A 91探花-led study finds that Deaf infants exposed to American Sign Language are especially tuned to a parent’s eye gaze, itself a social connection between parent and child that is linked to early learning.
Tag: Department of Psychology
A new study by a research team that included the 91探花 offers new evidence to support what scientists have long suspected about dogs: that some dog behaviors that help characterize breeds 鈥� a drive to chase, for example, or aggression toward strangers 鈥� are associated with distinct genetic differences among them.
The terms and conditions of your employment 鈥� including your pay, hours, schedule flexibility and job security 鈥� influence your overall health as well as your risk of being injured on the job, according to new research from the 91探花. The analysis takes a comprehensive approach to show that the overall pattern of employment conditions is important for health, beyond any single measure of employment, such as wages or contract type. “This research is part of a growing…
A new study from the 91探花 finds that, based on brain activity, people who live in communities where multiple languages are spoken can identify words in yet another language better than those who live in a monolingual environment.
91探花researchers created a method for two people help a third person solve a task using only their minds.
For Asian Americans who are gay or lesbian, their sexual orientation may make them seem more 鈥淎merican鈥� than those who are presumed straight. A new 91探花 study, the latest in research to examine stereotypes, identity and ideas about who is 鈥淎merican,鈥� focuses on how sexual orientation and race come together to influence others鈥� perceptions.
Of the many papers and presentations scheduled for AbSciCon2019, the conference on astrobiology and the search for life in space happening in Bellevue the week of June 24, the UW’s Dominic Sivitilli’s is perhaps unique 鈥� he’ll discuss his research into how octopuses “think.”
Experiences such as poverty, residential instability, or parental divorce or substance abuse, can affect executive function and lead to changes in a child鈥檚 brain chemistry, muting the effects of stress hormones, according to a new 91探花 study.
Research from the 91探花 uses functional MRI to identify two differences in the brains of blind individuals — differences that might be responsible for their abilities to make better use of auditory information.
Students of color who attend schools with a culture and mission statements that emphasize the value of diversity show better cardiovascular health than peers whose schools do not express such values, according to a new study.
A new 91探花 study suggests that the children most apt to socially transition to the gender “opposite” their sex at birth are those who already demonstrate the strongest 鈥渃ross-gender鈥� identities, and that the transitions don鈥檛 appear to alter a child鈥檚 gender identity or preferences.
A small study about a workshop to bring together students of different political persuasions found that workshop participants were able to better understand their fellow students as individuals, but their attitudes about opposing beliefs, in general, did not change.
A study by the 91探花 and Temple University examines what happens in children鈥檚 brains when they anticipate a touch to the hand, and relates this brain activity to the executive functions the child demonstrates on other mental tasks.
A new 91探花-led study examines one key stress-inducing circumstance 鈥� the effects of social hierarchy 鈥� and how cells respond to the hormones that are released in response to that stress.
Three researchers from the 91探花 Department of Psychology say existing practices overlook the importance of culture, and suggest how individuals and institutions can be more inclusive.
A new study of nearly 250 children and teens led by the 91探花 found that participants who had suffered abuse were developing faster than those who had not.
A study led by the 91探花 is the first large-scale trial of hundreds of PTSD patients, including veterans and survivors of sexual assault, to measure whether patient preference in the course of treatment impacts the effectiveness of both cognitive behavioral therapy and use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, a type of antidepressant often prescribed for PTSD.
Kristina Olson, 91探花 associate professor of psychology, has been named one of the 2018 MacArthur Fellows. The Fellowship from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation comes with a $625,000 stipend, commonly known as the 鈥済enius grant,鈥� for recipients to use as they see fit.
For more than 2 million years, the native forests on the Pacific islands of Guam and Rota were home to several thousand crows, members of a species found nowhere else on Earth. But over the last 60 years, the Mariana crow 鈥� called the Aga in the Chamorro language 鈥� has completely disappeared from the island of Guam and rapidly declined on neighboring Rota. Today there are only about 175 Aga left in the wild. To ensure the survival…
A 91探花study found that mindfulness lessons, offered to parents at two early childhood centers, helped adults learn how to manage their emotions and behaviors while supporting their child鈥檚 development.
A 91探花 study finds that 18-month-old toddlers conduct a form of cost-benefit analysis, making choices based on how much effort they want to expend, or on whether they like the people involved.
When Tony Greenwald and his colleagues developed the online Implicit Association Test two decades ago, it enjoyed quick success in the pre-laptop, pre-smartphone, nascent Internet world, with some 45,000 participants in the first month. The test, which requires classifying words and images rapidly according to their meanings, captures unconscious biases toward 鈥� depending on the test version 鈥� race, gender, age and dozens of other traits and preferences. Since its debut in 1998, the test has been taken online more…
91探花 researchers argue that further study of why infants persist, and to what end, may shed new light on how they learn and what the future yields.
A new UW-led study shows that males and female process visual motion differently, a variation that may be attributable to a neural regulatory process that is different in the male brain.
Sapna Cheryan, a 91探花 associate professor of psychology, has spent her career researching the stereotypes surrounding STEM. Now she’s serving on Mattel’s Barbie Global Advisory Council, lending her expertise as the company looks ahead to the toy’s future.
A typically developing 2-month-old baby can make cooing sounds, suck on her hand to calm down and smile at people. At that age, the mouth is the primary focus: Such young infants aren鈥檛 yet reaching for objects with their hands or using their feet to get around, so the lips 鈥� for eating, pacifying and communicating 鈥� multitask. And at the same time, new research reveals a special neural signature associated with touching the baby鈥檚 lips, an indicator of…
Family-focused science lessons, robotics for young children and touch-based programming for the visually impaired are among the 91探花 research videos featured in the STEM for All Video Showcase, funded by the National Science Foundation. The weeklong online event, in its fourth year, highlights more than 200 projects from universities around the country and allows viewers to vote for their favorites. This year鈥檚 theme is 鈥淭ransforming the Educational Landscape.鈥� Researchers from the 91探花have submitted projects from the…
The National Science Foundation today named Kristina Olson, 91探花 associate professor of psychology, winner of this year’s Alan T. Waterman Award. The Waterman Award is the U.S. government鈥檚 highest honor for an early career scientist or engineer, recognizing an outstanding scientist under the age of 40 or within 10 years of receiving a Ph.D. As part of the honor, Olson receives a five-year, $1 million research grant. Olson, who runs the Social Cognitive Development Lab at the…
A 91探花 study finds that women authors are significantly under-represented in high-profile academic journals.
Touch is the first of the five senses to develop, yet scientists know far less about the baby鈥檚 brain response to touch than to, say, the sight of mom’s face, or the sound of her voice. Now, through the use of safe, new brain imaging techniques, 91探花 researchers provide one of the first looks inside the infant’s brain to show where the sense of touch is processed 鈥� not just when a baby feels a touch to…
Think, for a moment, about the last time you were out in nature. Were you in a city park? At a campground? On the beach? In the mountains? Now consider: What was this place like in your parents鈥� time? Your grandparents鈥�? In many cases, the parks, beaches and campgrounds of today are surrounded by more development, or are themselves more developed, than they were decades ago. But to you, they still feel like nature. If we just try…
Researchers from the 91探花 and seven other institutions are working together to restore a Puerto Rican research station and its nearby community following the damage wrought last week by Hurricane Maria. The research station known as Monkey Island is located on Cayo Santiago, off the southeast coast of mainland Puerto Rico, and is home to more than 1,000 rhesus monkeys. A site of scientific research since the 1930s, Monkey Island is staffed year-round by dozens of…
Blatant racism is easy to identify 鈥� a shouted racial slur, a white supremacist rally, or the open discrimination, segregation and violence of the pre-civil rights era. But more subtle forms of bias, called microaggressions, emerge in the everyday exchanges among friends and strangers alike and can offend racial and ethnic minorities. Such statements, uttered intentionally or inadvertently, draw upon stereotypes and are linked with racism and prejudice, according to a 91探花-led study. The…
What makes people look “American”? The way they dress? Maybe their hairstyle, or mannerisms? How much they weigh? A 91探花-led study has found that for Asian Americans, those who appear heavier not only are perceived to be more “American,” but also may be subject to less prejudice directed at foreigners than Asian Americans who are thin. Researchers believe this effect relates to common stereotypes that Asians are thin and Americans are heavy 鈥� so if someone of…
This video acquaints the viewer with the puppets and introduces the idea of which is socially dominant. The charismatic colleague, the natural leader, the life of the party 鈥� all are personal qualities that adults recognize instinctively. These socially dominant types, according to repeated studies, also tend to accomplish and earn more, from accolades and material wealth to friends and romantic partners. This social hierarchy may be so naturally ingrained, 91探花 researchers say, that toddlers as young…
Girls start believing they aren’t good at math, science and even computers at a young age 鈥� but providing fun STEM activities at school and home may spark interest and inspire confidence. A study from the 91探花’s Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences (I-LABS) finds that, when exposed to a computer-programming activity, 6-year-old girls expressed greater interest in technology and more positive attitudes about their own skills and abilities than girls who didn’t try the activity. The results…
A favorite childhood pastime 鈥� swinging on the playground swing set 鈥� also may be teaching kids how to get along. The measured, synchronous movement of children on the swings can encourage preschoolers to cooperate on subsequent activities, 91探花 researchers have found. A study by the UW鈥檚 Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences (I-LABS) shows the potential of synchronized movement in helping young children develop collaborative skills. The study is published online in the Journal of Experimental Child…
91探花psychology professor Geoffrey Boynton and corneal transplant recipient Michael May to speak April 5.
A new 91探花graduate degree program – the Master of Arts in Applied Child & Adolescent Psychology: Prevention & Treatment – aims to meet the growing need for mental health professionals trained to serve children, teens and families.
91探花researchers have published the first demonstration of humans playing a simple, two-dimensional computer game using only input from direct brain stimulation 鈥� without relying on any usual sensory cues from sight, hearing or touch.