Researchers at Michigan State, Chicago, and WUSTL says sleep may reduce mistakes in memory for both the young and the old.
They studied the presence of false memory in groups of college students. Previous research has shown that sleep improves memory, but this study address errors in memory.
The study was published in the journal Learning & Memory.

References:

1. Sept. 14, 2009 — Sleep helps reduce errors in memory in the United Press International

and 4 others.

New Swiss research published in Science suggests that young animals may have a mechanism that allows them to jettison traumatic memories, but experts say it's unclear whether humans of any age can do the same. Includes comments by WUSTL psychology professor and memory specialist Mark McDaniel.

References:

1. Sept. 4, 2009 — Young Animals May Be Able to Erase Bad Memories in the U.S. News & World Report online

and 5 others.

WUSTL psychology doctoral student Andrew Butler said students who learn history through watching blockbuster movies may be doomed to repeat history.
". . . when information in the film directly contradicted the text, people often falsely recalled the misinformation portrayed in the film."
The findings are published in the journal Psychological Science.

References:

1. Aug. 6, 2009 — Movies enhance recall if facts are correct in the United Press International

and 1 others.

A new study that shows that a cellphone ring, more than just being annoying, can pose the kind of distraction that can impair learning or derail someone's train of thought. Study author and WUSTL psychology postdoctoral research scholar Jill Shelton comments.

References:

1. June 2, 2009 — Please silence your phone -- NOW! in the Los Angeles Times online

If at first you don't succeed, tell the world about it -- because Web culture has become obsessed with "failure videos," mostly on YouTube. Whatever the reason, the sharing of personal missteps has become a part of today's e-culture. WUSTL psychology professor Don Fitz comments.

References:

1. May 30, 2009 — The culture of failure in the The Boston Globe

The term boomerang children used to refer to young adults moving back in with their parents, but the recession is forcing people in their 30s and 40s and older--often with a spouse and kids in tow--to bunk in with the 'rents until they regain their financial footing. WUSTL psychology professor Brian Carpenter comments.

References:

1. Feb. 19, 2009 — Bunking In With Mom and Dad in the Time online

Kate Snow reports on pre-debate preparations of both VP candidates. Snow asks WUSTL psychology professor and memory expert Mark McDaniel if there's any risk to cramming too much.

References:

1. Oct. 2, 2008 — Palin - Biden: The Main Event/ Behind the Scenes in the ABC News 'Good Morning America'

The basic questions about testing children are: Do kids who are tested a lot learn more or less than kids who are not? and What is the best way to study? Research by WUSTL psychology professor Henry Roediger and a Purdue colleague that has been challenging the conventional wisdom on how best to study is included.

References:

1. Sept. 3, 2008 — Examining Exams in the Newsweek Web Exclusive

Rereading class notes may not be the best way to study. New research suggests that frequent testing -- even self-testing -- is a better bet for retaining information. WUSTL psychology professor Henry Roediger III says his study of 180 students shows the benefits of "the testing effect."

References:

1. July 27, 2008 — Ultimate Study Tool: Testing in the The New York Times

The latest technology in lie detection technology is called voice risk analysis (VRA). WUSTL psychology professor Mitchell Sommers, who is a specialist in speech perception, says the findings confirm what other studies have shown about VRA: that it is not particularly good at detecting liars, but that it does act as an excellent deterrent.

References:

1. May 10, 2008 — Whose pants on fire? in the The Economist

So you thought testing was just assessment and either neutral or actively harmful to learning? Well, think again. New research from the U.S. suggests that, far from being a recipe for a blighted childhood, repeated testing is one of the best ways to learn. The active retrieval of facts from the memory that occurs during testing is far more helpful for consolidating knowledge than passive studying.
This research was conducted by Purdue's Jeffrey Karpicke and WUSTL psychology professor Henry Roediger.

References:

1. April 25, 2008 — Give a leg up in the The Times Education Supplement (London UK)

Doctors often hesitate to tell patients they likely suffer from Alzheimer's disease or another form of dementia, fearing the news will overwhelm them.
Not only did the diagnosis not increase anxiety or depression among patients and their caregivers, but most were relieved to have symptoms explained and a way to find help.
But a WUSTL medical study suggests physicians need not worry. Researchers amd WUSTL psychology professor Brian Carpenter and neurology proessor John Morris comment.
The study, which appears in the March issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, gauged depression and anxiety two days before and two days after an evaluation and diagnosis.

References:

1. March 12, 2008 — Dementia Diagnosis May Relieve Patients in the Associated Press

and 110 others.

Age-related brain changes may make it harder for older adults to understand humor, a new study shows.
The study comes from WUSTL psychology graduate student Wingyun Mak and psychology professor Brian Carpenter.

References:

1. Aug. 3, 2007 — Humor Hampered By Aging Brain? in the CBSNews.com

and 1 others.

It's no laughing matter: a new study suggests older adults have a harder time getting jokes as they age.
The research indicates that because older adults may have greater difficulty with cognitive flexibility, abstract reasoning and short-term memory, they also have greater difficulty with tests of humor comprehension.
The research conducted by WUSTL graduate student Wingyun Mak and WUSTL psychology professor Brian Carpenter.
Findings were published earlier this month in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society.

References:

1. July 11, 2007 — Joke comprehension may decrease with age, study at St. Louis university suggests in the International Herald Tribune (France)

and 206 others.

Women aren't chattier than men after all, say psychologists who recorded 400 students of both genders over a seven-year period.
Professors from U. Texas, U. Arizona and WUSTL strapped voice recorders onto student volunteers. Students never knew when the machines were recording.
The study was published in the journal Science.

References:

1. July 6, 2007 — Verbal battle of the sexes all hot air, study finds in the The Ottawa Citizen (Canada)

and 3 others.

Conventional wisdom has it that breakthrough ideas come only from the minds of geniuses. Edison, Tolkien, Darwin -- history's biggest brains are responsible for its biggest innovations. Many companies are organized with this idea in mind.
But creativity isn't a solitary affair -- and it's not the exclusive domain of the brilliant and gifted. In fact, research shows that people working in groups are far more innovative than previously thought.
WUSTL education and psychology professor Keith Sawyer offers advice on what businesses can do to take advantage of their employees' creativity.

References:

1. June 10, 2007 — No Ideas? You're Not Alone in the U.S. News & World Report

A recent survey by AARP found that nearly 70 percent of adult children have not talked to their parents about issues related to aging. Some children avoid this most intimate of conversations because they believe their parents don't want to talk. Others think they know what their parents want.
WUSTL psychology professor Brian Carpenter is one of the experts offering advice.

References:

1. June 10, 2007 — How to Talk About Aging in the Newsweek

Cover story on the connection neuroscientists are finding between our memory of the past and our imagining of the future.
Evidence is accumulating of an intimate mental connection between recalling the past and imagining the future. Neuroscientists and psychologists have found that people who have lost their memories also lose their ability to imagine the future, and that the brain regions that are used for remembering are also used for imagining.
Article includes fMRI research done by WUSTL psychology professor Kathleen McDermott and colleague Karl Szpunar.

References:

1. March 24, 2007 — Future recall in the New Scientist (UK)

At a laboratory in Berlin, Germany, scientists are trying to read the minds of volunteers using an MRI machine to figure out their intention before it is turned into action.
The research has been generating strong interest in the scientific community.
WUSTL psychologist Todd Braver, who was not connected with the research, comments about predicting human behavior.

References:

1. March 5, 2007 — Scientists Try to Predict Intentions in the Associated Press Online

and 55 others.

WUSTL psychology professor Len Green comments on compulsive behavior and on lab experiments on people, rats and pigeons.
Economics graduate student Patrick McAlvanah, who also works in Green's lab, comments.
The research has relevance to addictions. A body of research already shows that addicts tend to be impulsive. Green is conducting experiments iin this area.

References:

1. Feb. 3, 2007 — Level of impulsivity varies, but is present in everyone in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

and 14 others.