Psychology | Page 29 of 36 | SpiritIndia.com

Brain :: Paying attention sets off symphony of cell synchronization

A Northwestern University study uses a new strategy to show precisely how paying attention alters brain activity. Digging deep to summon that extra ounce of attention engages a symphony of brain activity that comes to your rescue as millions of neurons work together to make the music of a vivid conscious experience. Think of a conductor stepping in to control a large set of unruly musicians in an orchestra so that they can all play together.

Stress :: High-quality marriages help to calm nerves

A University of Virginia neuroscientist has found that women under stress who hold their husbands’ hands show signs of immediate relief, which can clearly be seen on their brain scans.

Smell :: Sniffers show that humans can track scents, and that two nostrils are better than one

Do animals use their two nostrils to locate scents in the same way they use two ears to locate sounds? UC Berkeley neuroscientists Noam Sobel and Jess Porter set out to test that question, using human volunteers on all fours to track a chocolate scent through the grass. With other senses blocked by gloves, earplugs and a blindfold, they were able to track scents and did better with two open nostrils than one.

Psychology :: NYU study shows those closer to World Trade Center have more vivid memories when recalling 9/11

Those close to the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, have, on average, more vivid memories of the terrorist attacks than do those who were in other parts of New York City on that day, according to a study by researchers at New York University. The results, reported in the most recent issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, indicate personal involvement may be important in engaging the amygdala when recalling 9/11 events.

Clinical Psychology :: Present and future of clinical psychology

Experts in a variety of psychological disciplines have authored articles addressing the present and future of clinical psychology. The articles appear in a special issue of Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice.

Lead :: Pros and cons of therapy for lead exposure

Lead chelation therapy can lessen learning and behavioral problems due to lead exposure, but the therapy adversely affected rats with no lead in their systems, a Cornell study shows. The finding has implications for the treatment of autistic children.

Memory :: Why we ‘never forget a face’

Are you one of those people who never forgets a face? New research from Vanderbilt University suggests that we can remember more faces than other objects and that faces “stick” the best in our short-term memory. The reason may be that our expertise in remembering faces allows us to package them better for memory.

ADHD :: Friendship Clinic for ADHD children

About half of all children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder have difficulty making friends. A new clinical study is helping children with ADHD become better at making friends.

Psychology :: Effects of national trauma on Americans’ health

A study by psychologists at the University at Buffalo and the University of California, Irvine, has found that people’s gender and ethnicity predicted their immediate response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks and their general state of health over the next two years.

Do galaxies follow Darwinian evolution?

Using VIMOS on ESO’s Very Large Telescope, a team of French and Italian astronomers have shown the strong influence the environment exerts on the way galaxies form and evolve. The scientists have for the first time charted remote parts of the Universe, showing that the distribution of galaxies has considerably evolved with time, depending on the galaxies’ immediate surroundings. This surprising discovery poses new challenges for theories of the formation and evolution of galaxies.