Psychology

The child who is routinely yelled at, demeaned, ridiculed, ignored or terrorized by a parent may bear no outward signs of abuse. But abused he is, and the negative consequences for the child's mental health as well as his future relationships and sense of self-worth are generally significant, says a new clinical report from the nation's pediatricians. Psychological maltreatment of children by their parents or caregivers is "harder to identify" and "possibly the most underreported" to authorities, especially when it happens without physical or sexual abuse, write the authors of the report , published Monday in the journal Pediatrics.

Psychologist Timothy D. Wilson, a professor at the University of Virginia, expressed resentment in his Times Op-Ed article on Thursday over the fact that most scientists don't consider his field a real science. He casts scientists as condescending bullies: "Once, during a meeting at my university, a biologist mentioned that he was the only faculty member present from a science department. When I corrected him, noting that I was from the Department of Psychology, he waved his hand dismissively, as if I were a Little Leaguer telling a member of the New York Yankees that I too played baseball.

Once, during a meeting at my university, a biologist mentioned that he was the only faculty member present from a science department. When I corrected him, noting that I was from the Department of Psychology, he waved his hand dismissively, as if I were a Little Leaguer telling a member of the New York Yankees that I too played baseball. There has long been snobbery in the sciences, with the "hard" ones (physics, chemistry, biology) considering themselves to be more legitimate than the "soft" ones ( psychology, sociology)

There are as many ways to reanimate Shakespeare onstage as there are methods of interpreting him on the page. Adrian Noble, artistic director of the Old Globe's Shakespeare Festival and the former artistic director and chief executive of the Royal Shakespeare Company, seems to favor directorial strategies of a holistic nature. Which is to say that there are no distracting concepts imposed on his production of "As You Like It" or Lindsay Posner's staging of "Richard III," the two Shakespeare offerings in the Old Globe's annual outdoor festival.

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. - Army Sgt. John M. Russell declined to enter a plea at his arraignment Friday on charges of killing five fellow service members at a combat stress clinic in Iraq, as defense lawyers pushed for new psychological evaluations that could help forestall the death penalty. At a hearing in a small courtroom at the base where Russell is being held, defense attorneys argued that Russell should be transferred temporarily to Pennsylvania to allow a full evaluation by Dr. Robert Sadoff, one of the nation's premier experts in forensic psychiatry.

Mitt Romney on the stump, singles at the bar, car salesmen on the lot: All sorts of people are practicing the art of persuasion, with varying degrees of success. We like to think that we make our own decisions, that we're in control. But we're all open to persuasion by others, says Robert Cialdini, professor emeritus of psychology at Arizona State University and author of "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. " Humans have been testing their own trial-and-error persuasion techniques forever, Cialdini says.

Looking ahead Oklahoma City at Clippers Monday at 7:30 p.m. PDT. TV: Prime, NBA TV The Clippers have been dismissed in some precincts as a cute little story that will come to an abrupt end in the playoffs. Try telling that to Oklahoma City, which has lost two of three meetings this season between franchises enjoying a swift ascent in the Western Conference. Chris Paul has been particularly bothersome to the Thunder, collecting 26 points and 14 assists on Jan. 30 during a 112-100 Clippers victory and scoring nine of the Clippers' final 11 points Wednesday during a 100-98 triumph in Oklahoma City.

During Nirbhay Singh's eight years as lead consultant for California's psychiatric hospitals, state officials hired his relatives, then urged the facilities to use a little-known therapy and psychological questionnaire they had devised, state records and interviews show. To fill out Singh's consulting team, the Department of Mental Health in 2006 hired his wife, Judy Singh, whose background is in reading comprehension and adult literacy. Over 41/2 years, she earned more than $340,000, primarily training staff members in a therapy she helped develop, state records show.

Nets guard Deron Williams figures to be the blue chip free agent this summer. "People get traded all the time," he told Yahoo. "[Teams] don't get backlash as an organization. If [players] leave, we are not loyal, we are ungrateful.... On Twitter … they are out there bashing me, saying to me I'm a traitor. I didn't ask to be here. I got traded. " Wizards guard Jordan Crawford scored 28 points in a recent loss to Indiana, but on a fastbreak, he uncorked a bad lob pass that was grabbed by Pacers guard Paul George . The official scorer put it down as a blocked shot.

The interview begins on a cheerful note. USC law professor Thomas Lyon asks a 4-year-old to tell him about her last birthday. She says she took ice cream, chocolate and cake, "mixed it up and ate it. " Then she shared some with her brothers. Lyon gently turns to the tragic matter at hand. "Tell me why you came to talk to me; tell me what happened," he asks the child, the only eyewitness to a homicide. At first she mumbles "hmm" a few times and rocks in her chair as Lyon repeats the question.