At the recent Science Café, APA's Science Directorate distributed two new booklets it has produced about psychological research involving functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of the brain.
One version is for adults and one is for adolescents. The booklets describe how fMRI-guided research explores such topics as how meditation can induce happiness, whether Alzheimer's disease can be spotted 10 to 15 years before it strikes, and how dyslexia might be treated. Other fMRI research topics covered in the booklets include helping people with autism develop better social skills, understanding the brain's reaction to addiction, and learning more about conscious and unconscious racism.
The Science Directorate plans to distribute the booklets to the Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools and anyone else who asks for them. The booklets are also available electronically.
--L. Meyers