Author Archives: Keith Bredemeier

About Keith Bredemeier

Keith Bredemeier received a B.A. in psychology from the University of Delaware in 2004. He is a doctoral candidate in clinical/community psychology at the University of Illinois, where he works with Howard Berenbaum. His main research interest lies in understanding attention and executive functioning deficits associated with anxiety and depression.

Did the disappearance of pirates cause global warming? Probably not…

Posted on May 1, 2011 by Keith Bredemeier

A 2007 study showed that people who are depressed eat more chocolate.  Does this mean that eating chocolate causes depression?  Of course not.  One of the first lessons young scientists learn is that correlation does not equal causation.  Why not?  … Continue reading →

Posted in Clinical Psychology, Personality Psychology, Quantitative Psychology | 1 Comment

Antidepressants… is the name misleading?

Posted on March 13, 2011 by Keith Bredemeier

Some of you have probably read that taking an aspirin every day can decrease your chances of having a heart attack.  But will doing this really improve your quality of life?  Or prolong your life?  If so, how much?  These … Continue reading →

Posted in Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology | 2 Comments

Out of my mind: the tendency to ruminate about the past may have upside

Posted on February 19, 2011 by Keith Bredemeier

Think about a time when you did something that you really regretted… Now try to stop.  When we think about something that happened to us in the past, the emotions that were originally elicited by that event come rushing back.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Clinical Psychology, Cognitive Psychology | 4 Comments

Mental health assessments can directly benefit clients

Posted on February 6, 2011 by Keith Bredemeier

Relative to other mental health service providers (e.g., psychiatrists, social workers), clinical psychologists receive extensive training in conducting mental health assessments, placing them in a unique position to offer these services to clients.  As a result, assessment has been a … Continue reading →

Posted in Clinical Psychology | 3 Comments

When nature and nurture collide: Genes impact what we learn from emotional events

Posted on January 27, 2011 by Keith Bredemeier

Do people differ from one another because of their innate, inborn qualities, or because of their personal experiences?  This question, often referred to as “nature vs. nurture”, has been debated for centuries.  Today, most psychologists would argue that both play … Continue reading →

Posted in Clinical Psychology | 2 Comments