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2008 APA Convention Press Releases and Media Advisories
Among the highlights are talks on how emotions influence voting behavior; the link between lead and low IQ; new traumatic stress treatments for children and war veterans; and the world's obesity epidemic and solutions for eating better.
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Financial Concerns Top List of Holiday Stressors for Women, Families with Children (12/04/08)
WASHINGTON—As reports about the extent of the recession in the United States are released this week, a new poll from the American Psychological Association (APA) finds that more than eight out of 10 anticipate a stressful holiday season and that the economic crisis is impacting women and families most.
'Voluntary' Confession Should Not Bar DNA Test for Convicted Murderer, APA Asserts (12/02/08)
WASHINGTON—Numerous psychological factors can cause innocent suspects to confess to crimes they did not commit, meaning that a voluntary confession does not establish guilt conclusively, according to the American Psychological Association.
Drivers Make More Errors When Talking (12/01/08)
WASHINGTON—Drivers make more mistakes when talking on a cell phone than when talking to passengers, new research shows.
American Psychological Association Co-Hosts Congressional Briefing, Urges Legislators to Consider United Nations Treaty Securing Children's Rights (11/19/08)
WASHINGTON—Child advocates from the American Psychological Association (APA), the Child Welfare League of America and American Academy of Pediatrics will brief Congress on the Campaign for U.S. Ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
Anti Same-Sex Marriage Amendments Spark Psychological Distress Among GLBT Adults and Their Families, According to New Research (11/18/08)
WASHINGTON—Amendments that restrict civil marriage rights of same-sex couples – such as Proposition 8 that recently passed in California – have led to higher levels of stress and anxiety among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender adults, as well as among their families of origin, according to several new studies to be published by the American Psychological Association.
School Resources Important for Helping Children of Immigrant Families Succeed in the Classroom (11/10/08)
WASHINGTON—Children of immigrants who enter school with low math and reading skills have a better chance of catching up with their peers if they attend a school with high-performing students, well-supported teachers and services to families of English as a second language (ESL) children, according to a new study.
APA and UVA awarded grant to study potential of specialized science high schools to increase participation in science research careers (10/28/08)
WASHINGTON—The American Psychological Association, in partnership with the University of Virginia, has received a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation to conduct a three-year study on the contributions made by specialized public high schools to the development of scientific researchers in the life, physical and behavioral sciences.
APA Poll Finds Women Bear Brunt of Nation's Stress, Financial Downturn (10/07/08)
NEW YORK—The declining state of the Nation's economy is taking a physical and emotional toll on people nationwide, yet it is women who are bearing the brunt of financial stress, according to data from the American Psychological Association’s newly released 2008 Stress in America survey.
Seeing Race and Seeming Racist? Whites Go Out of Their Way to Avoid Talking About Race (10/06/08)
WASHINGTON—White people—including children as young as 10—may avoid talking about race so as not to appear prejudiced, according to new research. But that approach often backfires as blacks tend to view this "colorblind" approach as evidence of prejudice, especially when race is clearly relevant.
Landmark Victory: Mental Health Parity is Now Law (10/03/08)
WASHINGTON—President Bush signed mental health parity into law today, taking a great step forward in the decade-plus fight to end insurance discrimination against those seeking treatment for mental health and substance use disorders. This historic legislation requires that health insurance equally cover both mental and physical health.
APA Letter to Bush: New Policy Limits Psychologist Involvement in Interrogations (10/02/08)
WASHINGTON—The American Psychological Association sent a letter today to President Bush, informing him of a significant change in the association's policy that limits the roles of psychologists in certain unlawful detention settings where the human rights of detainees are violated, such as has occurred at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and at so-called CIA black sites around the world.
Nation's First Green Roof and Labyrinth Opens (10/02/08)
WASHINGTON—The nation's first green roof and labyrinth in this ever-greener city opened today at the top of an eight-story office building one block northwest of Union Station.
American Psychological Association Lauds Signing of ADA Restoration Law (09/25/08)
WASHINGTON—The American Psychological Association applauded the signing into law today of the Americans with Disabilities Restoration Act, which clarifies the definition of “disability” to restore the original congressional intent.
Joint committee named to revise Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (09/24/08)
WASHINGTON—A committee of researchers and experts in educational and psychological testing has been appointed to revise the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (the Standards) - long considered to be the definitive source for information concerning sound test development and use.
Sexism Pays: Study Finds Men Who Hold Traditional Views Of Women Earn More Than Men Who Don't (09/22/08)
WASHINGTON—When it comes to sex roles in society, what you think may affect what you earn. A new study has found that men who believe in traditional roles for women earn more money than men who don't, and women with more egalitarian views don't make much more than women with a more traditional outlook.
APA Members Approve Petition Resolution (09/17/08)
WASHINGTON—The petition resolution stating that psychologists may not work in settings where “persons are held outside of, or in violation of, either International Law (e.g., the UN Convention Against Torture and the Geneva Conventions) or the US Constitution (where appropriate), unless they are working directly for the persons being detained or for an independent third party working to protect human rights” was approved by a vote of the APA membership.
Older problem gamblers may face greater suicide risk than younger counterparts, study finds (09/16/08)
WASHINGTON—Compared to their younger counterparts, older problem gamblers who ask casinos to bar them from returning are three to four times more likely to do so because they fear they will kill themselves if they don’t stop betting, according to a new study.
Older Adults Can Take Medicines More Safely and Effectively by Charting Their Daily Routines
(09/09/08)
WASHINGTON—Older adults may be better able to comply with medication regimens by working with providers to fill out simple paper tables that track what they take and when they take it.
How You Spend Affects How Much You Spend: Credit, Scrip, and Gift Certifiate Purchases Found to be
Higher than Cash (09/07/08)
WASHINGTON—There is fresh evidence that people spend less when paying cash than using credit, cash-equivalent scrip or gift certificates.
Animals Adapt Their Vocal Signals to Social Situations (08/25/08)
WASHINGTON—A special August issue of the Journal of Comparative Psychology, published by the American Psychological Association, presents a host of studies that investigate the way that animals adapt their calls, chirps, barks and whistles to their social situation.
APA statement on interrogation (08/16/08)
BOSTON—APA has specifically prohibited 19 interrogation techniques as torture, noting that this list is not exhaustive. No psychologist should ever have any involvement, direct or indirect, in the use of such techniques, which include waterboarding, hooding, forced nudity or stress positions, in an interrogation.
APA Task Force Finds Single Abortion Not a Threat to Women's Mental Health (08/12/08)
BOSTON—There is no credible evidence that a single elective abortion of an unwanted pregnancy in and of itself causes mental health problems for adult women, according to a draft report released Tuesday by a task force of the American Psychological Association.
Genes May Make Some People More Prone to Anxiety (8/10/08)
WASHINGTON—Inborn differences may help explain why trauma gives some people bad memories and others the nightmare of post-traumatic stress. Scientists in Germany and the United States have reported evidence linking genes to anxious behavior.
Data Mining Detects Signs of Lou Gehrig's Disease in Gene Carriers Long Before Symptoms Appear (8/03/08)
WASHINGTON—Inspired by the use of microarray chips that look for gene combinations, psychologists are using "pattern array" software to spot movements in rats that might help them predict diseases such as Lou Gehrig's syndrome.
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