Psychology

Animals

‘Mama’s Last Hug’ showcases the emotional lives of animals

In ‘Mama’s Last Hug,’ Frans de Waal argues that emotions occur throughout the animal world.

Psychology

STEM professors’ beliefs on intelligence may widen the racial achievement gap

Seeing intelligence as fixed can result in lower grades, especially for certain minorities

Humans

Why it’s key to identify preschoolers with anxiety and depression

With mounting evidence that very young children can experience anxiety and depression, efforts are underway to identify and treat them early.

Psychology

Easing test anxiety boosts low-income students’ biology grades

Wealthier students outperform their less advantaged peers in math and science. Decreasing test anxiety may help even the playing field.

Psychology

Sometimes a failure to replicate a study isn’t a failure at all

Ego depletion is one of the most well-known concepts in social psychology. A recent study can’t confirm an old one showing it exists. Who is right? Probably everyone.

Psychology

Shahzeen Attari explores the psychology of saving the planet

Merging psychology with engineering, Shahzeen Attari probes how people think about conservation, energy use and climate change.

Psychology

Huge ‘word gap’ holding back low-income children may not exist after all

The claim that poor children hear fewer words than kids from higher-income families faces a challenge.

Psychology

‘Replication crisis’ spurs reforms in how science studies are done

Redos of social sciences studies from major journals point to opportunities for improvement.

Tech

Children may be especially vulnerable to peer pressure from robots

Elementary school children often endorsed unanimous but inaccurate judgments made by small groups of robots.

Psychology

Kids today are waiting longer than ever in the classic marshmallow test

Preschoolers wait longer for extra treats than they used to. What does it mean?

Neuroscience

Splitting families may end, but migrant kids’ trauma needs to be studied

The long-term effects of separating children from their parents at the U.S. border need to be studied, scientists say.

Psychology

Phone apps are helping scientists track suicidal thoughts in real time

Researchers are using smartphones to tap into the ups and downs of suicidal thinking that occur over hours and days, hoping to help prevent suicides.