Here's one more reason to avoid being a couch potato - a new study published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience has found that walking at a moderate pace for 40 minutes three times a week can improve connectivity in the brain, increase performance on cognitive tasks and battle the decline in brain function caused by aging.

A new study suggests walking can improve brain connectivity.

In the study, 65 previously sedentary adult participants between the ages of 59 and 80 joined either a walking group or a stretching group for a period of one year. Researchers looked at regions of the brain that function as a network rather than focusing on activity in specific brain structures. Why? "Almost nothing in the brain gets done by one area -- it's more of a circuit," explained researcher Art Kramer, University of Illinois psychology professor and Beckman Institute Director. "These networks can become more or less connected. In general, as we get older, they become less connected, so we were interested in the effects of fitness on connectivity of brain networks that show the most dysfunction with age."

One network of key interest in this study is known as the default mode network (DMN). Earlier research had shown that declines in the DMN were associated with aging and could even be an indicator of diseases such as Alzheimers. Using functional magnetic imaging (fMRI), researchers found DMN connectivity had increased significantly for participants in the walking group, but not so for those in the stretching group. People in the walking group also performed significantly better on cognitive

Clinical psychology is concerned with the assessment, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of psychological disorders. Most clinical psychologists have a doctorate degree in clinical psychology, although opportunities also exist for those with a masters degree.

Learn more about careers in clinical psychology.

Before you decide on a career in clinical psychology, you need to consider your future goals. Do you want to work with children, adolescents, or adults? Are you interested in having your own therapy practice? Such factors can play an important role in your choice of a clinical graduate program or area of specialization.

Another important consideration is which type of degree is best suited to your needs. The traditional Ph.D. degree emphasizes the role of research in addition to preparing graduates for careers as clinical practitioners. Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) degrees are focused on the professional aspects of clinical psychology.

Learn more about training, typical salaries, and benefits in this profile of careers in clinical psychology.

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• What Is Clinical Psychology?

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  Aug 25, 2010 How to Conduct a Psychology Experiment Conducting your first psychology experiment can be a daunting task. Learn more about ten of the steps you should follow in order to successfully complete a psychology experiment. More About Psychology Research & Experiments Intro to Psychology Research Methods The Steps in the Research Process Ideas for Psychology Experiments Join About Psychology on Facebook or Follow Me On Twitter Image courtesy Image courtesy Bart Coenders/iStockPhoto How to Conduct a Psychology Experiment originally appeared on About.com Psychology on Wednesday, August 25th, 2010 at 08:10:12. Aug 25, 2010 How to Conduct a Psychology Experiment Conducting your first psychology experiment can be a daunting task. Learn more about ten of the steps you should follow in order to successfully complete a psychology experiment. More About Psychology Research & Experiments Intro to Psychology Research Methods The Steps in the Research Process Ideas for Psychology Experiments Image courtesy Image courtesy Bart Coenders/iStockPhoto How to Conduct a Psychology Experiment originally appeared on About.com Psychology on Wednesday, August 25th, 2010 at 08:10:12. Permalink | Comment | Aug 24, 2010 Classes You Should Take In High School If You Want to Major in Psychology Are you a high school student? Are you planning to study psychology when you get to college? If so, then you should be choosing classes now that will help you succeed in your college-level psychology courses. Discover which classes you should take in high school if you want to be a psychology major. Image by Webphotographeer - iStockPhoto If your high school offers any type of psychology course you should absolutely sign up for it. However, many schools do not offer any type of psychology course at the high school level, but there are still plenty of classes you can take to help get ready for college. Start by building a strong background in science and math. Writing, speech and other communications courses can also be very helpful. Click the followin link to learn more about some of the classes you should take in high school in order to prepare for college. Related Reading: How to Become a Psychologist 10 Psychology Classes You Should Take Aug 23, 2010 Tips to Improve Your Nonverbal Communication Skills Does crossing your arms indicate that you're feeling defensive? Do shifty eyes mean that someone is telling a lie? The things we communicate without words can carry as much meaning as any verbal expression, but it is important to have the skills to both understand and express such signals. Learn how your can improve your nonverbal communication skills. Image courtesy sanja gjenero There has been a significant amount of research on nonverbal communication and behavior, which has revealed a myriad of ways to communicate meaning without words. From the way we dress to the way we move, our nonverbal signals can reveal a great deal about our emotions, perceptions and intentions, although many of these behaviors are so subtle that we rarely notice them consciously. The ability to communicate and understand nonverbal signals are essential social skills, which is some many child development programs incorporate elements of nonverbal communication training. Such skills training is focus on helping children identify and interpret signals from other people, as well as express their own feelings without utilizing worlds. Children may learn how to identify facial expressions, tone of voice and posture and then practice using these signals to convey their feelings to others. Some simple ways to improve your nonverbal communication skills include: Carefully observing other people Using your tone of voice to convey meaning Making eye contact when speaking Practicing your nonverbal signals Learning how to better interpret and commu