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A Recipe for Healthy Conflict
When the members of a work team start arguing about a task they’re assigned to complete, their anger or irritation are obviously piqued. But in many cases, those debates and disagreements may invigorate them and leave them happier with their jobs. Researchers have long believed that task conflict — which occurs when group members disagree about the content of a task being performed — can be beneficial because team members share different opinions and perspectives. But studies demonstrating that effect have been elusive. A trio of behavioral researchers set out to test the effects of task conflict on emotions and job satisfaction. Gergana Todorova (University of Miami), Julia B.
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New Research From Psychological Science
Read about the latest research published in Psychological Science: Serotonin and Social Norms: Tryptophan Depletion Impairs Social Comparison and Leads to Resource Depletion in a Multiplayer Harvesting Game Amy C. Bilderbeck, Gordon D. A. Brown, Judi Read, Mark Woolrich, Phillip J. Cowen, Tim E. J. Behrens, and Robert D. Rogers What factors influence the conservation of shared resources? The authors manipulated participants' levels of serotonin activity by having them consume a drink containing tryptophan or a placebo (tryptophan depletion reduces serotonin activity).
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Use of Gestures Reflects Language Instinct in Young Children
Young children instinctively use a "language-like" structure to communicate through gestures, according to research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. The research, led by the University of Warwick, shows that when young children are asked to use gestures to communicate, their gestures segment information and reorganize it into language-like sequences. This finding suggests that children are not just learning language from older generations -- their own preferences in communication may have shaped how languages look today.
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“Out, Damned Spot!”: Obsessive-Like Behavior Linked to Specific Type of Guilt
If you’ve ever watched the T.V. show Monk, you know that obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by a fixation on certain thoughts and a need to engage in repetitive behaviors, such as excessive hand washing or checking multiple times if a door is locked. Research has shown that guilt motivates checking behavior by saddling people with feelings of responsibility. For instance, someone who checks a locked door repeatedly fears being held responsible in the case of a break-in.
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Peer Pressure Might Have an Expiration Date
New York Magazine: Anyone who keeps an eye on psychological research will quickly internalize a key point: Group influence matters. In many cases, what our peers are doing and saying can actually override our own opinions and better judgement. A new study published in Psychological Science provides a pretty cool example, and suggests — at least within the specific confines of one lab experiment — that there's something like a peer-pressure expiration date. A trio of researchers from Chinese universities had subjects rate the attractiveness of 280 female faces.
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Per ottenere sollievo dallo stress decidiamo di “pre-crastinare” (To get relief from stress we decide to “pre-crastinate”)
La Stampa: Ogni nuovo compito o lavoro che ci viene affidato è causa di stress. Quasi tutti ne siamo soggetti, perché sentiamo crescere un’ansia dentro che ci vorrebbe far liberare di questo il prima possibile. E, difatti, in molti reagiscono in questo senso: secondo uno studio, quando viene loro affidato un nuovo compito, anziché procrastinare – ossia rimandare – scelgono di “pre-crastinare”, cioè iniziare il prima possibile e fare più cose insieme per liberarsene allo stesso modo il prima possibile. Questo, atteggiamento, secondo gli scienziati, è un modo per liberarsi o ottenere sollievo dallo stress – anche se richiede un maggiore sforzo. Read the whole story: La Stampa
