Psychology in Action

Category: Developmental Psychology

  • Stress during Childhood

    In an exciting new article in Slate.com, top researchers discuss the various negative impacts of stress during childhood. Among many points the authors make, stress consists not only of severe physical and sexual abuse, but even negative interaction patterns where parent’s yell at or criticize their children can cause harm. The burgeoning field of connecting…

  • Those That can not do…Education, teachers and Psychology

    I have to admit that before I became an academic, I believed this phrase was true “Those that can not do, teach.” This despite coming from a family of academics. Of course, now that I am on this path, I see that there are many passionate, smart, committed people who could do many other things…

  • Frontline’s Digital Nation – what’s the answer?

    Frontline recently aired a documentary called Digital Nation which took a look at all the different ways we use media.  And at recent research in the field.  One of the scientists they interviewed is Dr Gary Small at UCLA.  He looked at people’s brains while they read a book, and other people’s brain while they used Google;…

  • Media 24/7 in kid’s lives

    A new study came out from Kaiser that talks about the astonishing amount of time that children spend with media today. Media is defined as tv, music, video games, print, computer and movies. Today’s kids 8-18 spend 7 1/2 hours using media, almost as long as an adult work day! Before parents stress too much,…

  • More money more problems? Rich teens, drugs, and other mental health issues

    From allaboutaddiction.com: Teens raised in affluent homes display the highest rates of depression, anxiety, and substance abuse according to a recent article in Monitor on Psychology, the APA‘s monthly magazine. One of our recent posts dealt with some of the issues unique to teens and drugs. In addition to the issues we’d already mentioned, the…

  • The Ethics of Neuroenhancement

    A recent issue of the New Yorker featured a wide-ranging and engagingly written review of the current controversy over the ethics of neuroenhancement. Neuroenhancement refers to the growing trend of off-label use of psychiatric drugs by men and women of all ages and backgrounds for the purpose of boosting their brain power and ability to…

  • Teasing: Bullying or Playful Fun?

    Dacher Keltner over at UC Berkeley recently wrote this interesting piece on teasing for the New York Times magazine. Citing examples of recent attempts to curb teasing in schools and in the workplace, Keltner argues that society is going too far in its opposition to teasing. He points out that teasing behavior is central to…

  • Schoolchildren, self-regulation, and addiction

    It’s no secret that diagnoses like ADD and ADHD have been seen with much greater frequency in the last decade or so. Slight variations on the same theme, both of these disorders have to do with a person’s (usually a child) inability to appropriately control their impulses and behave appropriately. The debate about the sources…