-
Andy Baron
University of British Columbia http://childdevelopment.psych.ubc.ca What does your research focus on? My research focuses on the development of intergroup cognition from infancy through adolescence. In particular, I examine the development of intergroup attitudes and stereotypes across implicit and explicit levels of analysis. My work also examines how children’s conceptual representations of group membership (as an ingroup or an outgroup member) develop across these years and how such representations constrain a variety of psychological processes including categorization, induction, evaluation, memory, and perception.
-
New Research From Psychological Science
Read about the latest research published in Psychological Science. Sleep Consolidation of Interfering Auditory Memories in Starlings Timothy P. Brawn, Howard C. Nusbaum, and Daniel Margoliash In this study, the authors examined the effect of sleep on the consolidation of starlings' memories. Starlings were trained and tested on two similar classification tasks (Task A and Task B). After training on Task B, they were given a final test on Task A. Training and testing on Task B and the final test on Task A occurred before or after a period of sleep.
-
OppNet Request for Applications: Basic Sociobehavioral Research on Stigma
OppNet's 2nd FY2013 RFA: Basic Sociobehavioral Research on Mechanisms of Stigma Application due: August 2, 2013, by 5:00 p.m. local time of applicant organization Letter of intent due: July 2, 2013 Although not required or binding, an intent letter allows NIH review staff to estimate the number and themes associated with planning this RFA’s peer review process. The purpose of this NIH Opportunity Network (OppNet) request for applications is to support projects that elucidate mechanisms underlying stigma that are relevant across health conditions or stigmatized statuses.
-
Research Explores Links Between Physical and Emotional Pain Relief
Though we all desire relief -- from stress, work, or pain -- little is known about the specific emotions underlying relief. New research from the Association for Psychological Science explores the psychological mechanisms associated with relief that occurs after the removal of pain, also known as pain offset relief. This new research shows that healthy individuals and individuals with a history of self-harm display similar levels of relief when pain is removed, which suggests that pain offset relief may be a natural mechanism that helps us to regulate our emotions.
-
Gazzaniga Book Signing at APS Convention
Few scientists know the brain as well as APS Past President Michael Gazzaniga does. A pioneer in cognitive neuroscience, Gazzaniga was the first researcher to study patients in whom the right and left hemispheres of the brain had been split to treat epilepsy. This research contributed greatly to scientists’ understanding of lateralized cognitive function within the brain and communication between the two brain hemispheres. More recently, Gazznniga has been asking whether advances in neuroscience should change our beliefs about personal responsibility.
-
More Career Options May Explain Why Fewer Women Pursue Jobs in Science and Math
Women may be less likely to pursue careers in science and math because they have more career choices, not because they have less ability, according to a new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. Although the gender gap in mathematics has narrowed in recent decades, with more females enrolling and performing well in math classes, females are still less likely to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) than their male peers. Researchers tend to agree that differences in math ability can’t account for the underrepresentation of women in STEM fields. So what does?