Authors

Peter Doskoch

Um, next week let's hit the strip clubs
Reports on the effect of drinking alcohol on people's tendency to utter the word 'um.' Study by University of California psychologist Nicholas Christenfeld; Carelessness of intoxicated people about what they are saying.
Birth Control: Pills 'N' Thrills
Some versions of the pill may step up sex drive.
Eating for Depression
Could treating depression be as simple as eating more greens?
High-tech help on the Internet
Reports on psychologist Leonard Holmes's launching of a World Wide Web site that offers counseling to people with personal problems. Payment terms for the service.
Deck the Halls, Not Your In-Laws
We can extend goodwill to even the most combative of relatives during this time of peace on earth.
Ah, sweet memories
Focuses on studies that link sugar to memory in humans. Theory on memory formation.
A Hands-On Experience
The benefits of the in-house employee massage program may outweigh the costs spent on sick days.
In the hood with Infidel
Profiles Lauren Lawrence, one-time student of a master's degree in psychology who became a rapper known as Infidel.
Why bad hair days may not matter
Focuses on experiments made by Cornell University psychologist Thomas Gilovich which revealed people's tendency to overestimate how often other people notice how they look and what they do. Roots of the behavior in childhood.
Tracking the junkie chic look
Reports on the advent of fashion with the junkie look. Matsuda clothing advertisement showing reed-thin models; Partnership for a Drug-Free America's anti-heroin campaign that could be mistaken for high fashion.
The Trouble with Testosterone
Guys with too much testosterone may have trouble holding downa job.
The truth about cats and dogs
Reports on a study which reveals that some pet owners believe that their pets' personalities bear a distinct resemblance to their own. Possible reasons for the similarities.
Palm reading
Reports on a study by psychiatrist P.S.B. Sarma asserting that mixed-handedness in middle-school boys may be a sign of academic troubles ahead. Possible defects in the corpus callosum based on ambidexterity.
Are You Your Job?
Find out what motivatespeople to overcome failure.
Coke gets in your eyes
Reports on a device called electroretinogram which is being tested by researchers at Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC) for detecting when recovering cocaine addicts are biologically vulnerable to relapse.
Major-league minds
Reports on the role of a baseball player's mind on his performance. Study by University of Washington psychologist Ronald Smith who measured the psychological abilities of 104 minor-leaguers.
Holiday Happy Meals
Eating during the holidays is tough stuff. Celebrate the season -- and stick to your diet.
The exotic becomes the erotic?
Focuses on Cornell University psychologist Daryl Bem's theory of sexual development which explains same-sex attraction as a result of gender-nonconforming behavior caused by temperament determined by biological factors. How non-conforming children may perceive peers of the same sex.
Pop psych
Focuses on rock bands that have named their groups after names of drugs and terms referring to mental disorders.
Is your best good enough?
Contends that setting goals which are difficult to achieve may improve athletic performance.