Category: General Psychology

2016-17, Biology, Psychology

Hormonal Birth Control May Lead to Depression

by Patrick Yang   Approximately 62% of women aged 14-44 in the U.S. are using a method of contraception, and 27% of those women are using hormonal contraception, according to a National Health Statistics report. The key to hormonal contraception’s mass appeal lies in its convenience and reversibility; it can be found in pill or patch form and does not have permanent effects. However, the estrogen … Continue reading Hormonal Birth Control May Lead to Depression

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2016-17, Biology, Health, Medicine and Physiology, Neuroscience, Psychology

‘Super-agers’ Retain Youthful Memories

  By Jalwa Alfroz As humans age, it is normal for cognitive skills, such as memory, to decline. However, some people seem to escape this fate, and are subsequently categorized as super-agers. Investigators at the Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital, led by Dr. Bradford Dickerson, revealed that certain areas of the brains of older adults with extraordinary memory performance looked similar to those of young adults. Previously, … Continue reading ‘Super-agers’ Retain Youthful Memories

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2016-17, Biology, Psychology

Infectious Disease Information and Emotional Responses

by Megan Tan   Infectious disease outbreaks cause individuals to react differently in response to this kind of emotional news. Professor Scott Clifford and Professor Jennifer Jerit, from the Department of Political Science at the University of Houston and Loyola University respectively, research two of these reactions to infectious disease outbreaks: disgust and anxiety. In the first study, a questionnaire was distributed to three sample … Continue reading Infectious Disease Information and Emotional Responses

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2016-17, Psychology

Learning Quantifiers Across Different Languages

by Megan Tan   Researchers understand what it takes to learn a new language, but the acquisition of numerical words is unknown. In order to test this problem, Professor Napolean Katsos, from the Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics at University of Cambridge, and her team of researchers conducted an experiment on a group of children who spoke one of 31 languages. There were 768 children … Continue reading Learning Quantifiers Across Different Languages

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2016-17, Psychology

Language Stimulation Correlated with Childhood Depression

by Patrick Yang   According to the Federal Center for Mental Health Services, depression affects one in thirty-three children and one in eight adolescents aged 12-18. As of 2014, approximately 2.8 million adolescents aged 12 to 17 experienced at least one major depressive episode. This childhood depression is often correlated with social, emotional, and academic impediments that can transition into adulthood.  Although early intervention is … Continue reading Language Stimulation Correlated with Childhood Depression

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2016-17, Health, Psychology

Cognitive Function and Eating Behavior in Young Women

by Jenna Mallon (’18) Eating behavior, what you eat and how often you eat, plays a large role in your health, and many cognitive factors play a role in a person’s eating habits. Effortful control, the ability to inhibit a dominate response, and working memory, the ability to apply short-term memories to goal-oriented tasks, both play a role in how well a person can manage … Continue reading Cognitive Function and Eating Behavior in Young Women

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2016-17, Psychology, Sociology

The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy of Wishful Thinking

by Amanda Ng (’17) While love for most people is a positive experience, what is often desired above all is to have that love reciprocated. This desire can sometimes be so strong that it can alter perceptions of a platonic encounter to a romantic one. These perceptions can cause individuals to exhibit more romantic behaviors, such as flirting or physical affection, that can change their … Continue reading The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy of Wishful Thinking

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2016-17, Psychology

The Connection Between Anxiety and Autism

by Amanda Ng (’17)   Past research has shown that many psychological and developmental disorders can be comorbid, or can occur together. In particular, there has been a connection found between the diagnoses of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and anxiety. Previous work has researchers believing that Autism patients’ inability to interact and communicate socially can lead to heightened levels of social anxiety. It has been theorized … Continue reading The Connection Between Anxiety and Autism

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2016-17, Autism, Psychology

Emotional Self-Awareness in Children with Autism

by Amanda Ng (’17) Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is one of the most common developmental disorders found in children, and while there has been progress in research since its first diagnosis, there is still much that remains to be discovered. Individuals with ASD have trouble communicating and interacting, and even the highest-functioning ASD patients can have trouble picking up social cues or others’ emotions. However, … Continue reading Emotional Self-Awareness in Children with Autism

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2016-17, Psychology, Sociology

Romanticism May Increase Rates of Partner Violence

by Amanda Ng (’17) In terms of their romantic beliefs, people are under a variety of influences, some of which stem from the entertainment industry. Many books, movies, and television shows showing jealous and controlling behaviors as signs of love and commitment in heterosexual relationships have inspired a similar belief in young women. Previous studies have shown that these romantic beliefs can endanger one’s well-being … Continue reading Romanticism May Increase Rates of Partner Violence

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2016-17, Psychology, Sociology

Sharing Children Can Increase Relationship Length

by Amanda Ng (’17) Fig. 1: Studies have shown that couples that share children are more likely to exhibit behaviors conducive to a lasting relationship. Past studies have shown that there are multiple factors that can make or break a relationship, and that these factors grow even more complicated as a relationship matures and people grow older. Conflict can arise because of work and family … Continue reading Sharing Children Can Increase Relationship Length

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2016-17, Health, Psychology

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in Children

by Amanda Ng (’17) Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, better known as OCD, is a harmful and disabling disorder that consists of recurrent thoughts or actions due to anxiety or distress. Symptoms of OCD include obsessions with self-harm, symmetry, hoarding, and contamination or cleaning. Although a multitude of research exists on this disorder in adults, there is little literature on how it comes to manifest in children. … Continue reading Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in Children

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