![[Anonymous psychologist and client in a therapy session.”]](https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/files/2024/04/Picture1-11b155cf963505d5.jpg)
Embarking on the journey of mental health therapy can be a truly transformative experience. However, it’s not uncommon for misconceptions to cloud the path to healing. Despite the increasing demand for mental health treatment, persistent myths still predominate. But here’s a spoiler alert: Therapy isn’t merely about sitting on a couch (or lying down) and pouring your heart out. It’s a dynamic process that goes beyond stereotypes…
Tag: psychology
The neural foundation of psychopathology is complex
![[A person unwinding and rolling up the tangled wire, pulling the tangled wire is in the brain.]](https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/files/2023/09/mental-6841357_1280.png)
Since the “Decade of the Brain,” neuroscientists and clinical psychologists have been particularly interested in understanding how the brain contributes to psychopathology (commonly referred to as mental illness or mental disorder). However, despite all the resources poured into pursuing questions along these lines, there is little overlap in research findings between studies; it remains difficult to effectively translate neuroscience research into clinical practice, arguably the ultimate goal in studying the brain basis of psychopathology.
Love math, but don’t care too much
![[A child playing with number toys on a table.]](https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/files/2023/08/math-anxiety-1.png)
As part of my job as a researcher and graduate student in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, I invite parents and children to play math games in our lab. As I lead parents and children through studies about how children learn, I’ve seen very different attitudes in parents towards math. Some parents would happily talk about numbers and inferences in their daily interactions, and they make a lot of attempts to start a conversation about math…
People get “brain drain” when smartphones merely exist in room
![[A person typing on the laptop with one hand while tapping the smartphone with the other hand.]](https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/files/2023/05/Picture1.png)
Have you – at least for a moment – ever imagined throwing your smartphone out the window, especially when you are trying to focus on your work? Now you might have a justification for your impulse. Behavioral scientists recently found that if your smartphone is merely present in your room, and even if you are not consciously thinking of it, you may still be distracted…
The cognitive process behind categorizing objects
![[Schematic drawings of various everyday objects embedded in a person’s brain. A question mark is drawn to indicate the question of categorization.]](https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/files/2023/03/feature-image-1.jpg)
Conscious or not, we are faced with countless categorization decisions during our everyday lives. When organizing kids’ rooms, parents need to decide if various items are tools or toys, to know in which drawer to place them… No matter how fast and intuitive some categorizations may feel, the process of making any classification decision involves a chain of cognitive steps…
Using mathematics to study psychology. Part 2
![[A picture of a human face made up of mechanical parts, like gears.]](https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/files/2023/02/image-2.jpg)
In my last post, I explained the defining characteristics of cognitive models and the main steps to developing a cognitive model. In this post, I’ll discuss the advantages of cognitive modeling over alternative approaches to studying human cognition and behavior, and a precaution to be taken about interpreting modeling results…
Using mathematics to study psychology. Part 1
If you’ve ever thought about the life of a graduate student in psychology, you might have pictured someone who is asking research participants probing questions about their hidden thoughts, or perhaps someone who is discreetly observing human subjects completing some tasks while taking quick note of their behavior. In reality, we psychology students spend most of our time learning advanced statistical methods and grappling with quantitative analyses of noisy behavioral data that are difficult to interpret….
Heart rate variability: What it is and how it relates to mental health
![[Two red heartbeat waves extend from a black-and-white outline of a brain.]](https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/files/2022/12/sciu_hrv_mainimage.png)
A healthy heart is not a metronome. Even though most of us can follow our heartbeat with ease, in between each heartbeat is a period of time that varies in duration from one beat to the next. This difference in time between any consecutive heartbeat is known as heart rate variability (HRV), and researchers are increasingly using it as a tool to understand mental health…
Making and Reaching New Year’s Resolutions the SMART way
It’s January 1st. You bought your notebook, numbered the page, and you’re ready; It is time to make some New Year’s resolutions. If you’re someone that regularly makes resolutions, you’re not alone. The start of a new year brings a natural push to start new routines or try to break bad habits. However, many people struggle to keep resolutions. The good news is, behavioral science and the theory of motivation tell us there are evidence-based strategies that can help…
Finding a therapist: Frequently asked questions
Thinking about starting therapy but overwhelmed by the process of finding a therapist? You’re not alone. There are a lot of reasons that people don’t seek treatment. This post will discuss how to find a therapist and things to consider during your search. “Should I go to therapy? How do I know when it’s ‘time?’” The shortest answer is therapy can be appropriate at any time, as long as you want to be there. It is extremely common to seek therapy when we’re struggling with severe or minor difficulties…