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The human brain is shrinking

February 3, 2012 by .

According to palaeontologists (scientists who study fossils), over the last 20,000 years the average volume has been decreasing – possibly losing as much as 150cc (a chunk the size of a tennis ball). One possible explanation is related to the fact that brain size is correlated with body size (called your EQ for encephalisation quotient). Humans have become smaller over the millennia. Early  humans were much brawnier for hunting and also for dealing with cold climates, but now we are smaller and therefore our brains have become correspondingly smaller.

Another possibility is that brain structure has become more efficient so that fewer cells and connections are needed. There is certainly evidence that brain size does not equate to intelligence and that what may be more significant is the organisation of the brain (see A2 Complete Companion page 131). This is the suggestion made by John Hawks, who argues that the brain consumes a lot of energy therefore individuals with intelligence and a smaller brain would be selected for.

On the other hand, cognitive psychologist David Geary proposes that our brains are getting smaller because we are becoming more stupid. The argument goes that brain size is related to social complexity but in a surprising way. Read the rest of this entry »

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New gene identified for depression

January 22, 2012 by .

A team led by Dr David Glahn (Glahn et al., 2012) claims to have identified a gene RNF123 which may play a role in major depression (as distinct from bipolar disorder/depression). This gene has been shown to affect the hippocampus, which in turn is implicated in depression. Smaller hippocampal volumes are often found in people with recurrent bouts of major depression. Smaller hippocampal volumes also appear to be associated with a lower probability of remission of depression with antidepressants.However, the causal nature of this relationship is not entirely clear. Hippocampal volume may be either a cause of depression or a consequence of it. For example, it might be the case that people born with a smaller hippocampus (because of the RNF123 gene) may be more vulnerable to depression (the diathesis-stress model). Alternatively, it could also be the case that the duration of untreated depression might in some way affect hippocampal volumes.

The picture above is apparently what RNF123 looks like!

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Addiction

January 7, 2012 by .

Those of you studying addiction might be interested in a new blog produced by Dr. Mark Griffiths, who is Professor of Gambling Studies at the Nottingham Trent University, and Director of the International Gaming Research Unit. He is internationally known for his work into gambling and gaming addictions, as well as writing about many different kinds of addiction.

His latest post is about whether people can become addicted to their jobs!

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Where’s the evidence?

January 2, 2012 by .

The UK-based charity Science about Science aims to equip people to make sense about the scientific and medical claims in public discussions. Part of your study of psychology has similar aims – to teach you to make educated assessments of information presented to you.

Sense about Science gets particularly annoyed by the things said by celebrities. So every year they publish some of the claims made by people who know very little. For example the US reality TV personality Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi said: “I don’t really like the beach. I hate sharks, and the water’s all whale sperm. That’s why the ocean’s salty.” No Snooki, the ocean is not salty because of whale sperm. And Simon Cowell also made the bad science list in 2011. Read these and more here.

You might also be interested in some of their other publications, such as this one about peer review.

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Southwest Conferences takes you to Berlin

November 17, 2011 by .

Find out more about a weekend in Berlin for teacher INSET.

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Singing along with models of memory

November 11, 2011 by .

Heather Henry alerted me to these fantastic youtube clips – the multi-store model and the working memory model set to Rudolf the Rednose Reindeer and Jingle Bells. Just in time for Christmas.

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Success of Psychoanalysis

November 1, 2011 by .

There is increasing evidence that psychoanalysis may be an effective therapy. A landmark review by Shedler (2010) included a number of randomised control trials* where psychodynamic therapies proved as effective as other forms of therapy. Midgley and Kennedy (2011) conducted another review, this time of studies relating to children and young adults and again found strong evidence of the value of psychodynamic therapies.

In fact Shedler suggests that non-psychodynamic therapies may be effective in part because therapists use techniques that have long been central to psychodynamic theory and practice, such as gaining awareness of previously implicit feelings.

Shedler describes psychodynamic therapies as ‘a range of treatments based on psychoanalytic concepts and methods that involve less frequent meetings and may be considerably briefer than psychoanalysis proper. Session frequency is typically once or twice per week, and the treatment may be either time limited or open ended. The essence of psychodynamic therapy is exploring those aspects of self that are not fully known, especially as they are manifested and potentially influenced in the therapy relationship’. In his article he provides a useful description of the techniques used in the therapy.

*A randomised control trial is the gold standard of medical research where patients are randomly assigned to treatment or no treatment groups.

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Ultra-thin models

October 27, 2011 by .

A recent study (Halliwell et al., 2010) suggests that young girls can be protected against the negative effects of ultra-thin models on their body image. One group of 10-13 year old girls were shown a video about the tricks used to unrealistic portrayals of models. When this group were later shown pictures of ultra-thin models they didn’t rate their body satisfaction and confidence as low as girls not exposed to the video. This suggests that understanding the tricks of the advertising trade may be useful in inoculating girls (and boys) against the potential effects on eating disorders.

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Doing your own qualitative research

October 19, 2011 by .

Here’s a useful resource if you want to practice qualitative research with your students. There are five interviews with undergraduate students along with a users guide, all prepared by The Higher Education Academy Psychology Network.

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Facebook may be good for your studies

October 17, 2011 by .

One of the topics of A2 Media Psychology concerns the question of whether computers have positive or negative effects on behaviour. In our new A2 spreads we have provided evidence that shows the use of facebook may have both effects. One study of students found increased stress in Facebook users (Charles et al., 2011) whereas another study found that facebook users had increased self-esteem (Gonzales et al., 2011) . You can read the details of these studies if you download out new A2 spreads from here.

It seems that facebook research is a hot topic. One 2009 study found that American student users of facebook had lower grade averages than non-facebook users. However another study published this year has found that not all facebook activities are associated with poor academic performance. This study aimed to use improved methodology, for example previous studies had not controlled for prior academic ability whereas the new study did. This new study found that  time spent on status updates and using Facebook chat was linked to lower grade averages. Checking to see what friends were up to and sharing links was associated with higher grades.

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