people operate above or below a certain level of moral self-worth, they instinctively push back in the opposite direction to reach an internally regulated set point of goodness.
Society & Culture - Jul 7, 2009 14:55 - 0 Comments
Ask avatars what makes trends trendy
“There’s been a high correspondence between the real world and virtual worlds,” says Lada Adamic, a researcher at the University of Michigan. “We’re not saying this is exactly how people share in the real world, but we believe it does have some relevance.” (Credit: Second Life/Linden Lab)
