Adolescent Brains Biologically Wired to Engage in Risky Behavior

AUTHOR: (Author unnamed) University of Texas at Austin, edited by ScienceDaily staff

PUBLICATION NAME: Science Daily

DATE OF PUBLICATION: June 6, 2010

SUMMARY:

As we all know, teenagers are known for making the most egregious mistakes and the riskiest of decisions. Could there be a true biological reason behind this stereotypical teenage behavior? Learning seems to rely on prediction error because if the world is exactly as you expected it to be, there is nothing new to learn.

Poldrack, a professor of psychology and neurology had stated, "Our results raise the hypothesis that these risky behaviors, such as experimenting with drugs or having unsafe sex, are actually driven by over activity in the mesolimbic dopamine system, a system which appears to be the final destination to all addictions, in the teenage brain."

Scientists have uncovered 'positive prediction error signal's that link to learning. Professor Poldrack stated that previous research has shown that the dopamine system in the brain is responsive towards prediction errors. Reward prediction error is defined as the difference between an expected outcome of an action and the actual outcome. Prediction errors have ties with learning. The human brain will take and reject whatever it wants to.

"Learning seems to rely on prediction error because if the world is exactly as you expected it to be, there is nothing new to learn", says Poldrack.

An experiment was conducted with participants from age eight to thirty, testing to see which age group would elicit the most dopamine response. Dopamine refers to one one of the most important factors for the motivation to seek rewards. Afterwards, the greater prediction error signals in the teenage brain could result in increased motivation to receive more positive outcomes, and greater risk-taking.

But unfortunately, this study is nothing but a theory. Questions afloat the minds of bio-psychological scientists. Can teenagers really control all their decisions, both good and bad? Is the idea being over analyzed? Could their adolescent behavior only be some sort of philosophy? Are biological differences really playing a part of this?

In the end, no one really knows.

LINKS TO STUDY: N/A

ARTICLE: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100603132458.htm

SUBMITTED BY: Cecile F. Zapanta

Women's behavior linked to ... Ovulation?

AUTHOR: Emily Sohn

PUBLICATION NAME: Women's Health on MSNBC

DATE OF PUBLICATION: Aug 18, 2010

SUMMARY:

Studies show that women behave a bit differently during their menstrual cycle. No, not a bit, but an entire transformation. Women seem more desirable than ever during their hormonal shifts. Ovulation changes the pitch of a woman's voice, the swagger in her walk, and the perfume she buys. She becomes more confident in the clothes and shoes she wears, making herself more appealing to the opposite sex.

Scientists say it's not just about impressing men. Ovulating women become more competitive with other women. All of a sudden, they want the best of the best. During this cycle, they become more obsessed with the material aspects in life.

Women don't know that they act this way because they're used to the secrecy of their fertility.According to University of California's evolutionary psychologist, Greg Bryant, this is showing that there are all sorts of phenomena that happen in our behavior that we're "not actually aware of".

Studies recorded in the 1990's showed that ovulating women were extremely attracted to masculine men with higher social ranks, prominent and symmetrical features, and deep voices. Women in ovulation may endure infidelity if unhappy with their partners. Kristina Durante, a social psychologist at the University of Minnesota, observed that ovulating women are most likely to cheat on their men during this cycle.

This research is based on two theories. Women's drastic change in behavior is believed to be some kind of mouse trap. It's sometimes described as a subtle way of 'seducing' their most desired men. Otherwise, it's the hormone changes that occur in the woman's bodily functions without them knowing.

Sometimes, the things that happen inside you will affect your attitude whether you know it or not. People would consider this a problem, because women wouldn't act the way they 'normally' do without thinking. Some people would prefer women to ovulate instead because they seem to make better choices about dating and shopping, not to mention look and sound more appealing.

LINKS TO STUDY: N/A

ARTICLE: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38755436/

SUBMITTED BY: Cecile F. Zapanta

It's Good to Gossip -- But Be Nice!

AUTHOR: British Psychological Society (BPS)

PUBLICATION NAME: Science Daily

DATE OF PUBLICATION: September 8, 2010

SUMMARY:

Dr. Jennifer Cole and Hannah Scrivener from Staffordshire University have found that gossiping is actually good for the gossiper’s health. However, don’t get carried away with your celebrations just yet: this is only true when a person shares positive gossip about someone else. In a study performed to determine the effects of gossiping on the gossiper, 160 participants were asked to fill out questionnaires about their tendency to gossip as well as about their sense of self-esteem, social support and overall satisfaction with their lives. It was found that gossiping was closely tied to higher feelings of social support among the participants. In another study that was meant as a follow-up to the first, 140 people were asked to talk about a made-up person either positively or negatively. The people who talked about the fictional character positively were found to have experienced feelings of greater self-esteem than those people who had gossiped negatively.

So what does all this mean to us? It means that all of our negative preconceptions about gossiping may have to be rethought because gossiping isn’t as bad as it seems. In other words, gossiping (but only that of the positive, praising kind) is actually good for us mentally because it makes us feel more supported by the community and thus gives us higher self-esteem. And really, who couldn’t use more self-esteem or who doesn’t enjoy the feeling of being supported by your community?

These preliminary findings will be presented at the British Psychological Society Social Psychology Section annual conference at the University of Winchester by Dr. Cole and Dr. Scrivener.

LINKS TO STUDY: None Available

ARTICLE: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100908074502.htm

SUBMITTED BY: Lordesa Fok

Can Old Dogs Get Alzheimer's Disease?

AUTHOR: Stanley Coren, Ph.D

PUBLICATION NAME: Psychology Today

DATE OF PUBLICATION: September 13, 2010

SUMMARY: No one knows exactly why either dogs or humans decline in their abilities as they age, but one theory is that as DNA is copied into new cells, the copies get less and less accurate. Damage to the DNA may also come from natural radiation, or wear and tear or a combination of all three. Damaged DNA due to natural radiation leads to faulty enzyme production that then leads to the death of cells in the nervous system. It has been found that old dog’s brains are up to 25% lighter than younger dog’s brains do to loss of nerve cells and branches. In addition, chemical changes occur in the dog’s brain do to aging. These same things happen to people as they get older. In dogs and humans, the mitochondria become less efficient, leaking free radicals that interrupt normal cell activity. In autopsies, it is apparent that with age both dogs and humans naturally get lesions of the starch-like protein beta amyloid. This lesion clogs the brain and inhibits signals from the brain. In addition, some dogs get the same degenerative brain lesions that humans with Alzheimer’s Disease do. As tissue degenerates, protein deposits called amyloids accumulate in the brain. High levels of these amyloids in combination with clusters of dead or dying nerve cells are an indication that the individual is suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease. In dogs, this is called Canine Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome. These dogs show similar symptoms as humans with Alzheimer’s Disease. These symptoms can be summed up as disorientation, interaction changes, sleep changes, and house soiling.

LINKS TO STUDY: Unavailable

ARTICLE: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/canine-corner/201009/can-old-dogs-get-alzheimer-s-disease

SUBMITTED BY: Stephanie Walker

Women Attracted to Men in Red, Research Shows

AUTHOR: Science Daily/University of Rochester

PUBLICATION NAME: Science Daily

DATE OF PUBLICATION: August 3, 2010

SUMMARY: According to studies done at the University of Rochester and other institutions, women are more attracted to men that wear red, and are also unaware of this fact.

As said by Andrew Elliot, professor of psychology at the University of Rochester, women view red as “higher in status.” Men that wear red also make it seem like they have power and a large income, which attracts women.

The color red is seen as high rank all over the globe. Examples include ancient China, Rome, Japan, and sub-Saharan Africa, who all use red to portray wealth and status.

Other than culture, biology also plays a role in this study. Red represents male supremacy in non-human primates, which in return causes females to mate with the males in these species, because of the resources they can offer.

Several experiments have been done in which participants were given photographs of numerous men wearing red and other different colors. The participants were to rate the men’s traits, such as attractiveness and likeability. It turns out that although males wearing red seemed more sexually attractive, that did not make them more kind or likeable.

And although most women found men in red more attractive, males participating in the study claimed that color made no difference in rating someone’s attractiveness.

The results found in these experiments are significant because it shows that a simple element, such as color, can play a huge factor when it comes to people being drawn towards each other. In addition, the results affect the field of Psychology and other research, because it is shown that seeing red in competitive situations (i.e. sport matches), leads to poor performance.

LINKS TO STUDY: None

ARTICLE: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100802101821.htm

SUBMITTED BY: Kristin Elizarde

Depression

Author: by Emily Conner under Mental Health

Publication Name: LifesFit

Date of Publication: Copyright © 1996-2010 LivesFit.

Summary: Most causes of depression are induced by the chemical imbalance in the brain creating the feeling of melancholy and sadness, experience in a loss of appetite, difficulty sleeping, lack of motivation and a tendency to avoid social situations. there are more suaver diagnosis were the person can have constant mood swings and agitation, crying, suicidal thoughts and a tendency to linger in fantasy worlds where they feel safe from the troubles and hardships waiting in the real world. In most cases people have a hard time admitting to themselves that they have this chemical imbalance. Even though for them to recognize that they have this disability is the first step to there recovery. This type of depression can be best diagnosable by his or her professional doctor.

Also clinical depression can be treatable sometimes with the simplicity of changing their home life style. unfortunately women have a more higher rate of having clinical depression in one point in time in her life; due to hormonal situations and changes over time.

Links to Study: http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/mental_health/peression.html http:/www.mcmanweb.com/depressionfaq.html


Article: Depression-types, symptoms,treatment and support

Submitted By:

iDream theme by Templates Next Powered by WordPress

Post by: Keiara Turner

Deprestion: types, treatment, support, sysmptums

Author:

Experiences Makes Us Happier Than Possessions

Author: Elizabeth Landau

Publication Name: CNN

Date of Publication: Feb. 10, 2009

Summary:
In a study made by Ryan Howell, assistant professor of psychology at San Francisco State University, found that experience provides more happiness than possessions. Getting 154 people to answer questions about their recent purchase. The ones that wrote about an experience tend to show more satisfaction. The ones that talked about a experience also talked about the effects and impact it had on other people, for example being able to get closer to family. Life experience also has a positive react to other people because experiences are tending to shared with other people. People are able to fulfill a need of social bonding when they spend time together on a experience compared to buying a new item for their household.

Another reason why experiences tends to make peoples more happy is that, it makes people 'feel alive'. A item makes people happy for one to three months as they adapt to it. Once they have adapted to it, it becomes a part of the house and nothing more. Experience becomes memories and stays with the person for years to come. Some people also point out that people are less self-conscious about talking about their experience compared to their possessions. Since people would feel as bad when they are trips, than if they were compare their new tv.

However a gift can also be an experience on its own and can add to the feel as people look at it as a token of their experience. It is the memories that are important and make the sentimental value increase over time.


Links to Study: Cannot be found

Article: www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/02/10/happiness.possessions/index.html#cnnSTCText

Submitted By: Hai Vo

Being a Mama's Boy: Good for Your Health?

Author: Eben Harrell

Publication Name: Time Magazine

Date of Publication: Aug. 27 2010

Summary:

In a recent study at Arizona State University's School of Social and Family Dynamics, being a mama boy maybe good for your health. By interviewing groups of boy the conclusion came to be that as boys grow up they tend act what they think a man should act, hiding their emotions and acting masculine. So if something bad happens they try to handle it themselves instead so asking for help. With all this pressure of 'being a man' suicide rates for boys jumps at the age of 16. Mama's boys tend to skip all of this, as they did not act as tough and were emotionally available. As result they had a better mental health in middle school.

Another cultural influence to young boys discussed by Sharon Lamb, a professor of mental health at the University of Massachusetts is superheroes. From the result of her survey of 674 boy’s superheroes causes boys to be overly masculine. All of this masculinity is because of the growing acceptance of homosexual, which is cause for a wider gap of gender stereotypes. Since people are afraid of being seen as gay act more 'manly'. She also blames today’s superheroes because in the “modern superheroes” found in movie are all action. Today’s superheroes rarely talks about good virtue. She points out Iron Man as a example of a modern superhero and his bad influence. All in all accepting the gender stereotypes is bad for the health, so being a mama's boy is good for the health.

Links to Study: Not founded

Article: www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2014038,00.html

Submitted by: Hai Vo

'Magic mushrooms' ingredient may ease end-of-life anxiety

AUTHOR: Anne Harding

PUBLICATION NAME: CNN Health

DATE OF PUBLICATION: September 6, 2010

SUMMARY: The study suggested that a "guided "trip" on the hallucinogenic drug, psilocybin" could help those terminally ill cancer patients. In the study, twelve patients were given a small dose of the psilocybin, which is the active ingredient in magic mushrooms. On the other side of this study, the patients were given placebo pills, but those did little help relieve the patients. After one to three months, patients found that they felt less anxious. In six months, the patients' average score on a scale to measure depression had reduced by thirty percent according to a study in the Archives of General Psychiatry.

Even in follow-up interviews, the patients said that their experiment with the 'magic mushroom' ingredient gave them a different outlook on their illness and helped them come closer to their friends and family.Also, besides the slight in crease of blood pressure and heart rate, there were no negative side affects of the study. It did not increase any anxiety nor did it add any other psychological problems.

Roland Griffiths, a professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, in Baltimore, says that these studies were important because it showed people can use these compounds in a safe way to handle the symptoms of anxiety. "They're not substances that should be used recreationally or casually, but nonetheless it appears that we can conduct research with these compounds safely," Griffiths also said. Griffiths was not a part of the actual experiment, but he was one of the professors that researched the topic.

LINKS TO STUDY: http://www.health.com/health/

ARTICLE: http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/09/06/magic.mushrooms.ease.anxiety/index.html

SUBMITTED BY: Meera Narayanan

Memory Problems more Common in Men?

AUTHOR: Science Daily/ American Academy of Neurology

PUBLICATION NAME: sciencedaily.com

DATE OF PUBLICATION: September 07, 2010.

SUMMARY:
Recent studies show that Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) affect men more than women. Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is a condition when people have troubles with memory or thinking clearly. In the study, 2,050 people between the ages of 70 to 89 in Olmstead County, Minn were tested on their memory and thinking skills. The results from the test concluded that MCI was founded 1.5 times higher in men than in women. Usually, MCI leads to Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer’s disease is usually found in elderly people and it is a brain disease that destroys memory and thinking skills. They also did a study on which gender was more likely to have Dementia. Dementia is a brain disease that affects memory, thinking, language, judgment and behavior. In the study, 14 percent of the participants had MCI, 10 percent had Dementia and 76 of the participants had normal memory and thinking skills. The study reflected that 19 percent of men had MCI when only 14 percent of women had it. The study also stated that people who are in low education have a higher chance of getting MCI. This was the first study that dealt with the community of both genders to find MCI. As the study of MCI progresses, Ronald Petersen, MD, PhD, with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn believe that other results of diseases have to do with gender.


The results of the tests made a public health impact because of these conditions. The conditions of Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia resulted in finding new treatments.


LINKS TO STUDY: No Original Links to Study.

ARTICLE: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100906202854.htm

SUBMITTED BY: Erikacamisse Diaz

Acting Selfish? Blame Your Mother!

AUTHOR: Science Daily/ University of Oxford

PUBLICATION NAME: ScienceDaily.com

DATE OF PUBLICATION: Septemeber 07, 2010.

SUMMARY:
In a recent study of social behavior between our female and male ancestors states that our female ancestors cause us to have more conflicts with others. The reason why our social behavior is selfish is because of our female ancestors and the reason why we are unselfish or devoted to the welfare of others is because of our male ancestors. Our brains create more conflict with others because our female ancestors were more dispersed than our male ancestors.


The Scientists from Oxford University and the University of Tennessee put this study to the test by using the process called "genomic imprinting", the genetic fact by which certain genes are expressed in a parent's specific manner. Historically, the female ancestors dispersed more than men, which makes them to be less related to their neighbors. The female ancestors being more dispersed than men is the case of ancestral humans. Because the men were more related to their neighbors they wouldn't have any disagreements or conflicts due to the similarities both genes have already. The female gene will not be kind to others at times but the male gene will be kind. Both genes are in conflict whether we should be selfish or unselfish. The study reveals that they have tried to mutate the imprinted genes, however it can lead to disorders. These results are important because it can cause disorders to the brain such as autism and psychosis. Autism is a disorder that causes you to make repetitive actions. Psychosis is a disorder that keeps you loss in contact with reality. This behavior changes the field of Psychology because now we know where we get our selfish feeling from. It's a positive and negative thing to know because when we see our mother's throwing a tantrum and being selfish over a small thing, we know not to act like that. This research is considered existing research because of the studies they put towards both female, males and infants.


LINKS TO STUDY:  No Original Links to Study.

ARTICLE: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100905164034.htm

SUBMITTED BY: Erikacamisse Diaz

Study: Jealousy Is (Literally) Blinding

AUTHOR: Jessica Bennett

PUBLICATION NAME: Newsweek

DATE OF PUBLICATION: April 13th, 2010

SUMMARY: David Buss, a psychologist from the University of Texas, wrote a book called The Dangerous Passion in which he explained how jealously could actually expose partners in relationships to "extreme dangers".

In a research at the University of Delaware with twenty-five different couples that was published in the April issue of the American Psychological Association journal Emotion, the women became so overcome with jealously with their partners that they could not concentrate on the targets that were appearing on their computer screen. The study consisted of the men and women sitting next to each other on two different computer screens. The men were told to look at graphic pictures of women while rating their attractiveness. The women were told to look at a series of rapid images and asked to point on the images of landscapes. The women that became so jealous could only concentrate on what their partners were looking at and how they rated each picture and not on finding the targets on their own computer. So in this way "jealousy was blinding". The two authors of the journal Emotion, Steven Most and Jean-Philippe Laurenceau, said “the influence of social emotions—known to affect moods, behaviors and physical health—appears to permeate so deeply as to affect processes involved in visual awareness.”

This experiment was not tested on men. Meaning, they did not have the men and women switch roles. Researchers suggest that if this same study were to be done on males, the results would be very similar.

LINKS TO STUDY: No links to original study were available.

ARTICLE: http://www.newsweek.com/blogs/the-human-condition/2010/04/13/study-jealousy-is-literally-blinding.html

SUBMITTED BY: Meera Narayanan

The Creativity Crisis

AUTHORS: Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman

PUBLICATION NAME: Newsweek

PUBLICATION DATE: July 10, 2010

SUMMARY: Research shows that creativity in America is declining. In 1958, professor E. Paul Torrance developed several tasks with which to measure creativity, which is defined as "the production of something that is original and useful". Creativity requires an individual to come up with original ideas and merge those ideas together into a result. Using Torrance's tasks, Kyung Hee Kim at the College of William & Mary discovered that the creativity scores has been rising up until 1990, at which point they declined. The decline is reported to be most serious for children from kindergarten to sixth grade.

It is likely that the lack of creativity is due to children spending more hours in front of the TV and playing video games, rather than with creative activities. Other culprits could be the lack of creativity in schools and the fact that many children stop asking as many questions as they used to.

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Gary G. Gute, while studying the childhoods of highly creative people, found that they tend to have grown up in families that give stability, yet also encourage uniqueness, which resulted in adaptability. Clear rules kept the kids stay in control during times of stress, but the kids were also able to flourish in creativity during times of boredom. These highly creative adults also frequently grew up with hardships, which doesn't necessarily have a direct link to creation, but forces them to become more flexible, which in turn, helps with creativity.

American teachers say that "there’s no room in the day for a creativity class", but Rex Jung, a neuroscientist at the University of Mexico claims that creativity can be improved with practice. According to him, habitual practice and consistency gradually changes the patterns in the brain to gear toward creativity. New research also says that creativity is part of the brain's normal function. However, the researchers conclude that very little is being done to spur the rates of creativity in America, although creativity is highly prized in our society.

LINKS TO STUDY: none

ARTICLE: The Creativity Crisis

SUBMITTED BY: Kimberly Truong

Parental Depression After Childbirth

AUTHOR: Rick Nauert, PhD

PUBLICATION NAME: Psych Central

PUBLICATION DATE: September 8, 2010

SUMMARY: A study in the UK suggests that many parents develop depression within the first year of their child's birth. More than thirty percent of mothers and around twenty percent of fathers were shown to experience an episode of depression, the biggest risk being within the one year time span after their child was born.

The depression rates were unsurprising, due to the stress associated with a baby - i.e; lack of sleep, more responsibility, and pressure on each of the parents. The rates could also be due to the continuation of anti-depressant use after taking a break during the pregnancy and nursing periods.

The authors add that “There is a well-established link between depression and social and economic deprivation both in the general population and among parents. This finding may reflect the stresses of poverty, unemployment, low employment grade and lower social support among people of lower socioeconomic status”.

Depression in mothers and fathers was identified with diagnostic codes and pharmacy record. All in all, 19,286 mothers surveyed had a total of 25,176 episodes of depression and 8,012 fathers had a total of 9,683 episodes of depression.

Based on the findings, researches have concluded that there should be awareness among clinicians of the risk factors of depression in parents and immediate detection of depression is crucial. Authors also say that in the future, other factors for depression should come into play during research, such as the couple's relationship and stressful life situations.

LINKS TO STUDY: none

ARTICLE: Parental Depression After Childbirth

SUBMITTED BY: Kimberly Truong

Firstborns are smart, but younger siblings work harder

Author: Madison Park

Publication name: CNN.com

Date of publication: August 16, 2010

Summary: In a recent study of ninety diverse pairs of siblings by the American Psychological Association, it was found that firstborns scored better on aptitude tests (e.g. SATs, ACTs) but younger siblings worked harder and get higher grade point averages.

The siblings answered questions about their own and their sibling's work ethic and general intelligence, as well as academic performance. They generally agreed that the younger siblings work harder. However, all subjects thought that they were the more naturally gifted of their pair.

A reason given for the eldest sibling scoring higher on aptitude tests is that they were given more one-on-one attention when they were younger. Since they were only children, at least for a short while, they received more homework and schoolwork help from their parents and older family members.

The higher grade point averages of younger siblings are explained by the competitiveness and pressure condoned by family dynamics. Younger siblings normally feel the need to do better than their older brother or sister. This leads to the extra effort put forth by them.

I think that this study shows accurate findings. In the case of my sister and me, I have always been the one that is “naturally smart” while my sister works harder because she is more competitive and has always been around people who have expressed such pride over my grades. The drive to outwit and outperform me has translated into Caitlin’s better grade point average. In sibling groups, the older brother or sister does better on general skill tests while younger siblings are harder working and have better GPAs.

Links to study: none

Links to article: http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2010/08/16/firstborns-smart-but-younger-siblings-work-harder/?iref=obinsite

Submitted by Courtney Caglia-Hilty

Wednesday September 8th Directions

To prove to me that you can figure this Blogger thing out, I want you to add something to the comments for this post.

In order to get credit for today's work, you must complete this easy task.

Answer this question: What is normal? And be sure to sign your name.

That is all.

Can Preschoolers Be Depressed?

Author: Pamela Paul

Publication Name: The New York Times

Date of Publication: August 25, 2010

Summary:The article, “Can Preschoolers Be Depressed” by Pamela Paul, the cases of different preschoolers found to have been diagnosed with depression and how these children interact are discussed. The first example is about a boy named “Kiran” (a fake name to keep the boy’s identity anonymous). He seemed to be a good child while growing up, until his parents noticed that his actions were not as lively and bright as a normal preschooler should be. When Kiran was 5, he was diagnosed with preschool depression.

Depression was originally thought to have only affected adults, and not something that is found in children. Diagnosis of depression for preschoolers has also been a debate because of the belief that children cannot have such a mental disorder. However, ongoing studies show that children can in fact go through depression despite the young age and that depression can surface in children as young as 2 or 3. Although the fact that children can become depressed is true, it is extremely difficult to diagnose the child because there is little that a young child can directly tell about what is going on in their mind and life.

Studies also show that parents who are also depressed, particularly the mother, have a higher chance of their own children having depression. The children become afraid that they are bad children, and that their parents do not love them. In an effort to correct this thinking in children, they are sent to psychotherapy, with a parental unit, to go through “play therapy.” Another type of therapy is known as the Parent-Child Interaction Therapy, or P.C.I.T in which parents are taught to “encourage their children to acquire emotion regulation, stress management, guilt reparation and other coping skills” (Paul). PCIT was originally started in the 1970s and has now been modified to work for depression.

Although there are no definite results, PCIT is known to be a proficient method if the parents are an active part of their child’s process of overcoming depression. Psychologist Alicia Lieberman at U.C.S.F. said that “if you intervene early enough to change negative conditions, rather than perpetuate negative behaviors, you really are preventing the development of a full-fledged diagnosis.”


Links to Study: none

Article: Can Preschoolers Be Depressed?

Submitted by Julia Wong

Guiding Your Sleep While You're Awake

Author: Sarah Kershaw

Publication Name: The New York Times

Date of Publication: July 26, 2010

Summary: In the article, “Guiding Your Sleep While You’re Awake,” the author writes about nightmares. Normally, when a person has an extremely vivid nightmare from a traumatic experience, over time, the nightmares lessen and the person is naturally able to overcome these nightmares. However, in some cases, people are not able to naturally overcome the nightmares and are then helped by therapists who have invented behavioral techniques to lessen these nightmares.

Some example techniques to help people overcome their nightmares are the following: lucid dreaming, where a patient is taught to know that they are in a dream while in a nightmare; vivo desensitization, in which the patient is faced with their nightmare while awake to overcome it before they sleep; and a more recent technique known as dream incubation, which was first studied during the 1990s by a psychologist at Harvard Medical School.

According to the link that corresponds to this article about dream incubation, “Approximately half of the subjects recalled a dream which they felt was related to the problem. Seventy percent of these believed their dream contained a solution to the problem” (Barrett). The results show that many people, after continuing to practice the methods, could guide themselves as they dream. Not only that, these conclusions had similar results as earlier researchers have had (Wile, 1934; Wollmering, 1978).

The article continues on about the different therapy that is available for those suffering incessant nightmares. These therapies give a new light to those that are suffering from nightmares due to an experience they wish to forget, or something that scares them in general.

Links to Study: Dream Incubation

Article: Guiding Your Sleep While You're Awake

Submitted by Julia Wong

Digital Overload: Your Brain On Gadgets

AUTHOR: Radio Host: Terry Gross, Interviewee: New York Times technology journalist Matt Richtel

PUBLICATION NAME: NPR Fresh Air with Terry Gross (podcast) 

PUBLICATION DATE: August 24, 2010

SUMMARY: 

Because I'm the teacher, I cut and pasted the NPR summary.  You will not do this.

"The average person today consumes almost three times as much information as what the typical person consumed in 1960, according to research at the University of California, San Diego.
And The New York Times reports that the average computer user checks 40 websites a day and can switch programs 36 times an hour.
"It's an onslaught of information coming in today," says Times technology journalist Matt Richtel. "At one time a screen meant maybe something in your living room. But now it's something in your pocket so it goes everywhere — it can be behind the wheel, it can be at the dinner table, it can be in the bathroom. We see it everywhere today."
Richtel has spent the past several months researching the toll technology and "information juggling" are taking on our lives — and our brains. His series "Your Brain On Computers" describes how multitasking on computers and digital gadgets affects the way people process information — and how quickly they can then become distracted."

LINKS TO STUDY:  No studies, but the author's series at the New York Times can be found here.

ARTICLE:  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129384107

SUBMITTED BY: Cummins