We unconsciously form prejudice toward groups when we see biased people interact with members of a group. That is according to new research by psychologists, who show for the first time that observational learning is an important mechanism of prejudice formation.
Read more …Watching others' biased behavior unconsciously creates prejudice
Scientists have identified a gene which, when missing or impaired, can cause obesity, behavioural problems and, in mothers, postnatal depression. The discovery, reported today in Cell, may have wider implications for the treatment of postnatal depression, with a study in mice suggesting that oxytocin may alleviate symptoms.
Read more …Genetic study points to oxytocin as possible treatment for obesity and postnatal depression
Randomized controlled trials, or RCTs, are believed to be the best way to study the safety and efficacy of new treatments in clinical research. However, a recent study found that people of color and white women are significantly underrepresented in RCTs due to systematic biases.
Read more …Systematic biases at play in clinical trials
In a concert, members of the audience can respond emotionally to music, owing to their biological synchronization to the audio input. However, the mechanism underlying this biological response is unclear. Now, a pioneering study has found that music-induced heart-rate synchronization is highly correlated within an individual, compared to between two randomly selected individuals. It has been determined that individual differences in cognition reduce the consistency in physiological responses and affect synchronization.
Read more …Understanding the synchronization of physiological states during a live music performance