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Recognizing 125 Years of Psychological Research Excellence
Tucked away in a corner of the Philosophy Department, Indiana University’s first psychology laboratory opened in 1888 with humble beginnings. But 125 years later, it now stands as the longest continuing psychology laboratory in the United States. Emphasizing a collaborative and interdisciplinary focus from the start, the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences (PBS) as a whole now stands as a prime example of cutting-edge and multi-faceted research. "The Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences has an enormous worldwide impact," said Lauren Robel, Indiana University Bloomington Provost and Executive Vice President.
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The Mental Strain of Making Do With Less
The New York Times: Diets don’t just reduce weight, they can reduce mental capacity. In other words, dieting can make you dumber. Understanding why this is the case can illuminate a range of experiences, including something as far removed from voluntary calorie restriction as the ordeal of outright poverty. Imagine that you are attending a late-afternoon meeting. Someone brings in a plate of cookies and places them on the other side of the conference table. Ten minutes later you realize you’ve processed only half of what has been said. Why? Only half of your mind was in the meeting. The other half was with the cookies: “Should I have one? I worked out yesterday. I deserve it.
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Think Fast to Stay ‘Up’
You wake up. Your phone blinks. You touch the screen, slide your finger, and chills shiver down your spine. “See me tomorrow,” says the email your boss sent at midnight. Your thoughts accelerate. “What does she want? Why did she write so late? Am I in trouble? The company is in trouble. This down economy! I’m getting fired. Why me? Where will I work? I have skills. There are other companies. I have no skills. Where will I apply? Can we move? How will the kids react to changing schools? I can do this. We can do this. No matter what.” We think. It helps us. Errands, plans, and goals require thought. Synapses fire. Action potentials race down axons.
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Testosterone Promotes Reciprocity in the Absence of Competition
Boosting testosterone can promote generosity, but only when there is no threat of competition, according to new research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. The findings show that testosterone is implicated in behaviors that help to foster and maintain social relationships, indicating that its effects are more nuanced than previously thought. “Testosterone may mediate competitive and potentially antisocial behavior when social challenges or threats need to be confronted and handled,” explains lead researcher Maarten Boksem of Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) in the Netherlands.
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Rethinking the Poker Face and Plans for a Cat in Space
The New York Times: In a classic work by Lady Gaga, she boasts, “No, he can’t read my poker face.” But according to a paper in the journal Psychological Science, she should be more worried about her arm and hand movements, at least when playing poker. “Even though professional players may be able to regulate their facial expressions, their motor actions could betray the quality of their poker hand,” the authors wrote. In three studies, psychologists asked undergraduates to watch clips of professional poker players placing bets; it turned out that smooth and confident arm motions while pushing the chips were the surest signal of a good hand. Read the story at: The New York Times
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Studies Explore Interplay Between Self-Control, Reward Processing, and Diet
Two new studies investigate the relationship between self-control and reward processing for chronic dieters and people who would like to control their food intake. The Future Is Now: Reducing Impulsivity and Energy Intake Using Episodic Future Thinking Tinuke Oluyomi Daniel, Christina M. Stanton, and Leonard H. Epstein Past studies have shown that thinking about a future event reduces delay discounting -- when people forgo large future rewards for immediate smaller rewards.
