Monitor on Psychology - February 2012 - (Page 15)

brief In n Impatient people have lower credit scores, finds research by two economists from the Federal Reserve’s Center for Behavioral Economics and Decisionmaking in Boston. The researchers asked 437 people whether they’d rather receive a small reward now or wait for a larger reward later. The participants who were most willing to wait for the larger payout had FICO scores of 30 points higher, on average, than those who said they’d take a smaller immediate payment. The study also found that people who were least patient had average FICO scores below 620 — a commonly used cutoff for prime and subprime lending (Psychological Science, Dec. 7). tended to be in short supply — a finding that may help in developing new therapies for Timothy Syndrome and provide insights into the neural basis of deficits in other forms of autism (Nature Medicine, Nov. 27). n Children with autism have more brain cells and heavier brains compared with typically developing children, according to a small study based at the University of California, San Diego, on the potential prenatal causes of autism. Scientists counted the brain cells in specific regions of the prefrontal cortex in postmortem brains of seven boys who had autism and six typically developing males. They found that children with autism had 67 percent more neurons in the prefrontal cortex and heavier brains for their age compared with typically developing children. Since these neurons are produced before birth, these findings suggest that faulty prenatal cell birth or maintenance may be involved in the development of autism (Journal of the n Working may help mom’s mental health, according to research from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Scientists analyzed data from 1,364 mothers interviewed shortly after their children’s birth and over the course of 10 years. They found that moms who were employed full- or parttime reported fewer symptoms of depression and better overall health than stay-at-home moms. The study also found that moms who work part-time provided the most learning opportunities for their children — such as Moms who worked either full- or part-time reported less depression and better health, a study finds. taking them to museums and to music lessons (Journal of Family Psychology, December). American Medical Association, Nov. 9). n Neurons grown from skin cells may help researchers better understand how the brain’s wiring goes awry in the development of autism. Stanford University scientists converted skin cells from patients with Timothy Syndrome — a rare, purely genetic form of autism that affects fewer than 20 people worldwide — into stem cells and then coaxed these to differentiate into neurons. They found that neurons that make long-distance connections between the brain’s hemispheres also n Unfair bosses and ambiguous expectations are strong predictors of workplace bullying, finds a study led by researchers at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. Based on data collected from more than 10,000 employees within 65 organizations, the For direct links to these articles, click on the journal names. F e b ru a ry 2 0 1 2 • M o n i t o r o n p s y c h o l o g y Thinkstock 15 http://www.nature.com/nm/journal/v17/n12/full/nm.2576.html http://www.nature.com/nm/journal/v17/n12/full/nm.2576.html http://pss.sagepub.com/content/early/2011/12/07/0956797611425931.full http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/fam-25-6-895.pdf http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/306/18/2001.abstract http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/fam-25-6-895.pdf http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/306/18/2001.abstract

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Monitor on Psychology - February 2012

Monitor on Psychology - February 2012
Letters
President’s column
Contents
From the CEO
APA files two briefs in support of same-sex couples
New registry seeks to understand addiction recovery through ‘crowdsourcing’
APA launches a database of tests and measures
Watch for new member benefit: “APA Access”
Apply now for APA’s Advanced Training Institutes
PsycTHERAPY, APA’s new database, brings therapy demos to life
In Brief
APA scientists help guide tobacco regulation
A-mazing research
‘A machine for jumping to conclusions’
Judicial Notebook
Random Sample
Righting the imbalance
The beginnings of mental illness
Science Directions
Improving disorder classification, worldwide
Protesting proposed changes to the DSM
Interventions for at-risk students
Harnessing the wisdom of the ages
Anti-bullying efforts ramp up
Hostile hallways
R U friends 4 real?
Support for teachers
Speaking of Education
Record keeping for practitioners
Going green
At the intersection of law and psychology
Division Spotlight
Grants help solve society’s problems
Personalities

Monitor on Psychology - February 2012