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Is it Over Yet? How We Recover From Conflict
It’s the second week of February and you unfortunately find yourself in the middle of a heated argument with your significant other. Can you resolve the fight and recover your relationship in time for Valentine’s Day? According to a new study published in Psychological Science, your ability to bounce back from conflict may depend on what you and your partner were like as infants. The study, part of a two-decade longitudinal study, compared participants’ attachment styles during infancy to their adult conflict recovery styles, emotions, and ratings of relationship satisfaction and stability when they were 20 years old.
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Husband and Wife Team Trace the Roots of Youth Violence
APS Fellow Avshalom Caspi and APS Fellow Terrie Moffitt hold professorships at two institutions: Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, and King's College London. The pair, who research mental health and human development have just won the Klaus J. Jacobs Research Prize, given to individuals from all disciplines who make outstanding scientific contributions to improvement of young people’s development and perspectives worldwide. The prize includes 1 million Swiss francs to further the couple's research. The Jacobs Foundation considers it vital to ensure that scientific findings from interdisciplinary research are incorporated in practice, giving out two awards annually — the Klaus J.
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Halfalogue Makes the NYT Words of the Year List
“There are buzzwords and there are great words,” said Sam Sifton and Grant Barrett, writers of the The New York Times article, “The Words of the Year” article. Debuting amidst “G.T.L” and “shellacking” was a word of the year coined from a Psychological Science journal article: Halfalogue. Lauren Emberson, PhD candidate in psychology at Cornell University, coined the catchy term for her research in “Overheard Cell-Phone Conversations: When Less Speech is More Distracting.” Halfalogue is the hearing of only half of a conversation, like an overheard phone call on the bus or metro.
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Marching to the Beat of the Same Drum Improves Teamwork
Armies train by marching in step. Religions around the world incorporate many forms of singing and chanting into their rituals. Citizens sing the National Anthem before sporting events. Why do we participate in these various synchronized activities? A new study in Psychological Science suggests that when people engage in synchronous activity together, they become more likely to cooperate with other group members. The results of the study, conducted by Stanford University psychologists Scott S. Wiltermuth and Chip Heath, showed that synchrony fosters cooperation.
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Psychology, Financial Decision Making, and Financial Crises
Full Text HTML (Available to the Public) Tommy Garling, Erich Kirchler, Alan Lewis, and Fred van Raaij How could the current financial crisis have happened? While fingers have been pointing to greedy banks, subprime-loan officers, and sloppy credit card practices, these are not the only contributors to the economic downturn. A new report examines the psychology of financial decision making, including the role of risk in making economic choices, how individuals behave in stock and credit markets, and how financial crises impact people's well-being. Risk taking is a very important component of financial decision making — If we take out a big loan, will we be able to pay it back?
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Celebrating 20 Years of Advancing Psychological Science
APS was founded in 1988 to advance scientific psychology. The vision of our founders was instrumental in making APS a success story and members have guided this effort with leadership, talent, and dedication. Twenty years later, APS continues as the most effective voice for psychological science. This special area of the website celebrates the last 20 years of APS history. Features include the Observer's "Then & Now" columns, a timeline of APS history, and much more. Check back regularly for updates -- we'll be adding new material all year. Observer Then & Now Columns Happy 20th to Us!
