news 2009

A team of UCL researchers say that subliminal messaging is most effective when the message being conveyed is negative. Subliminal images ' in other words, images shown so briefly that the viewer does not consciously 'see' them ' have long been the subject of controversy, particularly in the area of advertising.

PA 176/09 Rape trial juries need better guidance in the courtroom - and a better understanding of rape victims - to help them reach their verdict. Professor Vanessa Munro of The University of Nottingham and Dr Louise Ellison of the University of Leeds found jurors have a poor understanding of the various ways in which women might react when raped, the levels and types of injuries they might sustain and the different behaviours they might display in the witness box.

PA115/09 University researchers have discovered a new way to tackle the problem of addictions like alcoholism, drug abuse and even over-eating.. after a discovery about the psychology of addictive behaviour. The research has revealed that addictive behaviour is determined by rapid conscious decision processes, rather than by the automatic attention grabbing power of addictive substance, as previously thought.

A study by Professor Richard Eiser, from the Department of Psychology at the University of Sheffield, has shown that computer simulation can indicate why people´s prejudices are resistant to change. The study used computer simulation to look into why negative beliefs and prejudices resist correction.

Linda Gilroy MP will be swapping legislation for a lab coat, when she visits the University of Plymouth on Wednesday 15 April as she joins psychology academic, Jeremy Goslin as part of a unique 'pairing' scheme run by the Royal Society - the UK national academy of science. During her visit, Linda Gilroy MP will get a hands-on insight into the research being conducted at the University.

PA 93/09 Volunteers are needed to help increase our understanding of the social and communication difficulties experienced by people with autism. In the first study of its kind researchers will use video clips of spontaneously produced facial expressions in a real life social context to explore emotion recognition in autism.

Teaching school children about common mental health problems can reduce prejudice and negative attitudes towards mental illness, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Sheffield. The research found that teenagers who received just six lessons on mental health showed significantly more sensitivity and empathy towards people with mental health problems.

Report: 'The response of mental health professionals to clients seeking help to change or redirect same-sex sexual orientation' Researchers from UCL and St George's, University of London have published a report which indicates that a significant minority of psychiatrists and therapists still attempt to help lesbian, gay and bisexual clients become heterosexual, despite a lack of evidence that such treatment is effective or even safe.

A study led by UCL's Tali Sharot published today in the Journal of Neuroscience has found that your brain may know what you prefer before you do. Sharot, a British Academy postdoctoral fellow at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at UCL, has showed that when people rate options similarly, they will choose the one that causes more activation in the caudate nucleus, a brain region involved in anticipating reward.The study also demonstrated that after a decision is made, caudate nucleus activity increases for the selected option and decreases for the rejected one.