Psychology | Science News for Students

Psychology

boy texting on his phone in a classroom while his classmates work

Laptops and phones in the classroom can lower everyone’s test scores, a new study finds.

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Psychology
 
Sep 10, 2018
Phones in the classroom hurt everyone’s grades
071218_MT_vr-therapy_feat.jpg

In a new virtual reality therapy app, an animated coach guides people with a fear of heights through activities such as saving a cat from a tree.

Oxford VR

Psychology
 
Aug 14, 2018
Are you scared of heights? Virtual reality could help
language class

People who start learning English as a second language by age 10 or 12 can still become grammar experts, researchers say. The finding suggests people can learn languages well over a much longer period than previously thought.

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Psychology
 
Jun 5, 2018
Your window to learn new languages may still be open
worried teens

Teens and young adults reported feeling stressed, anxious and fearful in the weeks before and months after the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Women and girls tended to report stronger negative emotions.

Antonio Guillem/iStockphoto

Psychology
 
Apr 25, 2018
2016 election stressed out some teens and young adults
scared hamster
Gut microbes in hamsters changed after the animals experienced social stress, such as bullying.
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Psychology
 
Apr 6, 2018
Bullying alters ‘bugs’ in the gut, hamster data show
depressed teen

Many teens experience depression. Soon they may find help at their yearly trip to the doctor.

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Psychology
 
Apr 4, 2018
Finding and helping teens for whom sadness is a disease
hands and like icons

People who post on social media want their offerings to garner legions of likes. Most readers also tend to share those posts that have gotten a large quantify of “likes.” So very popular posts go on to become even more popular. This can greatly affect what goes viral.

nadia_bormotova/iStockphoto

Behavior
 
Oct 17, 2017
The power of 'like'
social-media

Connecting with people online can be easy, fun and almost addictive. But linking up with others in the digital world also can have drawbacks. Users need to recognize in advance that not all online posts will be positive (for you).

Wachiwit/iStockphoto

Behavior
 
Oct 12, 2017
Social media: What’s not to like?
fake newspaper

Unfortunately, news seldom comes with a clear warning about whether what you’re about to read is real news or just some hoax.

cbies/iStockphoto

Psychology
 
Sep 21, 2017
Warnings may help flag fake news, but they also backfire
diverse teens
Psychology
 
Jun 22, 2017
Think you’re not biased? Think again