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Successful Teams Get (Physiologically) in Sync
When people work together well, their physiological responses begin to sync up, according to new research from a team of psychological scientists from Aarhus University. The research showed that team members who had synchronized skin conductance and facial muscle activity tended to perform better together. “People from the same team have higher synchrony that pairs of people from different teams, and this synchrony is positively associated with a team’s cooperation and positive feeling,” the researchers explain. Previous research has shown that mimicry and synchronization between individuals often enhances prosocial behavior, cooperation, and rapport.
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The Apple of the Mind’s Eye
With its simple design, the Apple Inc. logo is one of the most recognizable emblems in the world. But how well do people remember details of the icon? Which way does the leaf point? Is the bitten section on the right or left side? Psychological scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), under the leadership of Alan D. Castel, examined participants’ recall for these details on the ubiquitous logo, and the degree to which metamemory (i.e., confidence judgments) match memory performance. The study borrows from a classic study that showed that people often have difficulty recognizing the correct locations of features on a US penny.
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New Research From Clinical Psychological Science
Read about the latest research published in Clinical Psychological Science: A Unified Model of Depression: Integrating Clinical, Cognitive, Biological, and Evolutionary Perspectives Aaron T. Beck and Keith Bredemeier Over the last several decades, research in many domains has advanced the scientific understanding of different aspects of depression. The authors of this article aim to integrate these findings into a comprehensive theoretical account of the disorder. In this unified model, depression is conceptualized as an adaptation to the perceived loss of a vital resource.
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Psychological Science Badge Program Encourages Open Practices, Study Shows
A new analysis indicates that the Open Practices Badge program launched two years ago in Psychological Science has positioned APS’s flagship journal at the forefront of the research transparency and openness movement in scientific publishing.
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Why Coffee Shops Boost Concentration
New research might explain why many people who have the option of working from home readily swap out their pajamas for pants and their couch for a seat at the local coffee shop – sitting next to someone busily typing away can increase your own concentration and mental effort. In two experiments, Belgian psychological scientists Kobe Desender, Sarah Beurms, and Eva Van den Bussche demonstrated that -- under the right circumstances -- concentration can be contagious. “In the current study, we showed for the first time that the exertion of mental effort is contagious.
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Graham Presents Findings From NAS Bullying Report
APS Board Member Sandra Graham was among the eminent researchers who presented findings on May 10 from a new National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report on school bullying, including the burgeoning and complex cyberbullying phenomenon. Graham, whose research interests include the social interactions and academic behaviors of children of color, holds the Presidential Chair in Education and Diversity at the University of California, Los Angeles. She also has published a broad variety of articles in developmental, behavioral, and educational psychology journals. The event was held at the National Academies of Sciences building in Washington, D.C. Frederick P.
