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Do-gooder or Ne’er-do-well? Behavioral Science Explains Patterns of Moral Behavior
Does good behavior lead to more good behavior? Or do we try to balance our good and bad deeds? The answer depends on our ethical mindset, according to new research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. Psychological scientist Gert Cornelissen of the Universitat Pompeu Fabra and colleagues found that people who have an “ends justify the means” mindset are more likely to balance their good and bad deeds, while those who believe that what is right and wrong is a matter of principle are more likely to be consistent in their behavior, even if that behavior is bad.
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Hurting Someone Else Can Hurt You Just As Much
Experiencing ostracism -- being deliberately ignored or excluded -- hurts, but ostracizing someone else could hurt just as much, according to new research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. Humans are social animals and they typically avoid causing harm to others when they can. But past experiments -- and real-life events -- suggest that people are willing to inflict harm in order to comply with authorities. Graduate student Nicole Legate, along with her advisor, Richard Ryan of the University of Rochester, and colleagues, hypothesized that complying with these kinds of directives might have psychological costs for the perpetrators.
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Leading Psychological Science Journal Launches Initiative on Research Replication
Reproducing the results of research studies is a vital part of the scientific process. Yet for a number of reasons, replication research, as it is commonly known, is rarely published. Now, a leading journal is adopting a novel way to promote and publish well-designed replications of psychological studies. Perspectives on Psychological Science, published by the Association for Psychological Science, is launching an initiative aimed at encouraging multi-center replication studies. One of the innovative features of this initiative is a new type of article in which replication study designs are peer-reviewed before data collection.
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Stress Hormone Foreshadows Postpartum Depression in New Mothers
Women who receive strong social support from their families during pregnancy appear to be protected from sharp increases in a particular stress hormone, making them less likely to develop postpartum depression, according to a new study published in Clinical Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
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What Predicts Distress After Episodes of Sleep Paralysis?
Ever find yourself briefly paralyzed as you’re falling asleep or just waking up? It’s a phenomenon is called sleep paralysis, and it’s often accompanied by vivid sensory or perceptual experiences, which can include complex and disturbing hallucinations and intense fear. For some people, sleep paralysis is a once-in-a-lifetime experience; for others, it can be a frequent, even nightly, phenomenon. Researchers James Allan Cheyne and Gordon Pennycook of the University of Waterloo in Canada explore the factors associated with distress after sleep paralysis episodes in a new article published in Clinical Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
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New Research on Memory From Psychological Science
Read about the latest research on memory published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. Modifying Memory: Selectively Enhancing and Updating Personal Memories for a Museum Tour by Reactivating Them Peggy L. St. Jacques and Daniel L. Schacter Although researchers know that memories can be modified when they are retrieved, less is known about how the properties of reactivation affect memory. Researchers sent participants on a self-guided tour of a museum with a camera that automatically took pictures of their visit.
