Developmental Psychology

How Our Ability to Recognize Emotions Changes With Age

How Our Ability to Recognize Emotions Changes With Age

Being able to make an accurate guess at what the people around us are feeling is a skill that helps us get along with friends, family, partners and coworkers. Like other cognitive ...
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Physical Punishment, Childhood Maltreatment Linked to Antisocial Behaviors in Adulthood

Physical Punishment, Childhood Maltreatment Linked to Antisocial Behaviors in Adulthood

Problematic behaviors in adulthood often have roots in childhood, and a new study of over 36,000 adults in the United States adds more evidence for that idea. In the study, researchers from ...
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Is a Need to Contribute Key for Teens?

Is a Need to Contribute Key for Teens?

When it comes to the basic psychological needs of adolescence, we often talk about things like becoming more independent and developing a sense of identity. A new paper argues that teenagers have ...
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What Does Aging Mean for Mental Health? It Depends Where You Live

What Does Aging Mean for Mental Health? It Depends Where You Live

Mental health isn’t something that stays fixed across the lifespan. Everyone goes through periods of better and worse mental health. But as people get older, is there a general tendency for their ...
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Practicing Music Is Associated With a Sharper Brain Later in Life

Practicing Music Is Associated With a Sharper Brain Later in Life

If you want your brain to stay in good form as the years add up, be sure to keep a healthy diet, exercise frequently, and … play a musical instrument? A new ...
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Adverse Childhood Experiences Influence Life Satisfaction in Adulthood

Adverse Childhood Experiences Influence Life Satisfaction in Adulthood

We know that childhood experiences lay the foundation for mental health in adulthood. But is it possible to determine what consequences a single traumatic event in childhood might have for long-term psychological ...
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Do Early Developmental Milestones Predict Intelligence in Middle Age?

Do Early Developmental Milestones Predict Intelligence in Middle Age?

Will a baby who says their first words at a precocious age go on to have a sharp mind at 50? The idea that signs of future intelligence can be spotted in ...
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Spooky Science: The Psychology of Paranormal Beliefs

Spooky Science: The Psychology of Paranormal Beliefs

Long-time readers of this blog will know that I can take the fun out of almost any holiday. For Thanksgiving, I’ve written about the advantages of being ungrateful and the inner lives ...
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What Sets Adults With Autism Who Have Savant Skills Apart?

What Sets Adults With Autism Who Have Savant Skills Apart?

Occasionally, people with autism have special abilities where they are able to far outperform others. They might be able to perform feats of memory, create incredibly realistic works of art, or tell ...
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From Childhood Trauma to Adulthood Empathy?

From Childhood Trauma to Adulthood Empathy?

If there’s a good side to suffering, it might be that it can make you more attuned to the suffering of others. A new study from researchers at City University of New ...
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