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Believing That Others Understand Helps Us Feel That We Do, Too
Our sense of what we know about something is increased when we learn that others around us understand it, according to new research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. The findings are consistent with the idea of a “community of knowledge” in which people implicitly rely on others to harbor needed expertise. Otherwise everyone would have to be omniscient to get by. “We think collaboratively,” said lead author Steven Sloman, professor of cognitive, linguistic and psychological sciences at Brown University. “It implies that people have to live in communities in order to succeed, in order to really make use of our mental capabilities.
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Adults Value Overcoming Temptation, Kids Value Moral Purity
Is it better to struggle with moral conflict and ultimately choose to do the right thing or to do the right thing without feeling any turmoil in the first place? New research suggests that your answer may depend on how old you are. Findings from a series of four studies show that children view the person who feels no moral conflict as more “good,” while adults judge the person who overcomes moral conflict as more deserving of moral credit. The findings are published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
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Brain-Training Claims Not Backed by Science, Report Shows
A scientific review puts the claims behind brain-training games and apps to the test.
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Effect of Commitment on Forgiveness Investigated in Large-Scale Replication Project
After a betrayal of trust, what motivates an aggrieved partner to try and resolve the problem instead of walking away or seeking revenge? Many studies have indicated that how people respond to a partner's betrayal is associated with how committed they feel to their relationship, raising the possibility that boosting people’s feelings of commitment may lead them to choose less destructive responses. A new multi-lab research project aimed at replicating the primary evidence for a causal link between commitment and betrayal confirmed the association between feelings of commitment and responses to betrayal.
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Teens’ Memory for Faces Shifts Toward Peers During Puberty
Adolescents begin to view faces differently as they prepare for the transition to adulthood, according to new research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. "We know that faces convey a lot of different social information, and the ability to perceive and interpret this information changes through development,” explained psychological scientist Suzy Scherf of Penn State, senior author on the study.
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Exploring How Women’s Reproductive Health and Mental Health Intersect
Throughout their lives, women’s risk for various mental health problems fluctuates along with reproductive changes, yet research in psychological science seldom investigates the intersection of reproductive health and mental health. A special series in Clinical Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, addresses these intersecting issues directly, presenting a collection of research articles that takes a multilevel, integrative view of women’s mental health in the context of reproductive development.