September 2008 | Monitor on Psychology | Vol. 39 No. 8

COVER: The pregnant brain
- Priming for a new role
Pregnant women and animals experience slight decreases in learning and memory—changes that appear to pave the way for cognitive benefits in motherhood and may even advantage mothers as they age.
- Fetal gender may influence 'baby brain'
Women who had carried male fetuses performed significantly better on the most difficult tests of working memory and spatial ability than those carrying female fetuses.
IN BRIEF

PRACTICE PROFILE
Oklahoma psychologist Stewart R. Beasley Jr. has worked from the inside to gain hospital privileges for himself and the profession—a move that spells better care for patients.
ETHICS ROUNDS
A series of dialectical tensions serves to illustrate some of the ethical challenges of practicing psychology in an island state.

FEATURES
In a major win for psychology and mental health advocates, Congress has embraced mental health parity. Now it's negotiating ways to pay for it.
Advocacy efforts help Congress pass Medicare legislation that will improve access to mental health care.
Early psychologists used animals to educate and entertain.
In these tough economic times, companies increasingly rely on psychologists' expertise in the delicate art of downsizing.
Seeking a cognitive boost, students are increasingly abusing stimulants. And the problem is likely to get worse.
Two American psychologists caught in the cyclone in Myanmar rush to help relief workers cope with the disaster's aftermath.
Educators consider steps to introduce the discipline to a new—and much different—generation of students.
APA's 2007–08 Congressional Fellows cover diverse issues, but have common goals.
Incoming editor Stephen Hinshaw will encourage early career psychologists to write review papers.


HOW TO
Translate your research or clinical insight into popular-press books with these tips.

GOVERNMENT RELATIONS UPDATE
Psychologists share innovative efforts to address the mental health needs of service members, veterans and their families.
ON YOUR BEHALF
A wrap-up of APA's latest advocacy
RANDOM SAMPLE
CANDIDATES FOR APA PRESIDENT
COLUMNS
From the CEO
Yes, the 'Dr.' is inIn the Public Interest
When health disparities strike homeJudicial Notebook
Does proximity to schools tempt former sex offenders?President's Column
PRESIDENT'S COLUMN--Communicating psychology: instant and enduring messagesScience Directions
The NIH investment strategy
