Recent research reports on Brain, Behavior and Memory
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'Look at me' toddlers eager to collaborate and learn
Parents should think twice before brushing off their child's calls to "look at me!" A new study is the first to show that toddlers' expectations of how their parent will respond to their needs and bids for attention relate to how eager they are to collaborate and learn.
Why People Remember Negative Events More Than Positive Ones
The human brain handles negative and positive input differently, psychologists say, which is why memories of unpleasant experiences seem indelible.
War Atrocities in Afghanistan: Who Is Blameworthy? by Mark C. Russell, Ph.D., ABPP Retired U.S. Navy Commander, Military Clinical Psychologist
Scientific and personal bias should never enter into the equation. The status quo is even more inexplicable when in February, 2012, the DVA informs the Congressional Budget Office that only 40 percent of VA PTSD patients successfully complete PTSD treatment -- a 60 percent wash-out rate! In stark contrast, randomized controlled trials of EMDR in 1998 with Vietnam combat veterans demonstrated that 77 percent of veterans no longer had PTSD diagnosis after 12 sessions -- with no drop-out. Promising results; however, 1998 marked the last EMDR research trial the DVA has funded.
Can a machine tell when you're lying? Research suggests the answer is 'yes'
Computer scientists are exploring whether machines can read the visual cues that give away deceit. Results so far are promising: In a study of 40 videotaped conversations, an automated system that analyzed eye movements correctly identified whether interview subjects were lying or telling the truth 82.5 percent of the time.
Relationship distress in partners of combat veterans: the role of partners' perceptions of posttraumatic stress symptoms.
"partners' perceptions of withdrawal/numbing symptoms were associated with greater distress" than "perceptions of reexperiencing symptoms"
The Role of Emotion in PTSD: Two Preliminary Studies.
"...less than 50% of PTSD cases presented with anxiety as the primary emotion, with the remainder showing primary emotions of sadness, anger, or disgust rather than anxiety. A second pilot study involved the follow-up across exposure-based CBT of 20 of the participants from Study 1. Conclusions: The results suggest that anxiety-based PTSD is more likely to benefit from exposure than is non-anxiety based PTSD. Implications both for the classification and the treatment of PTSD are considered."
THE DISSOCIATIVE SUBTYPE OF POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER: RATIONALE, CLINICAL AND NEUROBIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE, AND IMPLICATIONS.
Clinical and neurobiological evidence for a dissociative subtype of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has recently been documented. A dissociative subtype of PTSD is being considered for inclusion in the forthcoming Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fifth Edition (DSM-5) to address the symptoms of depersonalization and derealization found among a subset of patients with PTSD. This article reviews research related to the dissociative subtype including antecedent, concurrent, and predictive validators as well as the rationale for recommending the dissociative subtype.
Duty-related trauma exposure in 911 telecommunicators: Considering the risk for posttraumatic stress.
"The results suggest that 911 telecommunicators are exposed to duty-related trauma that may lead to the development of PTSD, and that direct, physical exposure to trauma may not be necessary to increase risk for PTSD in this population."
Link between fast food and depression confirmed
A new study along the same lines as its predecessors shows how eating fast food is linked to a greater risk of suffering from depression.
Learning best when you rest: Sleeping after processing new info most effective
Nodding off in class may not be such a bad idea after all. New research shows that going to sleep shortly after learning new material is most beneficial for recall.
Runner's high motivated the evolution of exercise, research suggests
Runners often extol the virtues of the runner's high, but now a team of researchers suggest that the runner's high could have evolved to motivate us to exercise as part of our early long-distance nomadic lifestyle.