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20 MONITOR ON PSYCHOLOGY • SEPTEMBER 2013
IN
n Exercise appears to reorganize
the brain to be more resilient under
stress, according to a study conducted
at Princeton University. The researchers
exposed two groups of mice — one
that exercised regularly and another
that was sedentary — to cold water
to simulate a stressor. Exercise served
to prevent stress-induced protein
expression in particular neurons in the
ventral hippocampus, a brain region
known to regulate anxiety. In the same
region, exercise also enhanced inhibitory
mechanisms, which may calm excitatory
circuits that lead to anxiety (Journal of
Neuroscience, May 1).
n People with schizophrenia and those
with bipolar disorder both have a
specific brain disruption, finds research
led by scientists at the Yale School of
Medicine. Investigators used fMRI
to examine the interactions between
the thalamus and other areas of the
brain and found that communication
was significantly altered between
the thalamus and prefrontal cortical
areas in people with either disorder,
adding to evidence that distinct mental
illnesses may have biological similarities
(Cerebral Cortex, online July 3).
n Women are perceived as better
leaders than men, suggests a study led
by a Spring Arbor University psychology
professor. The researchers used a
360-degree feedback evaluation tool
to examine how 1,546 male and 721
female leaders from 204 for-profit, nonprofit, large and small organizations
perceived themselves and were perceived
by colleagues, including supervisors,
employees and peers. Participants
were rated on 10 relational behaviors,
including communication, trust,
coaching and participation, and 10 task-oriented behaviors, such as goal setting,
planning, strategy and decisiveness.
Female leaders were rated significantly
higher than males on most of the skills
(Performance Improvement Quarterly,
April/May/June).
n Newlywed women who believe
their marriages will improve over
time show the steepest declines in
marital satisfaction, suggests a study
by psychologists at the University of
California, Los Angeles. The researchers
asked 502 newlyweds to predict how
their feelings about their relationships
would change over the ensuing four
years, and then followed the couples for
that period. Nearly all couples predicted
that their marital satisfaction would
remain stable or improve, yet researchers
found that it declined among nearly
all couples. The researchers also found
that wives with the most optimistic
forecasts showed the steepest declines in
marital satisfaction (Journal of Family
Psychology, online June 24).
n U.S. intelligence agents may be
more prone to biased decision-making
than college students and post-college
adults, according to a study conducted
by a Cornell University psychologist. In
the study, researchers tested 36 agents
from an unnamed federal agency, as
well as a group of college students
and post-college adults on a series
of framing problems to assess their
tendency to make risky choices. For
example, the researcher asked them if, in
a hypothetical scenario of a population
facing a disease outbreak, they would
Snapshots of some of the latest peer-reviewed
research within psychology and related fields.
Rya
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McVa
y
A good run could help you cope with stressors, suggests a study by Princeton
University researchers.