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Psychology News

These research articles involve many aspects of psychology such as cognitive psychology, depression studies, mental health, stress, happiness and neuropsychology, Scroll below for more specific categories.

Schizophrenia fMRI brain scans are shown.

New de novo Genetic Mutations in Schizophrenia Identified

Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers have identified dozens of new spontaneous genetic mutations that play a significant role in the development of schizophrenia, adding to the growing list of genetic variants that can contribute to the disease. The schizophrenia study was the largest and most comprehensive of its kind.

Drawing of a human head with gears and computer parts on it.

Intelligence Is in the Genes, but Where?

A new study reveals that most of the specific genes long thought to be linked to intelligence probably have no bearing on one’s IQ. And it may be some time before researchers can identify intelligence’s specific genetic roots.

Two pictures of a man from different distances are side by side.

Ready for Your Close-Up?

Caltech study shows that the distance at which facial photos are taken influences perception.

Fear Can Be Erased from the Brain

Newly formed emotional memories can be erased from the human brain.The findings may represent a breakthrough in research on memory and fear. This is shown by researchers from Uppsala University in a study being published by Science.

‘Psychopaths’ Have An Impaired Sense of Smell

People with psychopathic tendencies have an impaired sense of smell, which points to inefficient processing in the front part of the brain (orbitofrontal cortex) according to a new study.

Theory: Music Underlies Language Acquisition

Contrary to the prevailing theories that music and language are cognitively separate or that music is a byproduct of language, theorists at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music and the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP) advocate that music underlies the ability to acquire language.

How Early Social Deprivation Impairs Long-Term Cognitive Function

A study shows social isolation during early life prevents the cells that make up the brain's white matter from maturing and producing the right amount of myelin, the fatty "insulation" on nerve fibers that helps them transmit long-distance messages within the brain.

Predicting How Patients Respond to Therapy

A new study led by MIT neuroscientists has found that brain scans of patients with social anxiety disorder can help predict whether they will benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy.

Potential Treatment for Cognitive Effects of Stress-Related Disorders, Including PTSD

Researchers identified a potential medical treatment for cognitive effects of stress-related disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The study, conducted in a PTSD mouse model, shows that an experimental drug called S107, one of a new class of small-molecule compounds called Rycals, prevented learning and memory deficits associated with stress-related disorders.

Psychologists Link Emotion to Vividness of Perception and Creation of Vivid Memories

Have you ever wondered why you can remember things from long ago as if they happened yesterday, yet sometimes can't recall what you ate for dinner last night? A new study suggests it's because how much something means to you actually influences how you see it as well as how vividly you can recall it later.

Why Are Elderly Duped?

Researchers report they’ve pinpointed the precise location in the human brain, called the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, that controls belief and doubt, and which explains why some of us are more gullible than others.

Common Parasite May Trigger Suicide Attempts

New research adds to the growing work linking an infection caused by the Toxoplasma gondii parasite to suicide attempts. About 10-20 percent of people in the United States have T. gondii, in their bodies.