News tagged with volunteers

Is difficult better? Study reveals we tend to ignore simple items while pursuing goals

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

Feb 20, 2009 | 4 / 5 (4) | 0

Try the following experiment with two young children. To one child, hold a toy out just beyond their grasp and watch them bounce all over the place trying to reach it. With the second child, just hand the toy over to them. ...

The liberating effects of losing control

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

Feb 18, 2009 | 4 / 5 (2) | 2

Self-control is one of our most cherished values. We applaud those with the discipline to regulate their appetites and actions, and we try hard to instill this virtue in our children. We celebrate the power of the mind to ...

Marching to the beat of the same drum improves teamwork

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

Jan 28, 2009 | 5 / 5 (1) | 1

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 ...

Where am I? How our brain works as a GPS device

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

Jan 09, 2009 | 3.2 / 5 (9) | 0

We've all experienced the feeling of not knowing where we are. Being disoriented is not pleasant, and it can even be scary, but luckily for most of us, this sensation is temporary. The brain employs a number of tricks to ...

'Tetris' may help reduce flashbacks to traumatic events

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

Jan 07, 2009 | 5 / 5 (2) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Playing ‘Tetris’ after traumatic events could reduce the flashbacks experienced in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), preliminary research by Oxford University psychologists suggests.

A walk in the park a day keeps mental fatigue away

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

Dec 18, 2008 | 4 / 5 (2) | 0

If you spend the majority of your time among stores, restaurants and skyscrapers, it may be time to trade in your stilettos for some hiking boots. A new study in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Ps ...

Conscious vs. unconscious thought in making complicated decisions

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

Dec 09, 2008 | 4.7 / 5 (7) | 0

When faced with a difficult decision, we try to come up with the best choice by carefully considering all of the options, maybe even resorting to lists and lots of sleepless nights. So it may be surprising that recent studies ...

Thinking like a president: How power affects complex decision making

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

Dec 09, 2008 | 3.8 / 5 (11) | 2

Presidential scholars have written volumes trying to understand the presidential mind. How can anyone juggle so many complicated decisions? Do those seeking office have a unique approach to decision making? Studies have suggested ...

Memory trick shows brain organization

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

Aug 28, 2008 | 4.4 / 5 (16) | 0

A simple memory trick has helped show UC Davis researchers how an area of the brain called the perirhinal cortex can contribute to forming memories. The finding expands our understanding of how those brain areas that form ...