Dr. Kiran Soma’s pioneering research is vital to understanding the behavioural effects of steroids
Using a multidisciplinary approach, Dr. Kiran Soma and his research team at the Soma Laboratory are exploring the important roles of steroid hormones, such as testosterone and estradiol, in regulating brain, behaviour, and immune function.
October Lab of the Month: Dr. Kristin Laurin studies the interplay between motivation and religion
How does your political and societal understanding of the world shape your goals and motivations? At the MAGIC Lab, Dr. Kristin Laurin explores the complex relationship between motivations and beliefs, connecting the dots between goal pursuits to areas like religious belief systems, political ideologies, moral codes and more. Laurin, assistant professor and director of MAGIC […]
August Lab of the Month: Dr. Rensink’s lab explores the science behind visualization
If you’ve ever seen a magic show, you’ve probably seen the age-old trick: an object disappears from the palm of the magician’s hand. Of course, the object doesn’t actually disappear into thin air — the magician uses visual cues to trick you into thinking so. The science behind magic is just one of many phenomena […]
July Lab of the Month: Dr. Amori Mikami’s lab offers a new perspective on kids’ peer relationships
It takes a village: a community approach to building friendships in kids Think back to when you were a kid. It wasn’t easy navigating the choppy waters of school, friends, birthday party invitations, and social dynamics. Now imagine adding a neurodevelopmental condition, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), to the mix. For children with ADHD, symptoms […]
May Lab of the Month: Exploring the mysteries of the mind with the Psychophysics and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab
To better understand how the brain processes information, Dr. Lawrence Ward and the members of the Psychophysics and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab are using advanced methods of electroencephalography (EEG) to measure people’s brainwaves. The research conducted in the lab addresses broad questions across the areas of consciousness, memory, reading, and mind wandering. Imaging the brain Typically, […]
March Lab of the Month: UBC’s Social Identity Lab is breaking down gender stereotypes
How you look, what gender you are, there is a belief that a person conforms to a perceived stereotype about themselves. To better understand and address stereotypes and inequality, Dr. Toni Schmader and the Social Identity Lab are exploring how people are affected by social identities–and the stereotypes attached to them. The Lab’s study The […]
February Lab of the Month: Facing social anxiety with UBC's Interpersonal Lab
Feeling socially anxious isn’t uncommon–despite the notion that people are social animals. It’s a natural feeling and one based out of fear. Fear of rejection, fear of scrutiny, and fear of negative evaluation are just a few of the body’s responses that occur in social situations. In some cases, this anxiety is so severe it […]
January Lab of the Month: A new model of suicide with the Personality, Emotion, and Behaviour Lab
Dr. David Klonsky on the psychology of suicidal behaviour, insights into suicide, and how we can show support and help prevent suicide.
December Lab of the Month: Centre for Gambling Research at UBC
Understanding the psychology of gambling and improving evidence-based gambling policy are key drivers behind the research at the Centre for Gambling Research at UBC. The Centre explores the cognitive, behavioural, clinical and neuroscience aspects of gambling, Since it was established in 2014, the Centre – one of only a handful of gambling research hubs globally – […]
November Lab of the Month: the Centre for Cognitive Development
Why do children learn some things before others? What makes learning easy—and what makes it difficult? And how can we improve children’s ability to universally learn higher cognitive concepts, such as mathematics and science? Dr. Darko Odic, psychology professor and director of the Centre for Cognitive Development, hopes to answer these questions. From investigating how […]