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Decoding Professional Degrees - What do the Initials Mean? |
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Written by Leonard Holmes, Ph.D.
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You've read an article and the author makes some claims that you wonder about. Something doesn't sound quite right. If the article was written by a doctor it must be true. Right?
The use of the title "Dr." means that the person has completed an advanced degree program. It often refers to an M.D. or a Ph.D., but it can be used by many others. Generally three to four yearsof graduate school are required beyond a bachelors degree, and an internship or residency may be required. Here are some of the U.S. and Canadian doctorate degrees:
- M.D. - Medical Doctor - Psychiatrists are usually M.D.s (although some are D.O.s).
- Ph.D. - Doctor of Philosophy - This is the traditional academic doctorate. Someone with a Ph.D. is qualified to teach at a college or university. Psychologists often have this degree. In psychology a Ph.D. can be in Clinical Psychology (with a focus on research and practice), Counseling Psychology (with a focus on counseling), sometimes in School Psychology (although many school psychologists do not get a doctorate), or just Psychology (many experimental and social psychologists at colleges have this). You can also get a Ph.D. in Social Work, nursing, and even things like English, History, and Biology.
- Psy.D. - Doctor of Psychology. A clinical psychology degree which places more emphasis on practice than research. Psy.D. programs developed to train practitioners who would keep up with research but might never do much research.
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Why do some People React Aggressively without Provocation? |
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Written by American Psychological Association
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Specific personality variables, such as anger or irritability predict the tendency to either engage in aggressive behavior willingly or to engage in aggressive behavior when provoked, according to a recent meta-analysis in the September issue of Psychological Bulletin. In a review of 63 studies, psychologist Ann Bettencourt PhD and coauthors Amelia Talley MA, University of Missouri – Columbia, Arlin James Benjamin PhD, Panhandle State University, and Jeffery Valentine, PhD, Duke University, examined the association between personality variables and aggressive behavior, under provoking and relatively neutral conditions. The following personality variables were identified: trait aggressiveness, trait irritability, trait anger, Type A personality, dissipation-rumination, emotional susceptibility (tendency to feel inadequate or vulnerable), narcissism, and impulsivity. Study participants ranging from 7 years old to 48 years old were subjected to different types of provoking situations such as verbal insults, frustration in the form of difficult puzzles, physical aggression, loud noises and disparaging comments. Neutral comparison conditions were similar to those in the provoking conditions but lacked insulting, irritating, and frustrating situations.
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Social Exclusion Changes the Brain, Can Lead to Poor Decision-making |
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Written by University of Georgia
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Poor Bridget Jones. At the beginning of the first film about her diary and life, the character, played by actress Renée Zellweger, is fat and alone in her apartment where she mimes one of the great self-pitying song hits of all time: "All by Myself." But Bridget's problem may be more than skin deep. In new research, reported in the current online issue of the journal Social Neuroscience, researchers from the University of Georgia and San Diego State University report for the first time that social exclusion actually causes changes in a person's brain function and can lead to poor decision-making and a diminished learning ability. "Our findings indicate that social rejection can be a powerful influence on how people act," said W. Keith Campbell, a psychologist who led the research. The new research is the first to examine subjects' brain patterns following social exclusion using the magnetoencephalography (MEG) technique. Other authors of the paper include Jean Twenge of San Diego State University; Brett Clementz and Jennifer McDowell, also psychology faculty members at UGA; and UGA graduate students Elizabeth Krusemark, Kara Dyckman and Amy Brunnell. Researchers have known for a long time that there is a link between social exclusion and the failure of self-control. For instance, people who are rejected in social situations often respond by abusing alcohol, expressing aggression or performing poorly at school or work. (Bridget Jones chooses "vodka and Chaka Khan.") The new study, however, is the first to use MEG to show that there are actual changes inside the brain when test subjects are manipulated to feel socially excluded. MEG is an imaging technique that measures the magnetic fields produced by electrical activity in the brain. It is most often used by physicians to localize brain tumors prior to surgery or to study the brain function of patients with epilepsy. |
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