Stories indexed under: Psychology

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• Can blocking a frown keep bad feelings at bay? Jan. 29, 2010 Your facial expression may tell the world what you are thinking or feeling. But it also affects your ability to understand written language related to emotions, according to research that was presented today (Jan. 29).
• Expectant mom’s flu exposure stunts baby’s brain development Jan. 25, 2010 For expectant mothers, catching even a mild case of the flu could stunt brain development in their newborns, according to a new study conducted in rhesus macaques.
• UW-Madison happiness research featured in NOVA documentary Jan. 4, 2010 A PBS/NOVA documentary on the nature of human happiness, premiering this week, features University of Wisconsin-Madison professors Seth Pollak and Richard Davidson, and was produced with guidance from professor Roseanne Clark. "This Emotional Life" will air on PBS in three episodes to be aired on Wisconsin Public Television at 9 p.m. CST on Jan. 4, 11 and 18.
• Depression saps endurance of the brain's reward circuitry Dec. 28, 2009 A new study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison suggests that depressed patients are unable to sustain activity in brain areas related to positive emotion.
• Curiosities: Is it true that laughing is good for your health? Nov. 24, 2009
• Study: Can meditation sharpen our attention? Nov. 13, 2009 A new study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison suggests that people can train their minds to stay focused.
• Child psychologist to appear on "Office Hours" Sept. 11, 2009 Child psychologist and researcher Jenny Saffran will appear Monday on the Big Ten Network's weekly half-hour talk show "Office Hours" to discuss recent findings in how babies learn language.
• Monkeys get a groove on, but only to monkey music Sept. 1, 2009 Music is one of the surest ways to influence human emotions; most people unconsciously recognize and respond to music that is happy, sad, fearful or mellow. But psychologists who have tried to trace the evolutionary roots of these responses usually hit a dead end. Nonhuman primates scarcely respond to human music, and instead prefer silence.
• Fellows program gives undergraduates chance to lead May 13, 2009 Even some of the most dedicated students scour the schedule of classes for ways to make their Fridays a quick day. But every Friday afternoon, Jenny Saffran’s Undergraduate Teaching Fellows meet to discuss their progress in that week’s section, and their lesson plans for next week.
• Researchers cite President's role in reducing racism Feb. 16, 2009 President Obama spurred a dramatic change in the way whites think about African-Americans before he had even set foot in the Oval Office, according to a new study.
• Early childhood stress has lingering effects on health Jan. 26, 2009 Stressful experiences in early childhood can have long-lasting impacts on kids' health that persist well beyond the resolution of the situation.
• Expectant brains help predict anxiety treatment success Jan. 2, 2009 A network of emotion-regulating brain regions implicated in the pathological worry that can grip patients with anxiety disorders may also be useful for predicting the benefits of treatment.
• Professor spends 25 years making ‘prejudice puzzle’ Nov. 5, 2008 In the 1980s, when equal rights were becoming a cultural norm in America, many psychology researchers encountered people who would respond in interviews that they were not prejudiced, yet their actions would still reflect a bias. The pessimists in the field would conclude that they simply were lying. But UW-Madison psychology professor Patricia Devine saw things differently.
• Curiosities: Why do people like to scare themselves by watching horror movies or going on thrill rides? Oct. 30, 2008
• Can love change your mind? New project explores neuroscience of ‘positive qualities’ Sept. 10, 2008 What is happening in the minds of people who have developed a greater capacity for forgiveness and compassion? Can a quality like love — whether it’s shown toward a family member or a friend — be neurologically measured in the brain? A new research project at UW–Madison offers the opportunity to apply hard science to these seemingly ethereal questions.
• Professor sees optimism in prejudice research Aug. 13, 2008 It is a question on many Americans' minds: Is the United States ready for a black president, or will deep-rooted and even unconscious prejudices show at the polls?
• Study: No gender differences in math performance July 24, 2008 A team of scientists says that there aren't gender differences in math performance any longer.
• Study uncovers how Ritalin works in brain to boost cognition, focus attention June 24, 2008 In a paper publishing online this week in Biological Psychiatry, UW-Madison psychology researchers report that Ritalin fine-tunes the functioning of neurons in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) - a brain region involved in attention, decision-making and impulse control - while having few effects outside it.
• Sweeping analysis of research reinforces media influence on women’s body image May 8, 2008 As France's parliament considers a landmark bill that would outlaw media images glamorizing the extremely thin, psychology researchers are reporting some of the most definitive findings yet on how these images affect women.
• Study shows compassion meditation changes the brain March 25, 2008 Cultivating compassion and kindness through meditation affects brain regions that can make a person more empathetic to other peoples' mental states, say researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.