Moral hypocrisy is an antisocial behavior familiar to most of us in which people tend to judge their own moral transgressions more leniently than the exact same transgressions when committed by others. Yet, until recently, the origin of this bias was not known. Northeastern University researchers Piercarlo Valdesolo and David DeSteno have now found that at heart, the mind is just as sensitive to our own transgressions, but that bias in favor of protecting the self actually grows out of cognitive rationalization processes. The research is discussed in the latest issue of the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. [continue reading…]
Behaviour
A new study by researchers at Hasbro Children’s Hospital offers a closer look at the association between childhood sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), including snoring and sleep apnea, and behavioral problems like hyperactivity and anxiety.Published in the April issue of the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, the study revealed that children with SDB who are also overweight, sleep for short periods of time, or have another sleep disorder like insomnia are more likely to have behavior issues. [continue reading…]
Don’t bother trying to persuade your boss of a new idea while he’s feeling the power of his position – new research suggests he’s not listening to you.“Powerful people have confidence in what they are thinking. Whether their thoughts are positive or negative toward an idea, that position is going to be hard to change,” said Richard Petty, co-author of the study and professor of psychology at Ohio State University.
Active father figures have a key role to play in reducing behaviour problems in boys and psychological problems in young women, according to a review published in the February issue of Acta Paediatrica.
Swedish researchers also found that regular positive contact reduces criminal behaviour among children in low-income families and enhances cognitive skills like intelligence, reasoning and language development.
Children who lived with both a mother and father figure also had less behavioural problems than those who just lived with their mother. [continue reading…]
