Posted by & filed under Psychology Update.

TITLE

The Fascinating Link Between Placebo and Antidepressants

DESCRIPTION

Researchers gave placebo drugs to a group of depressed patients and measured the effects of the placebo on alleviating the depression; the subjects were told that the placebo was a new antidepressant.  In the following time period following the use of the placebo, the subjects were given a real antidepressant medication.  Those who were the highest responders to the placebo (in brain scan measurements) were also the subjects who responded best to the real antidepressants. “The new paper, published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, looks at the unique relationship between placebo and depression treatment …. Understanding how well a person responds to placebo could also inform a treatment plan, according to the new paper.”

SOURCE

Time Magazine, September 30, 2015, by Alexandra Sifferlin

Original Source:   Pecina, M, and others, Association Between Placebo-Activated Neural Systems and Antidepressant ResponsesNeurochemistry of Placebo Effects in Major Depression, JAMA Psychiatry. 2015;72(11):1087-1094. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2015.1335.

LINK TO RESOURCE

http://time.com/4053881/antidepressant-placebo-effect/

Link to original (shortened URL):   http://tinyurl.com/ooxqk83

CLASS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

•What is a placebo effect?
•How is it used in psychological studies? (discuss double blind procedures)
•What is a clinical treatment plan?
•How might the results of the study that demonstrates a relationship between placebos and antidepressants inform treatment planning?

 

Posted by & filed under Psychology Update.

TITLE

Research: Face-to-face socializing more powerful than phone calls, emails in guarding against depression in older adults

DESCRIPTION

The study asked the question as to whether  face to face contact (in person) between family members ameliorated the risk of developing depression as compared to contact through other forms of communication (written, social media, phone, and email).  The large study followed subjects (geriatric population) over a two year period.  “Study participants who met up with family and friends at least three times a week had the lowest level of depressive symptoms two years later – 6.5 percent – than those who had less frequent contact. Individuals who met up just once every few months or less frequently had an 11.5 percent chance of depressive symptoms.”

SOURCE

Oregon Health and Science University, October 5, 2015

Original Source:

Teo, A. R. and others, (2015), Does Mode of Contact with Different Types of Social Relationships Predict Depression in Older Adults? Evidence from a Nationally Representative Survey, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, Volume 63, Issue 10, pages 2014–2022, October 2015.

LINK TO RESOURCE

http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/about/news_events/news/2015/10-05-research-face-to-face-s.cfm

Link to original source (shortened URL):
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jgs.13667/abstract

CLASS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

•Begin with a discussion of the effects of social isolation in an elderly population and possible sequelae such as depression.
•Discuss the variety of types of communication (face to face, social media, and so on).
•Critical thinking question:  The findings of the study point out that an in person communication is a factor in lower levels of frequency of depression.   Is this possibly a cohort issue?  That is those in the elderly category are less likely to rely on social  media and email.
•Critical thinking question:  if the students were establishing a health program for geriatric individuals,what recommendations would they make knowing the results of this study?

 

Posted by & filed under Uncategorized.

 

 

 

 

 

TITLE

New York:  An Optical Illusion at the Marathon:
The Waterfall Effect

DESCRIPTION

From the article:

VIDEO TO WATCH

“Test yourself with this video. The waterfall effect is a subtle optical illusion that sometimes happens to marathon fans. After someone cheers for runners for a long time, stationary objects may appear to move.”

This is also known as a motion effect optical illusion.

SOURCE

New York Times, October 31, 2015, by Hagar and Simons

LINK TO RESOURCE

http://www.nytimes.com/video/sports/100000004010457/do-you-experience-the-waterfall-effect.html?emc=edit_th_20151101&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=38200791

(shortened URL)    http://tinyurl.com/nvgturt

CLASS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

•What is an optical illusion?
•After viewing the video, have students discuss their experience?
•What is the historical background to this illusion?
(see this Wikipedia explanation:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motion_aftereffect)
•Listen to the explanation in the video:  explain the neurological event in terms of the anatomy (rods and cones as well as movement perception).

 

Posted by & filed under Psychology Update.

TITLE

A Child’s Lifelong Self-Esteem Emerges Earlier Than We Thought
Children may form a sense of their “overall goodness” by preschool

DESCRIPTION

Psychology has taught that self-esteem develops through out childhood.  A new study reports that a child’s self-esteem may establish itself by kindergarten age of about 5 years old.  “So for their study, Cvencek and his colleagues designed a new test, called the Preschool Implicit Association Test (PSIAT), to measure children’s positive feelings toward themselves. The researchers administered the test to 234 five-year-old boys and girls living in Washington state.”  The testing found that the preschool children were already associating themselves with “good” words and “bad” words.   The author points out that the issue of self-esteem is malleable (can change over time) but is viewed as a stable trait.  When interviewed and asked what parents and teachers can do to bolster healthy self-esteem, the research responded that “the warm, supportive connections a child develops with others are probably the most important factor.”

SOURCE

Huffington Post, November 4, 2015, by Carolyn Gregoire

Original Source:   Cvencek, D, and others (2016)Implicit measures for preschool children confirm self-esteem’s role in maintaining a balanced identity, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Volume 62, January 2016, Pages 50–57.

LINK TO RESOURCE

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/early-childhood-self-esteem_56390fefe4b0307f2caaec85?ir=Science%253Fncid%253Dnewsltushpmg00000003

(shortened URL)   http://tinyurl.com/q2h26qa

link to original study:   http://ilabs.washington.edu/sites/default/files/CG%26M%20%282015%29%20Self_Esteem_JESP.pdf

Shortened url to original study:   http://tinyurl.com/nmm579y

CLASS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

•What is self-esteem?
•How does self-esteem develop? And how is it measured?
•What is the import of a study such as this one?
•What is needed to foster a healthy self-esteem?

 

Posted by & filed under Psychology App of the Week.

PSYCHOLOGY APP OF THE WEEK

Puffin Web Browser


Puffin

Click on your platform (basic app is free):          iOS      &     Android

DESCRIPTION

From Google Play Store and iTunes Store

Puffin Web Browser is a wicked fast mobile browser. Once users experience the thrilling speed of Puffin, regular Mobile Internet feels like torture. Puffin Web Browser includes Adobe-Flash-Over-Cloud 24/7 now without additional in-app-purchase.

Wicked Fast: Puffin speeds up mobile browsing by shifting the workload from the resource-limited devices to the cloud servers, and resource-demanding webpages can run super-fast on your phones or tablets.

Cloud Protection: All traffic from Puffin app to Puffin server are encrypted, a protection from nearby hackers. It’s safe to use public non-secure WiFi through Puffin, but not safe at all for most browsers.

The Latest Flash: We keep improving our cloud servers, and provide the latest version (18.0) of the Flash player over the cloud.

Save your bandwidth: Puffin uses proprietary compression algorithm to transmit web data to your device, and it can save up to 90% of your bandwidth on regular web browsing. (Please be noted that streaming Flash content or videos requires more bandwidth than the normal usage.)

Features:
☆ Incredible page load and rendering speed
☆ Adobe Flash support over cloud during the daytime (also works on Android 4.4+)
☆ Download to cloud (up to 1G per file)
☆ Theater mode for Flash videos and games
☆ Virtual trackpad and gamepad
☆ Add-on functions (Pocket, Evernote, Facebook, translator and more)
☆ Color theme for toolbar and sidebar
☆ Fastest JavaScript engine
☆ Full web experience (desktop and mobile view)
☆ Incognito tab: Auto-clean your browsing activities in the app

For more information, please check our FAQ: http://www.puffinbrowser.com/faq/

HOW TO USE THIS APP

 

The beauty of this app is that it will run flash sites in iOS (iPhone and iPad) that Safari cannot.   The app is very useful when Safari in iOS will not open up other sites.  Many of the OPL experiments from APA will run on Puffin on the iDevices.   For Android, Puffin provides a fast running good alternative to the built in browser.   Try out the free version.

Posted by & filed under Psychology Update.

TITLE

Limited Video Game Time Could Help Kids With ADHD, Study Suggests

DESCRIPTION

Can a video game help a child with ADHD.  A preliminary pilot study suggests that “30 minutes of gaming helped improve kids’ working memory and levels of attention.”  The game requires that the child force himself to focus in this situation and this in itself my improve the ADHD condition.  “Called Project EVO, the game is designed to improve a child’s ability to process “cognitive interference” – or multiple streams of information – potentially helping problem solving ability, working memory and attention”

SOURCE

HuffPost Tech, October 28, 2015, By Paul Sandal

LINK TO RESOURCE

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/limited-video-game-time-could-help-kids-with-adhd-study-suggests_56313c6de4b063179910cccc?ir=Science%253Fncid%253Dnewsltushpmg00000003

(shortened URL)   http://tinyurl.com/ov42dql

CLASS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

•What is ADHD?
•How does ADHD differ from ADD?
•Have the students consider the alternatives to this video game trial.  The answer is usually “medications” for this condition.
•Ask the students:  do they believe a video game could be helpful for ADHD training?
•If you permit anecdotal narratives from your students:  do they feel that their playing video games has helped or hindered their ability to focus, concentrate, and develop attention.

 

Posted by & filed under Psychology Website of the Week.

WEBSITE OF THE WEEK

TITLE

Society for Personality and Social Psychology

URL      

http://www.spsp.org/resources

 

DESCRIPTION

This is a wonderful website for your classes to explore.  For those students who are interested in either or both Personality and/or Social Psychology, the site gives them an entree into genuine professional issues

NOTE:

The url link listed is not to the home page but rather to the RESOURCES pages.  The resources page provides real help and ideas for both the student and professor.  It is well worth exploring.  The listing of resources:

 

Posted by & filed under Psychology Update.

TITLE

New York:  An Optical Illusion at the Marathon:
The Waterfall Effect  — Video

DESCRIPTION

VIDEO TO WATCH

From the article:

“Test yourself with this video. The waterfall effect is a subtle optical illusion that sometimes happens to marathon fans. After someone cheers for runners for a long time, stationary objects may appear to move.”

This is also known as a motion effect optical illusion.

SOURCE

New York Times, October 31, 2015, by Hagar and Simons

LINK TO RESOURCE

http://www.nytimes.com/video/sports/100000004010457/do-you-experience-the-waterfall-effect.html?emc=edit_th_20151101&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=38200791

(shortened URL)    http://tinyurl.com/nvgturt

 

CLASS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

•What is an optical illusion?
•After viewing the video, have students discuss their experience?
•What is the historical background to this illusion?
(see this Wikipedia explanation:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motion_aftereffect)
•Listen to the explanation in the video:  explain the neurological event in terms of the anatomy (rods and cones as well as movement perception).

 

THE VIDEO

Posted by & filed under Psychology Update.

TITLE

Psychedelics Could Trigger A ‘Paradigm Shift’ In Mental Health Care

DESCRIPTION

Researchers are investigating the use of the class of drugs known as psychedelics as “medication-facilitated therapy.”  That is, there are efforts to investigate whether these so-called recreational drugs can aid stubborn therapy resistant disorders.  The researcher interview believes that there is “enormous potential of substances like LSD, psilocybin (hallucinogenic mushrooms) and MDMA (the active ingredient in Ecstasy) for treating a host of mental health issues, including post-traumatic stress disorder, addiction, anxiety associated with terminal illness and depression.”  Some of the data are discussed including possible negative issues associated with the drugs.   The view is that there is a “paradigm shift” in this type of therapy — a new perspective and serious change in how the medical and Psychology community approach this possible area of therapy

SOURCE

Huffington Post, September 16, 2015, by Carolyn Gregoire

LINK TO RESOURCE

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/psychedelics-mental-health-care_55f2e754e4b077ca094eb4f0?ir=Science§ion=science&ncid=newsltushpmg00000003

(shortened URL to HuffPost article)   http://tinyurl.com/phzacf8

link to original source:  http://www.cmaj.ca/content/early/2015/09/08/cmaj.141124

CLASS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

•What are “psychedelics?”  (to be described as a “class” of drugs)
•List the psychedelics and their effects (positive and negative).
•Specifically what does the article try to persuade the reader about the use of “medication-facilitated therapy?”
•What type of research needs to be conducted to prove a greater positive efficacy over negative side effects?  (critical thinking question)
•What are the likely objections of the “establishment?”  (critical thinking question)
•What is meant by a “paradigm shift?” (This can be discussed in terms of Kuhn and the use of the scientific method in Psychology.)