EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science

SimuCase avatars advance speech-language pathology training

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 EDT

(Case Western Reserve University) A new commercial venture, using technology developed at Case Western Reserve University's College of Arts and Sciences and Case School of Engineering, has made available avatars -- virtual patients -- to train speech-language pathologists. SimuCase allows graduate students and others training to evaluate speech-language disorders to practice using an interactive, Web-based program, reducing stress on the trainee, because a diagnosis doesn't have to be made on a real person.

The verdict on tiger-parenting?

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 EDT

(University of California - Berkeley) Long before Amy Chua's provocative 2011 memoir, "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother," raised the bar for tough-love parenting, psychologists at UC Berkeley were studying the effects of three kinds of child-rearing: authoritarian (too hard), permissive (too soft) and authoritative (combo). Now, with the recent release of Berkeley alumna Kim Wong Keltner's memoir, "Tiger Babies Strike Back," along with other scholarly works and testimonials, the results are in.

The hidden agenda of Obama's opposition

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 EDT

(Springer Science+Business Media ) Is the US Tea Party movement a racial backlash against President Obama? A new study by Angie Maxwell from the University of Arkansas, and Wayne Parent from Louisiana State University, assesses whether racial attitudes are contributing to Tea Party membership, and if so, the exact nature of this racial prejudice. Their work is published online in Springer's journal, Race and Social Problems.

CAMH policy study outlines ways to reduce alcohol harms

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 EDT

(Centre for Addiction and Mental Health) The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health has released a summary report outlining policy strategies to reduce the harms related to alcohol, with a focus on the province of Ontario, Canada.

Academics earn street cred with TED Talks but no points from peers, IU research shows

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 EDT

(Indiana University) TED Talks, the most popular conference and events website in the world with over 1 billion informational videos viewed, provides academics with increased popular exposure but does nothing to boost citations of their work by peers, new research led by Indiana University has found.

Sexual minority youth need specialized treatment from therapists

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Missouri-Columbia) Despite advances in civil rights, sexual minority youth are still at greater risk for suicide than their heterosexual peers, according to the Suicide Prevention Resource Center. A University of Missouri psychology graduate student recently published recommendation to improve psychologists' treatment of sexual minority youth, which could help improve psychological functioning and reduce depression and suicide rates.

Fiber-optic pen helps see inside brains of children with learning disabilities

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Washington) For less than $100, University of Washington researchers have designed a computer-interfaced drawing pad that helps scientists see inside the brains of children with learning disabilities while they read and write.

NIH to fund collaborations with industry to identify new uses for existing compounds

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 EDT

(NIH/National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)) The National Institutes of Health has awarded $12.7 million to match nine academic research groups with a selection of pharmaceutical industry compounds to explore new treatments for patients in eight disease areas, including Alzheimer's disease, Duchenne muscular dystrophy and schizophrenia.

Podium finish for Genetrainer

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Bristol) The world's first computer guided fitness training system using a person's DNA was announced as one of the three winners of the LeWeb'13 London Startup Competition, Europe's largest technology conference.

Parenting and home environment influence children's exercise and eating habits

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 EDT

(Duke University Medical Center) Kids whose moms encourage them to exercise and eat well, and model those healthy behaviors themselves, are more likely to be active and healthy eaters, according to researchers at Duke Medicine.

Beliefs about causes of obesity may impact weight, eating behavior

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 EDT

(Association for Psychological Science) Whether a person believes obesity is caused by overeating or by a lack of exercise predicts his or her actual body mass, according to new research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

Gel or whitening? Consumer choice and product organization

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Chicago Press Journals) Consumers choose lower-priced products and are more satisfied with their purchase when products are organized by benefits instead of features, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research.

Huddersfield researcher publishes a study of psychopathy and criminal behavior

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Huddersfield) Dr Boduszek has published a critical review of psychopathy literature, with a particular focus on recent research examining the relationship between psychopathy and various forms of criminal behavior.

Storytelling program helps change medical students' perspectives on dementia

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 EDT

(Penn State) Treating patients with dementia can be viewed as a difficult task for doctors, but Penn State College of Medicine researchers say that storytelling may be one way to improve medical students' perceptions of people affected by the condition. Participation in a creative storytelling program called TimeSlips creates a substantial improvement in student attitudes.

Why do appetizers matter more when you're dining out with friends?

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Chicago Press Journals) First impressions of experiences have a greater impact when consumers share the experience with others, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research.

The geometry of persuasion: How do seating layouts influence consumers?

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Chicago Press Journals) Consumers seated in circular arrangements feel a greater need to belong than those seated in angular layouts, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research.

Free perks and upgrades: Could they actually embarrass consumers?

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Chicago Press Journals) Consumers may not enjoy receiving free perks or upgrades in public, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research.

Why is it easier to lose 2-4 pounds rather than 3 pounds?

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Chicago Press Journals) Consumers are more likely to pursue goals when they are ambitious yet flexible, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research.

It's the way you tell em': Study discovers how the brain controls accents and impersonations

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 EDT

(Royal Holloway, University of London) A study, led by Royal Holloway University researcher Carolyn McGettigan, has identified the brain regions and interactions involved in impersonations and accents.

Hard to make us personally or financially responsible for our health

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Copenhagen) Free and equal access to medical treatment has been a staple of the Danish welfare state, but more and more Danes express the view that people treated for lifestyle diseases should pay for their own treatment. The logic behind this view is, however, dubious, says PhD Martin Marchman Andersen from the University of Copenhagen. In a new thesis, he demonstrates how difficult it is to defend the claim that people are responsible for their health.

MIT and UC Berkeley launch energy-efficiency research project

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 EDT

(University of California - Berkeley Haas School of Business) Researchers at MIT and UC Berkeley announce "The E2e Project," a new interdisciplinary research project that aims to evaluate and improve energy-efficiency policies and technologies. Its goal is to support and conduct rigorous and objective research, communicate the results and give decision-makers the real-world analysis they need to make smart choices.

Hormonal therapy for transsexualism safe and effective

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 EDT

(The Endocrine Society) Hormonal therapy for transsexual patients is safe and effective, a multicenter European study indicates. The results will be presented Saturday at The Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco.

Older males make better fathers says new research on beetles

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Exeter) Researchers at the University of Exeter found that older male burying beetles make better fathers than their younger counterparts. The study found that mature males, who had little chance of reproducing again, invested more effort in both mating and in parental care than younger males.

Research shows moves to ban pay-to-delay deals are justified

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 EDT

(University of East Anglia) Controversial deals that delay generic versions of drugs coming onto the market can lead to consumers paying significantly more for some treatments, according to new research by an academic from the University of East Anglia.

Twice weekly iron supplementation to pregnant women as effective as a daily regime

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:00 EDT

(Public Library of Science) Daily supplementation of iron tablets to pregnant women does not provide any benefits in birth weight or improved infant growth compared to twice weekly supplementation, according to a study by international researchers published in this week's PLOS Medicine.