Inside the mind of a terrorist
"...we should focus on a better understanding of the mind-control tactics and strategies that might make even good people engage in evil deeds at some time in their lives, and that might recruit new generations of impoverished young people into lives of terrorism."
> From BBC News
> From BBC News
Fight to legalise psychedelic drugs in US
"Psychedelic drugs are inching their way slowly but surely toward prescription status in the United States, thanks to a group of persistent scientists who believe drugs like ecstasy and psilocybin can help people with terminal cancer, obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, to name just a few."
> From Wired News
> From Wired News
The mental health of a nation
I am reliably informed that people still exist that think that more money equals more happiness. And before I get any "What if you can't buy food?" comments, I mean more money above the subsistence level. Still, the economic status of a country has been used as a measure of a country's well-being for years. An article from the American Psychological Association argues that this should be changed, and that perhaps psychological well-being is a better measure.
Data from the US indicates that "While wealth has trebled over the past 50 years...well-being has been flat, mental illness has increased at an even more rapid rate, and data, not just nostalgic reminiscences, indicate that the social fabric is more frayed than it was in leaner times..."
> From The Science Blog
Data from the US indicates that "While wealth has trebled over the past 50 years...well-being has been flat, mental illness has increased at an even more rapid rate, and data, not just nostalgic reminiscences, indicate that the social fabric is more frayed than it was in leaner times..."
> From The Science Blog
The girl with the X-ray eyes
If you need any more evidence for people's incredible gullibility, then here it is. She's from Russia, she has 'medical vision' that enables her to look inside you and diagnose your ailments. And all for only a small fee. Of course she's been a huge hit in Russia but now she's over here and managed to secure herself a TV gig.
But here in Britain we're above all that, aren't we? Apparently not. On ITV's This Morning she diagnosed Fern Briton's sore ankle and convinced the resident doctor, Chris Steele, to rush to the hospital for a scan. The man is a medical doctor for God's sake!
When the real scientists, headed by Professor Richard Wiseman, moved in, the scam was soon exposed. But the fact remains that we want to believe. We really want to believe.
> From The Guardian
But here in Britain we're above all that, aren't we? Apparently not. On ITV's This Morning she diagnosed Fern Briton's sore ankle and convinced the resident doctor, Chris Steele, to rush to the hospital for a scan. The man is a medical doctor for God's sake!
When the real scientists, headed by Professor Richard Wiseman, moved in, the scam was soon exposed. But the fact remains that we want to believe. We really want to believe.
> From The Guardian
Teens don't need no health education
Latest figures show that the number of teenagers smoking is still on the increase, especially amongst young girls. Until its ban in the UK two years ago, the main culprit for its steady increase had to be tobacco advertising. For the frightening array of methods that tobacco companies use to target children, check out Ash.
Now there is an advertising war on, and the Government is fighting back. Their heavy campaigning seems to be having an effect on adults, amongst whom smoking is steadily declining. But commentators do not seem to know quite how to target children and teenagers. Efforts at education appear sporadic and ham-fisted.
It probably comes down to the old reverse psychology. The more you tell a teenager not to do something the more rebellious it feels to do it. Let's just hope that the UK ban on advertising has some trickle down effect to children as well.
> From BBC News
Now there is an advertising war on, and the Government is fighting back. Their heavy campaigning seems to be having an effect on adults, amongst whom smoking is steadily declining. But commentators do not seem to know quite how to target children and teenagers. Efforts at education appear sporadic and ham-fisted.
It probably comes down to the old reverse psychology. The more you tell a teenager not to do something the more rebellious it feels to do it. Let's just hope that the UK ban on advertising has some trickle down effect to children as well.
> From BBC News
Therapeutic benefits of writing
Having blogged earlier this month about evidence that writing a diary might be bad for you, I'm happy to redress the balance. Not only does this article point out the benefits of writing but it also gives a few tips for creative writing, a subject close to my heart.
> From Psychology Today
> From Psychology Today
Morphine occurs naturally in the brain
A finding that may have important implications for the treatment of pain. Instead of using morphine, which is addictive, patients can be given a morphine precursor which causes the body to produce the pain killer naturally.
> From Wired Med-Tech Center
> From Wired Med-Tech Center
Measuring obedience on the tube
Thirty years ago Professor Stanley Milgram descended with students into the New York subway to ask people to give up their seats with no explanation. Requests were split across genders and age-groups and carried out by a number of different experimenters. The results were surprising. 68% got up willingly when they were asked.
Has anything changed in the last thirty years? Were we perhaps more obedient, or more polite in those mythical 'olden days'? In the best traditions of un-scientific media re-enactments, a New York Times and a London Independent journo put their best faces on to bother strangers. And it seems that we have become even more obedient and polite. The Indy's - no doubt lovely young lady - scored an impressive 14 out of 15 complying to her request.
> From The Independent and The New York Times (requires free registration)
Has anything changed in the last thirty years? Were we perhaps more obedient, or more polite in those mythical 'olden days'? In the best traditions of un-scientific media re-enactments, a New York Times and a London Independent journo put their best faces on to bother strangers. And it seems that we have become even more obedient and polite. The Indy's - no doubt lovely young lady - scored an impressive 14 out of 15 complying to her request.
> From The Independent and The New York Times (requires free registration)
British men are bad driving cry-babies
British men are doing a lot more crying than in the past and they are driving more aggresively than women. Probably crying about the loss of their no-claims bonuses.
> From The Scotsman
> From Reuters
> From The Scotsman
> From Reuters
Turnaround in Chinese attitude to psychology
"During Mao Tse-tung's 1967-77 Cultural Revolution, political ideologues attacked psychology as a 'pseudoscience' of capitalist expansionists. Hard-liners shut down human behavior research, destroyed psychology libraries and forced human-behavior researchers to perform manual labor, such as raising pigs."
All this has now changed as China has begun to embrace the very western discipline of psychology. But I suspect, as do many Chinese psychologists, that it will require the development of a particularly Eastern type of psychology for it to be accepted.
> From The Detroit News
All this has now changed as China has begun to embrace the very western discipline of psychology. But I suspect, as do many Chinese psychologists, that it will require the development of a particularly Eastern type of psychology for it to be accepted.
> From The Detroit News
Children create new language
Is language acquistion an innate function of the brain? This is a favourite question among psychologists and boils down to: do humans have specific 'circuitry' built into their brains to learn language? Or alternatively is it something that as our brains are so big, we can do in the same way as the other skills that we pick up? Many psychologists are now happy to agree that there are some parts of the brain that are specialised for language acquisition, the question is over the degree and the mechanism.
Imagine how much we could learn about language acquisition if we could watch a language developing in real time instead of picking apart its history centuries or millenia after the event. Imagine no longer. Deaf Nicaraguan children have, over the last 15 years, developed a sign language from scratch. Not only does it follow basic rules that are common to all language but as the language was passed down to the next generation it clearly evolved in complexity. This strongly supports the innatist viewpoint.
> Go to BBC News
Imagine how much we could learn about language acquisition if we could watch a language developing in real time instead of picking apart its history centuries or millenia after the event. Imagine no longer. Deaf Nicaraguan children have, over the last 15 years, developed a sign language from scratch. Not only does it follow basic rules that are common to all language but as the language was passed down to the next generation it clearly evolved in complexity. This strongly supports the innatist viewpoint.
> Go to BBC News
Overhaul Complete!
The psychology blog has finally got the facelift that's been so long overdue. I have of course been paying particular attention to research done on web site usability and in the eye-tracking lab to create the best possible user-experience for you. OK, you beat it out of me, I glanced at these sites and then did it my own way. You can send me a message here.
New National Service Framework for children
John Reid's speech contains all the usual buzzwords: integrated approach, early assessment, child centred, needs led. But my favourite is: no extra money. Oh no, sorry, that isn't the exact turn of phrase that he used. I've always thought that hard currency is the only way to tell if a politician thinks a particular issue is important. It's the same old question every time: what's the bottom line?
This old cynic has one thing to say to you: kids can't vote. Here are the jargon-filled word-bites:
> From The Guardian, and again
This old cynic has one thing to say to you: kids can't vote. Here are the jargon-filled word-bites:
> From The Guardian, and again
Education system to blame (as always)
The debate is hotting up on adolescent mental health (see yesterday's posts below). The Telegraph points to the education system and the pressure placed on kids to succeed. These are just more shots in the dark as the actual report itself makes no mention of the causes. All the other usual scapegoats are also name-checked: rising debt, unemployment, changing nature of family roles. All too nebulous.
Although one interesting comparison this article does make is with the US high school's emphasis on extra-curricular activities. These may help to socialise young adults outside their school work.
> From The Telegraph
Although one interesting comparison this article does make is with the US high school's emphasis on extra-curricular activities. These may help to socialise young adults outside their school work.
> From The Telegraph
Debate on the Mental Health Bill
The action on children's mental health is part of a larger set of reforms to be contained within the Mental Health Bill, whose draft was published last year to howls of derision in some quarters. The debates continue about many aspects of this Bill, especially the powers of psychiatrists to detain the mentally ill who have not committed any offence, but may do in the future. Psychiatrists have complained that this effectively puts them in the role of jailors.
> From The Independent
> From The Independent
Govt. reponses to children's declining mental health
Mental health is once again creeping to the top of the news agenda. With recent reports of the decline in teenage mental health, rising levels of teenage depression, self-harm and suicide, the government plans measures to combat this. The Guardian reports that, "...John Reid, will tomorrow announce plans to provide 24-hour access to psychiatric services for the seriously disturbed and more help for troubled children through schools and local authorities."
The Independent reported a few days ago that John Reid "...is expected to announce an increase in the number of specialist clinics for teenagers and children - particularly those at risk of killing themselves - and a better regime of training for doctors."
The Independent reported a few days ago that John Reid "...is expected to announce an increase in the number of specialist clinics for teenagers and children - particularly those at risk of killing themselves - and a better regime of training for doctors."
Study reports decline in mental health of teenagers
"...the chances that 15-year-olds will have behavioural problems such as lying, stealing and being disobedient, have more than doubled. The rate of emotional problems such as anxiety and depression has increased by 70% among adolescents, according to the biggest time trend study conducted in Britain."
> From The Guardian
> From The Guardian (Comment)
> From The Guardian
> From The Guardian (Comment)
Writing a diary is bad for you
I hope it's not true. Please don't let it be true. My last friend in the world. I can't tell my secrets to real people, they might judge me!
> From New Scientist
> From New Scientist
What causes more deaths than all wars and homocides?
The sobering answer is suicide. This report from the World Health Organization argues that this human toll is largely avoidable. Whether this is true or not, there are certainly some eye-opening facts here about this taboo subject.
> From the World Health Organization
> From the World Health Organization
My imaginary friend
Research has shown that it isn't such a bad thing for children to have imaginary friends or hear voices. While these are indicators of possible dysfunction in adults, it seems perfectly healthy and, indeed, common for children. This begs the question for the evolutionary psychologist of the imaginary friend's function. Perhaps for isolated or shy children it allows them to practice their social skills in the privacy of their own heads where mistakes can be made without damaging consequences.
> Via Psycport
> Via Psycport
Monday fillers
Couple of little filler stories today: one about how people have their best ideas just before they go to sleep. This has been written about extensively by Paul Martin in Counting Sheep. The second is about nepotism in the workplace - which it can be officially confirmed does still exist contrary to the modern belief that all human social relations are now completely fair.
> From The Guardian
> From The Guardian
> From The Guardian
> From The Guardian
Learn to talk baby
It's like that episode of The Simpsons where Homer's brother (voiced by Danny DeVito) invents a baby translator that makes his fortune. I sometimes think that perhaps one day there will be a Simpsons episode for every conceivable situation in life. In this utopia our conversations will always start "It's like that episode were..." because it simply provides the most concise cultural short hand. Anyway. On with the psychology!
> From The Independent
> From The Independent
Science of psychology applied to gamers
I can't believe in a massive industry like this, that this hasn't already been done. It seems incredible that companies have simply been relying on 'industry wisdom'. That is code for: this is that way we did it before and it worked OK so let's just do the same again.
> From BBC News
> From BBC News
Memory illuminated by sign language
Some proper science here at last. I get a little nervous when I've been posting too many fluffy pieces about dating or life coaches! This study updates the theories about the relationship between the number of short-term memory slots a person has and their intelligence.
Studies of English-speakers have found that people can retain between 5 and 9 items in short-term memory. Other languages have been tested and while most were similar, some exceptions have been found. Chinese speakers could remember between 7 and 11 items while deaf people using sign language between 4 and 6. The reason for this was thought to be how long it took to say these words in the particular language. Chinese numbers are short, hence their performance better.
This study, however implies that this test is biased for the type of processing that the brain is doing: in this case mainly auditory. The researchers developed a new test that was not biased towards auditory processing, and this produced more standardised results for those using sign language.
> From Science Blog
> Article abstract from Nature Neuroscience
Studies of English-speakers have found that people can retain between 5 and 9 items in short-term memory. Other languages have been tested and while most were similar, some exceptions have been found. Chinese speakers could remember between 7 and 11 items while deaf people using sign language between 4 and 6. The reason for this was thought to be how long it took to say these words in the particular language. Chinese numbers are short, hence their performance better.
This study, however implies that this test is biased for the type of processing that the brain is doing: in this case mainly auditory. The researchers developed a new test that was not biased towards auditory processing, and this produced more standardised results for those using sign language.
> From Science Blog
> Article abstract from Nature Neuroscience
Labels: Memory