Psychology | Science News for Students

Psychology

a photo of a teen hugging another upset teen with mean kids in the background

What makes a teen step in when they see bullying? Scientists asked almost 900 kids to find out.

omgimages/iStockphoto

Behavior
 
Feb 18, 2019
Friendly adults help teens stand up against bullies
an anxious girl taking a text in a classroom holds her head in her hands

Helping low-income biology students manage test anxiety improves scores, a new study finds. Such test-prep tips might help these students stay on the high school science track.

seb_ra/iStockphoto

Psychology
 
Feb 13, 2019
Easing test anxiety boosts science grades in low-income students
a photo of an unhappy girl standing away from some girls gossiping in the distance

Students reported a jump in incidents of bullying about race in areas of Virginia where voters supported Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election, a new study finds.

Daisy-Daisy/iStockphoto, adapted by L. Steenblik Hwang

Science & Society
 
Jan 30, 2019
School bullying has risen in areas that supported Trump
a person holding a bug up to their mouth to take a bite

Billions of people around the world regularly eat bugs. Why do so many Westerners find the idea disgusting?

MauMyHaT/istockphoto

Culture
 
Nov 19, 2018
Why can’t bugs be grub?
a backpack with school supplies and a cell phone

Simply having a cell phone can reduce stress caused by social rejection.

seb_ra /iStockphoto

Psychology
 
Oct 3, 2018
Smartphones may serve as digital security blankets
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.

Wavebreakmedia/iStockphoto

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.

MONKEYBUSINESSIMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO

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.
gashgeron/iStockphoto
Psychology
 
Apr 6, 2018
Bullying alters ‘bugs’ in the gut, hamster data show