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Genes May Contribute to a Child’s Bad Behavior, but Only When Parents Are Distant
Is bad behavior determined by a child’s genes? A new study has found that a particular gene has some influence on whether or not adolescents show alarming behaviors—but only if their parents aren't keeping tabs on them. While this gene, which has been linked to alcoholism, has only a small effect on the risk of behavioral problems by itself, psychological scientists view this finding as an opportunity to understand how genetic risk combines with environmental factors to contribute to psychological outcomes and disorders.
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The Benefits of Being Bilingual
Listen to NPR's Science Friday today at 2pm EST when host Ira Flatow talks to psychologist Janet Werker about bilingualism. A study of bilingual infants suggests that a bilingual upbringing outfits infants with more sensitive language perception abilities, even for languages other than the two spoken at home. Psychologist Janet Werker discusses the findings, and whether the trend may hold true through the years. Listen here: NPR
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Science Starts Early
Science: Infants and young children can exhibit striking confusion about how the world works, from failing to grasp that wind causes waves, to being mystified about how babies are created. Indeed, some researchers have characterized a child's knowledge of the world as a bundle of misconceptions awaiting replacement with correct concepts through education. Read the whole story: Science
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People More Likely to Act Morally Than They Imagine
U.S. News & World Report (HealthDay): People are more likely to act morally than they would predict, a new study finds. Researchers gave a 15-question math test to two groups of volunteers. A $5 reward was offered for 10 or more correct answers. Read the whole story: U.S. News & World Report (HealthDay)
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Staring Contests Are Automatic: People Lock Eyes to Establish Dominance
Imagine that you're in a bar and you accidentally knock over your neighbor's beer. He turns around and stares at you, looking for confrontation. Do you buy him a new drink, or do you try to outstare him to make him back off? New research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, suggests that the dominance behavior exhibited by staring someone down can be reflexive. Our primate relatives certainly get into dominance battles; they mostly resolve the dominance hierarchy not through fighting, but through staring contests. And humans are like that, too. David Terburg, Nicole Hooiveld, Henk Aarts, J.
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Why Conflict Resolution Is Easy for Some Couples
WebMD: How well couples move on after an argument is closely tied to how securely attached one or both partners were to their caregivers as an infant, a study suggests. The study is published in the online edition of Psychological Science. To reach their conclusions, researchers at the University of Minnesota, led by PhD student Jessica E. Salvatore of the university’s Institute of Child Development, drew upon participants in an ongoing, long-term study that had followed them since their birth in the mid-1970s. When they were in their 20s, they and their partners were brought into the lab. Read the whole story: WebMD
