Psychology News and Research

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Psychology is the study of human mental functions, behavior and processes.

N-terminal acetylation shields proteins from degradation and inhibits programmed cell death

A new study shows that proteins called IAPs, which can trigger programmed cell death, are inhibited by a specific chemical modification, and reveals that they play a wider role in protein quality control than previously assumed.

11 Feb 2021

We must learn that brown fruit is not bad fruit

Which bananas end up in your shopping basket, the uniformly yellow ones or those with brown spots?

10 Feb 2021

Study shows how the brain navigates places and tracks someone else in the same location

As COVID cases rise, physically distancing yourself from other people has never been more important. Now a new UCLA study reveals how your brain navigates places and monitors someone else in the same location.

24 Dec 2020

AI-powered psychological aging clocks interpret psychosocial factors

Deep Longevity, a firm that specializes in designing artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor human aging and prolong productive longevity, has launched the first AI-powered psychological aging clocks to inspect and decode the psychosocial factors with respect to aging.

17 Dec 2020

Researcher develops procedures for defining preclinical stages of Alzheimer's disease

Both of Andrew Kiselica's grandfathers developed dementia when he was in graduate school. As Kiselica was going through neuropsychology training in graduate school, he saw his mother's father become unable to walk or speak due to severe dementia.

12 Nov 2020

CRISPR technique reveals genes that regulate physiological, behavioral changes

In social hierarchy, rank is a condition that is not exclusively claimed by human beings. In the animal world, male peacocks have vividly colored plumes to show dominance, while underwater, male fish exhibit an array of vivid colors to do the same.

11 Nov 2020

Study unravels how perceptions of beauty drive our appetite and healthiness judgments

As the holiday season nears, thoughts of pumpkin pies, roasted chestnuts and turkey dinners fill our dreams and our grocery shopping lists. While visions of holiday food may be pleasing to the eyes and tantalizing to the palate, it would be a mistake to conclude that pretty food is healthier than other food.

10 Nov 2020

New research initiative to model species' range shifts in response to climate change

In response to a changing climate, populations of plants and animals move to more hospitable locations. Predicting where species will end up, and how New England farmers and rural communities need to plan and adapt accordingly is the focus of a new interdisciplinary research initiative led by the University of Maine.

24 Sep 2020

Study explains how epigenetic factors relate to aging

According to a study, headed by a psychologist at the University of California, genetic background may influence how people adapt to aging in late life.

20 Aug 2020

Study demonstrates how a single gene drives changes in wild songbird's social behavior

A new study shows how differentiation of a single gene changes behavior in a wild songbird, determining whether the white-throated sparrow displays more, or less, aggression.

19 Aug 2020

Recalling memories from an observer-like perspective activates different parts of the brain

Adopting a third-person, observer point of view when recalling your past activates different parts of your brain than recalling a memory seen through your own eyes, according to a new paper.

14 Aug 2020

Fading attention to environmental issues may have a lasting impact

On Sept. 23, 2019, then-16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg stood before a sea of news cameras at the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York City and told world leaders: "People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing...How dare you continue to look away."

6 Aug 2020

'Little brain' contains almost 80% of the cerebral cortex’s surface area

When we say someone has a quick mind, it may be in part thanks to our expanded cerebellum that distinguishes human brains from those of macaque monkeys, for example.

3 Aug 2020

Animals think probabilistically to distinguish contexts, research suggests

Among the many things rodents have taught neuroscientists is that in a region called the hippocampus, the brain creates a new map for every unique spatial context - for instance, a different room or maze.

3 Aug 2020

Phthalate exposure associated with sleep disruptions in midlife women

For menopausal women who have difficulty sleeping, it might be because of chemicals in the environment.

30 Jul 2020

Visual working memory exhibits hierarchical encoding of images

Researchers from HSE University and the University of California San Diego, Igor Utochkin and Timothy Brady, have found new evidence of hierarchical encoding of images in visual working memory.

23 Jul 2020

Study shows mismatched caregiver-infant interactions can increase risk of later obesity

Infancy is a sensitive developmental period that presents opportunities and challenges for caregivers to feed their infants in ways that support healthy growth and development.

14 Jul 2020

Eating one meal high in saturated fat may affect our ability to focus

Fatty food may feel like a friend during these troubled times, but new research suggests that eating just one meal high in saturated fat can hinder our ability to concentrate - not great news for people whose diets have gone south while they're working at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

19 May 2020

Two brain-signaling molecules control how male anemonefish care for and defend their young

A new study shows that two brain-signaling molecules regulate how male anemonefish care for their young ones and react to nest invaders.

17 Mar 2020