news 2016

Curling up with a good e-book? Why there's nothing quite like a paper book when it comes to a bedtime story Since the birth of digital reading technology, arguments have raged over whether reading from a screen has any significant effects on the experience of reading and shared storytelling among both adults and children.

A new study from The University of Nottingham has found that a certain type of yoga could potentially help to improve the health and psychological wellbeing of children in care. The study, ' Kundalini Yoga as Mutual Recovery: A feasibility study including children in care and their carers ,' published at The Journal of Children's Services , found that the practice of Kundalini yoga in care homes, when both staff and children are involved, can lead to both individual and social benefits.

More than two-thirds of adolescents who suffer from depression could see long-term benefits from receiving one of three psychological treatments - of which only one is currently recommended on the NHS - according to research published today in The Lancet Psychiatry .

New University of Liverpool research has found that co-witnesses to a crime can contaminate each other's memory of who committed it, but that the likelihood of this contamination occurring depends upon their confidence. The research, conducted by Dr Craig Thorley from the University's Institute of Psychology, Health and Society , was inspired by real-life incidents where co-witnesses have discussed a crime, one has made a mistake during these discussions, and the others have then included this mistake in their subsequent police statements.

A new collaborative study between the University of Liverpool and the World Health Organisation has found that behavioural intervention can reduce anxiety and depression in adults impaired by psychological distress in a conflict-affected region. More than 125 million people today are directly affected by armed conflict, the highest number since World War II.

Scientists are trained to carefully assess theories by designing good experiments and building on existing knowledge. But there is growing concern that too many research findings may be wrong. New research conducted by psychologists at the universities of Bristol and Exeter suggests that this may happen because of the criteria that seem to be used in funding science and promoting scientists, which place too much weight on eye-catching findings.

Women may be at risk of post-traumatic stress disorder following a miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy, suggests a new study. The team behind the research, from Imperial College London , say the findings suggest women should be routinely screened for the condition, and receive specific psychological support following pregnancy loss.

It is often necessary to identify unfamiliar people by comparing face images: for example a CCTV image to a mugshot, or a passport photograph to a traveller. ‌‌‌ Now researchers have shown, in a new study published in Royal Society Open Science, that the accuracy of these decisions is impaired by poor sleep.

Magicians use sleight of hand to confuse you about where an object is. But could they make you believe that you saw a non-existent object disappear? A team of experimental psychologists at Oxford University developed their own magic trick to find out. Their results are published in the journal  Frontiers in Psychology .

A specialist service offering a tailored approach to treating patients with severe depression is more effective than usual mental health care but comes at a higher cost, research led by academics at The University of Nottingham has revealed.

Sussex-led research explodes the myth of a 'West vs. Rest? cultural divide Cultural psychologists have long argued that people living in Western cultures show a rather distinctive pattern of self-beliefs, compared to those who live in other parts of the world. Westerners, it is claimed, are unusual in that they tend to see themselves as independent from others.

People with long term health conditions who have a history of going to the GP frequently over two or more years could benefit from cognitive behavioural therapy according to new research at The University of Nottingham.

While sports coaching may be increasingly statistics-dependent, people's assessment of performance overrides objective evidence in favour of comparison with others. Oxford University researchers have been looking at how we judge our own performance and that of other people. Their conclusion - we confuse the two, especially if in groups such as sports teams.

A new review,   published in  The Lancet Psychiatry ,  investigates the effectiveness of a number of different forms of psychological, or 'talking' therapies, for adults who self-harm. Self-harm, which includes all intentional self-poisoning or self-injury irrespective of suicidal or other motives, is often repeated and is strongly associated with an increased risk of suicide.

Complaints against doctors can impact on their psychological well being, according to a new study from Imperial College London. The research, the second part of a study published last year into complaints against doctors, revealed in detail the emotions triggered by complaints.

Researchers have taken the unusual step of gathering information first-hand from seven-year-old children to get a better understanding of what makes young children feel good about their lives. The study, by researchers from the MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow, focused on three aspects of childhood well-being: whether the child had supportive friends, how much they liked school and their overall life satisfaction.

Jurors who are allowed to take and review notes during court trials are less likely to forget critical evidence, a new University of Liverpool study has found. This finding has important implications for justice, as jurors who forget critical trial evidence often reach different verdicts to those who remember it.

Brief bouts of simple synchronised dancing can help groups of children warm to one another, says a new study. Researchers found this was even the case when children's feelings about the other group were negative beforehand. Around 100 children who took part in the Oxford University study were divided into groups and performed dance-like moves facing one another, wearing headphones for their rhythmic cues.

Brief bouts of simple synchronised dance-like moves can help groups of children warm to one another, says a new study. Researchers found this was even the case when children's feelings about the other group were negative beforehand. Around 100 children who took part in the Oxford University study were divided into groups and performed their moves facing one another, wearing headphones for their rhythmic cues.

A new study by researchers from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) has identified a link between impaired interoception - the ability to perceive internal sensations such as hunger, pain, disgust or fear - and alexithymia or 'emotional blindness.' Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has previously been linked to interoception, which is thought to be responsible for the social and emotional difficulties that are experienced by people with autism.