Science Daily Ed. Psychology
Dyslexia-linked genetic variant decreases midline crossing of auditory pathways
Scientists have found that a rare dyslexia-linked genetic variant of the ROBO1 gene decreases normal crossing of auditory pathways in the human brain. The results link, for the first time, a dyslexia-susceptibility gene to a specific sensory function of the human brain.
Surprisingly high number of adults with severe learning disabilities also have autism, UK research shows
New UK research on autism in adults has shown that adults with a more severe learning disability have a greater likelihood of having autism. This group, mostly living in private households, was previously 'invisible' in estimates of autism.
Mom's love good for child's brain
School-age children whose mothers nurtured them early in life have brains with a larger hippocampus, a key structure important to learning, memory and response to stress. The new research, by child psychiatrists and neuroscientists, is the first to show that changes in this critical region of children’s brain anatomy are linked to a mother’s nurturing.
Lifelong payoff for attentive kindergarten kids
Attentiveness in kindergarten accurately predicts the development of "work-oriented" skills in school children, according to a new study.
Twilight learning: Looking back and forward to the possibilities of subliminal messages
The concept of the subliminal message is now familiar. A subconscious suggestion can help a person bring about positive change, such as smoking cessation, or otherwise influence one’s actions. The science behind reaching this suggestive state and how to successfully present a message of change has its own journey.
High-school high achievers who flounder in university: Some students may have undetected reading comprehension difficulties
Everyone knows a high-school high achiever who has floundered in university. Now researchers may have an explanation for the problem. They say it is likely that some of these students may have undetected reading comprehension difficulties.
How kids with autism spend screen time
Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) tend to be preoccupied with screen-based media. A new study looks at how children with ASDs spend their “screen time.” Researchers found a very high rate of use of solitary screen-based media such as video games and television with a markedly lower rate of use of social interactive media, including email.
Adolescents from unstable families lose ground in rigorous high schools
Research continues to support a connection between instability in the home and school performance in adolescents, but a new study takes the research a step further by exploring how the relationship between family structure change and adolescent academic careers is also affected by the kinds of schools they attend.
Learning to 'talk things through in your head' may help people with autism
Teaching children with autism to "talk things through in their head" may help them to solve complex day-to-day tasks, which could increase the chances of independent, flexible living later in life, according to new research.
School obesity programs may promote worrisome eating behaviors and physical activity in kids
A new report examines the possible association between school-based childhood obesity prevention programs and an increase in eating disorders among young children and adolescents. In a new poll, 30% of parents report at least one worrisome behavior in their children that could be associated with the development of eating disorders.
Spotting dyslexia before a child starts school
Children at risk for dyslexia show differences in brain activity on MRI scans even before they begin learning to read, finds a new study. Since developmental dyslexia responds to early intervention, diagnosing children at risk before or during kindergarten could head off difficulties and frustration in school, the researchers say.
When it comes to accepting evolution, gut feelings trump facts
For students to accept the theory of evolution, an intuitive "gut feeling" may be just as important as understanding the facts, according to a new study. In an analysis of the beliefs of biology teachers, researchers found that a quick intuitive notion of how right an idea feels was a powerful driver of whether or not students accepted evolution -- often trumping factors such as knowledge level or religion.
Radiation-induced damage to brain tissue reversed by oxygen starvation in mice
Treating brain tumors with whole brain radiation therapy can damage healthy brain tissue, but a new study in mice reveals that limiting the oxygen supply, or hypoxia, can alleviate some of the cognitive impairment caused by the radiation.
Dangerous choking 'game' prevalent among teens in Texas
Nearly one out of seven college students surveyed at a Texas university has participated in the 'Choking Game,' a dangerous behavior where blood flow is deliberately cut off to the brain in order to achieve a high, according to a new study.
Plugged into learning: Computers help students advance
Technology has grown by leaps and bounds, yet are computers helping students progress in their learning? Absolutely, says a 40-year retrospective on the impact of technology in classrooms.
Greater brain activation after cognitive rehabilitation for MS
Scientists have documented increased cerebral activation in patients with multiple sclerosis following memory retraining using modified Story Memory Technique. This study is the first to demonstrate that behavioral interventions can have a positive effect on brain function in MS, an important step in validating the clinical utility of cognitive rehabilitation.
Junk food in schools doesn’t cause weight gain among children, study suggests
While the percentage of obese children in the United States tripled between the early 1970s and the late 2000s, a new study suggests that -- at least for middle school students -- weight gain has nothing to do with the candy, soda, chips, and other junk food they can purchase at school.
Planned actions improve the way we process information
Preparing to act in a particular way can improve the way we process information, and this has potential implications for those with learning disabilities. Researchers have shown that using a grabbing action with our hands can help our processing of visual information.
Don't know much about charter schools
Researchers say the best studies reflect only the best charter schools and must be boosted with "value-added" approaches for all the rest.
Parental and societal values may present barriers to outdoor activity for children in child care centers
Three-fourths of preschool-age children in the United States attend child care, and many are not getting enough outdoor physical activity, which may be due in part to parental and societal values about injury prevention and kindergarten readiness.
3-D modeling software benefits kids with autism
A new study describes how workshops to teach Google’s 3D modeling software to kids with autism have benefited the intergenerational relationships within the participants’ families.
Master controller of memory identified
One gene appears to regulate the brain's ability to form new memories.
School pupils learn about practical philosophy
Children could learn valuable lessons in responsible citizenship, such as making moral judgments and informed choices, through taking part in philosophical dialogue, according to new research.
Key to school improvement: Reading, writing, arithmetic ... and character?
A study of 20 elementary schools in Hawaii has found that a focused program to build social, emotional and character skills resulted in significantly improved overall quality of education, as evaluated by teachers, parents and students.
Brain's connective cells are much more than glue: Glia cells also regulate learning and memory
New research indicates that glia cells are "the brain's supervisors." By regulating the synapses, they control the transfer of information between neurons, affecting how the brain processes information. This new finding could be critical for technologies based on brain networks, as well as provide a new avenue for research into disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and epilepsy.
Sea snails help scientists explore a possible way to enhance memory
Efforts to help people with learning impairments are being aided by a species of sea snail. The mollusk, which is used by researchers to study the brain, has much in common with other species including humans. Neuroscientists have used this animal model to test an innovative learning strategy designed to help improve the brain's memory and the results were encouraging.
Self-affirmation may break down resistance to medical screening
People resist medical screening, or don't call back for the results, because they don't want to know they're sick or at risk for a disease. But many illnesses, such as HIV/AIDS and cancer, have a far a better prognosis if they're caught early. How can health care providers break down that resistance?
Crucial advances in 'brain reading' demonstrated
A new study demonstrates several crucial advances in "brain reading" or "brain decoding" using computerized machine learning methods. Researchers classified data taken from people being scanned while watching videos meant to induce nicotine cravings and detected whether people were watching and resisting cravings, indulging in them, or watching videos that were unrelated to smoking or cravings.
Why locusts swarm: Protein associated with learning implicated in causing grasshoppers to swarm
New research has found that a protein associated with learning and memory plays an integral role in changing the behavior of locusts from that of harmless grasshoppers into swarming pests.
Dodging the cognitive hit of early-life seizures
About half of newborns who have seizures go on to have long-term intellectual and memory deficits and cognitive disorders such as autism, but why this occurs has been unknown.Researchers now detail how early-life seizures disrupt normal brain development, and show in a rat model that it might be possible to reverse this pathology by giving certain drugs soon after the seizure.
'Matrix'-style effortless learning? Vision scientists demonstrate innovative learning method
It may be possible to use brain technology to learn to play a piano, reduce mental stress or hit a curve ball with little or no conscious effort, new research suggests. It's the kind of thing seen in Hollywood's "Matrix" franchise.
Babies track word patterns long before word-learning starts
During the first year of life, when babies spend so much time listening to language, they're actually tracking word patterns that will support their process of word- learning that occurs between the ages of about 18 months and two years.
Brain's cortex plays an essential part in emotional learning
The cortex, which is the largest zone of the brain and which is generally associated with high cognitive functions, is also a key zone for emotional learning, according to new research.
Humility key to effective leadership
Humble leaders are more effective and better liked, according to a new study.
Changes in London taxi drivers' brains driven by acquiring 'the Knowledge'
Acquiring 'the Knowledge' – the complex layout of central London's 25,000 streets and thousands of places of interest – causes structural changes in the brain and changes to memory in the capital's taxi drivers, new research has shown.
New approach to management of overeating in children
Overeating, whether in children or adults, often takes place even in the absence of hunger, resulting in weight gain and obesity. Current methods to treat such overeating in youth focus on therapies that restrict what kids may eat, requiring them to track their food intake and engage in intensive exercise. Psychiatrists are now developing new ways to treat overeating in children and adults.
Middle-class elementary students ask for help more than working-class peers, study finds
Middle-class children ask their teachers for help more often and more assertively than working-class children and, in doing so, receive more support and assistance from teachers, according to a new study.
Heads up, Kobe Bryant: Researchers discover that trying for another 3-pointer is a mistake
Researchers shattered the myth that players who score one or more three-pointers improve their odds of scoring another. A new report raises doubts about the ability of athletes in particular, and people in general, to predict future success based on past performance.
Avatars help people develop real world skills
New research suggests that far from disengaging young people from real life, virtual worlds can provide unique environments that can help them learn and negotiate new situations.
Good or bad: Surprises drive learning in same neural circuits
Neurosurgeons hoping to find ways to accelerate re-learning after a stroke or brain injury are trying to tease out the circuitry that governs learning. A new study of how the brain processes unexpected events found that neurons in two important structures handle both positive and negative surprises. That was a surprise in its own right.
Language may be dominant social marker for young children
Children's reasoning about language and race can take unexpected turns, according to researchers, who found that for younger white children in particular, language can loom larger than race in defining a person's identity.
Surgeons perform better with eye movement training
Surgeons can learn their skills more quickly if they are taught how to control their eye movements. Research shows that trainee surgeons learn technical surgical skills much more quickly and deal better with the stress of the operating theater if they are taught to mimic the eye movements of experts.
40 percent of youths attempting suicide make first attempt before high school, study finds
Thoughts about killing oneself and engaging in suicidal behavior may begin much younger than previously thought. While about one of nine youths attempt suicide by the time they graduate from high school, new findings reveal that a significant proportion make their first suicide attempt in elementary or middle school.
Focus on testing hurts students in high school health classes
High school health classes fail to help students refuse sexual advances or endorse safe sex habits when teachers focus primarily on testing knowledge, a new study reveals. But when teachers emphasized learning the material for its own sake, and to improve health, students had much better responses. In these kinds of classrooms, students had lower intentions of having sex and felt better able to navigate sexual situations.
Everybody can become a better a reader, Swedish research suggests
Students with cognitive impairments may learn to comprehend written texts much better than commonly thought, according to researchers in Sweden.
Surgery on toy animals lessens anxiety of veterinary students
Training basic surgical techniques on toy animals before having to perform operations on living animals makes veterinary students much less anxious. At the same time, the use of laboratory animals is minimized, according to recent research in Denmark.
Big, little, tall and tiny: Learning spatial terms improves children's spatial skills
Preschool children who hear their parents describe the size and shape of objects and then use those words themselves perform better on tests of their spatial skills, researchers have found. The study is the first to show that learning to use a wide range of spatial words predicts children's later spatial thinking, which in turn is important in mathematics, science and technology.
Fatherhood can help change a man's bad habits
After men become fathers for the first time, they show significant decreases in crime, tobacco and alcohol use, according to a new, 19-year study. Researchers assessed more than 200 at-risk boys annually from the age of 12 to 31, and examined how men's crime, tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use changed over time. While previous studies showed that marriage can change a man's negative behavior, they had not isolated the additional effects of fatherhood.
Psychologists stress the importance of memory in preventing relapse after therapy
Addictions, phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder -- such painful and harmful problems are recalcitrant to treatment. In the clinic, a person may suppress the association between the stimulus and the response -- say, a bar with ashtrays and smoking -- by learning to pair the stimulus with a new memory not involving smoking. But once out in the world, faced with bars and ashtrays aplenty, he relapses into the old behavior. Some treatment aims at helping the patient avoid locations and stimuli that trigger the harmful behavior. A new article suggests this is not the most effective route.
How we create false memories: Assessing memory performance in older adults
A new study addresses the influence of age-related stereotypes on memory performance and memory errors in older adults.
Conflicting views of a child's behavior problems from parents, teachers, and the child may be helpful to clinician
Clinicians often face the challenge of trying to make sense of conflicting reports from parents, teachers, and children about a child’s behavioral problems. However, a better understanding of the source and nature of these disagreements may provide important information that could improve treatment and outcomes.
Nerve protein linked to learning and memory
Biology professors have found the protein tomosyn plays an important role in regulating neurotransmitter between synapses, and consequently plays a role in longer-term memory and learning. The results may prove helpful in developing new drugs to treat human memory loss.
Curiosity is critical to academic performance
Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it's good for the student. Personality traits like curiosity seem to be as important as intelligence in determining how well students do in school, according to new research.
Source found for immune system effects on learning, memory
Immune system cells of the brain, which scavenge pathogens and damaged neurons, are also key players in memory and learning, according to new research by neuroscientists. Earlier studies had shown that laboratory rats experiencing an infection at an early age have an aggressive immune response to subsequent infections, which also harms their learning and memory. In a new study, researchers have identified the source of the learning difficulties and traces it back to the immune system itself.
Preschoolers' language skills improve more when they're placed with more-skilled peers
Preschool children with relatively poor language skills improve more if they are placed in classrooms with high-achieving students, a new study found. Researchers found that children with relatively poor language skills either didn't improve over the course of one academic year, or actually lost ground in development of language skills, when they were placed with other low-achieving students.
Preschoolers' classmates influence their language skills
A study of 330 ethnically diverse 4-year-olds enrolled in 49 preschool classrooms used beginning- and end-of-year language skills assessments to find that that preschoolers' language growth was associated with the average level of language skills shown by their classmates. Researchers also found that relatively less-skilled pupils seemed to be more affected by their classmates' skills than highly skilled pupils. These findings bring into question the customary practice of tracking within preschool classrooms.
Does reading achievement spur independent reading, or vice versa?
A study of 436 pairs of identical and same-sex nonidentical twins at age 10 and again a year later at 11 finds that children's reading achievement at age 10 predicted their independent reading at 11, regardless of how much independent reading they were doing at 10. These findings suggest that reading achievement influenced later independent reading. The reverse was not found to be true.
Good relationship with teacher can protect first graders from aggression
A new study of 217 Canadian seven-year-old twins finds that children who were genetically vulnerable to being aggressive were more likely to be victimized by their classmates than others. However, these children were protected from acting aggressively and being the target of other children's aggression if they had a very good relationship with their teacher. The study included both identical and fraternal twin pairs who were not in the same classroom.
Poverty-related stress affects readiness for school
Researchers studying 1,300 mostly low-income children looked at demographic characteristics, household environment, parenting quality, and cortisol levels when the children were 7-24 months old and executive functions when the children were 3. They found that children in lower-income homes received less positive parenting and had higher levels of cortisol in their first two years than children in slightly better-off homes, and that higher levels of cortisol were associated with lower levels of executive function abilities.
Math disability linked to problem relating quantities to numerals
Children who start elementary school with difficulty associating small exact quantities of items with the printed numerals that represent those quantities are more likely to develop a math-related learning disability than are their peers, according to a new study.
