Monitor on Psychology - April 2012 - (Page 18)

Brief IN n Male tenure-track professors often experience work-family conflicts, but tend not to take advantage of family-friendly policies, according to a qualitative study conducted at the University of Texas at Austin. Researchers interviewed assistant professors raising at least one child under age 6 and found that many felt torn between work and family obligations. They also found that, even after learning about programs such as “stopping the tenure clock,” most of the dads were reluctant to take advantage of them for fear of seeming uncommitted to their careers. (Psychology of Men & Masculinity, January) n Men are at higher risk for memory loss than women, according to a study conducted at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Over the course of three years, researchers performed several neuropsychological tests every 18 Unmarried people with less education had more memory problems, a study finds. MONITOR ON PSYCHOLOGY • APRIL 2012 Ryan McVay n Narcissism may put men’s health at risk, according to a study led by a University of Michigan psychologist. Scientists measured the stress hormone cortisol in 106 undergraduate students and asked them to complete an assessment for the personality trait narcissism. They found that males who had higher measures of the unhealthy components of narcissism, such as exploitativeness and entitlement, also had higher levels of cortisol. The unhealthy components of narcissism were more than twice as likely to predict high cortisol in males than in females. No link was found between healthy narcissism traits, such as leadership, and cortisol in either gender. (PLoS One, Jan. 23) 15 months with a group of 1,450 older adults who had no dementia at enrollment. They found that 296 participants developed mild cognitive impairment, and that the number of new cases per year was higher in men, at 72 per 1,000 people compared with 57 per 1,000 people in women. Men and women who had less education or were not married also had higher rates of memory problems. (Neurology, Jan. 31) n Good friends can reduce the effects of stress, according to a study by researchers at Concordia University in Montreal. More than 100 schoolchildren in fifth and sixth grades were given journals to record their feelings and had their saliva tested four times a day for four consecutive days. The authors found that having a best friend present during a stressful experience significantly buffered the children against the negative effects of that experience — cortisol levels and self-worth remained relatively unchanged. When a best friend was not present, researchers saw an increase in cortisol and a decrease in self-worth. (Developmental Psychology, November) http://www.neurology.org/content/78/5/342.full?sid=e72d96dd-7c16-45cf-a5%200a-f18d055d9246 http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/dev/47/6/1786/ http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0030858 http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/men/13/1/1/ http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/men/13/1/1/

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

Monitor on Psychology - April 2010
Letters
President’s Column
Contents
From the CEO
Internship Shortage Continues
Mental Health Services Remain Scarce at Community Colleges
Apa Weighs in on the Constitutionality of Life Without Parole for Juvenile Offenders
Apa Praises Court’s Support for Equality
New Mobile App Answers Psychologists’ Clinical Questions
Nih Offers Free Web Resources for Psychologist Researchers
New and Improved Psyclink
In Brief
Government Relations Update
Time Capsule
Questionnaire
Random Sample
Judicial Notebook
Early Career Psychology
Psychologist Profile
Coal Miners’ Dilemma
The Science of Political Advertising
Science Watch
Science Directions
More Support Needed for Trauma Interventions
The Case Against Spanking
Innovative Psychology at the High School Level
Speaking of Education
Apa Divisions Reach Out to New Psychologists
New Journal Editors
A Home Base for Multiple Fields
Division Spotlight
American Psychological Foundation
Awards and Funding Opportunities
Personalities

Monitor on Psychology - April 2012