New study: Ga-ga, goo-goo, why a baby likes you
According to new UBC Psychology research, by the age of one, infants already prefer speakers of their native tongue, but do not necessarily view speakers of an unfamiliar language negatively. The findings suggest that, while positivity toward familiar groups may be innate, dislike for unfamiliar groups appears to be a learned behaviour. “Persistent discrimination and conflict […]
Faculty Q&A: Nancy Sin explores links between everyday life and healthy aging
The Department of Psychology welcomes a new faculty member, Dr. Nancy Sin, as Assistant Professor in the health area. She joins us at UBC after having completed postdoctoral research fellowships at the University of California, San Francisco, and Pennsylvania State University. Nancy’s research focuses on the links between everyday life and chronic diseases and mortality. Her overarching […]
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 […]
Prof. Liisa Galea: Want more funding for research? Support the report
Written by Dr. Liisa Galea: On April 10, 2017, the Fundamental Science Review, written by nine experts in science and technology, was released to the public. The Honourable Kristy Duncan commissioned the review of federal support for science, the first of its kind over the last 40 years. The mandate included a review of […]
Lesley Duncan is combining data and psychology to inform strategies
Three-time UBC Psychology graduate Lesley Duncan’s pursuit of knowledge and passion for psychology is making room for social science research at the boardroom table. Putting her psychology background to good use, Duncan is now the Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder of Distill Analytics. Distill Analytics commercializes social science research by generating assessments of the psychological drivers […]
Portrait of a PhD student: Siba Ghrear and social perspective taking
How do children make sense of others’ thoughts and beliefs? How does this change as they grow up? UBC Psychology PhD student Siba Ghrear seeks to answer these questions in a study on social perspective taking. Siba has also co-authored a study with UBC Psychology professor Susan Birch about children learning with interactive media. Receiving several […]
Class of 2017 Snapshot: Giping (Ping) Tomczyk, BA ‘17 Psychology (Hons)
Meet Giping (Ping) Tomczyk, BA ‘17 Psychology (Hons). For Ping, psychology offered him a new set of tools to examine and explore the world around him. Ping was chosen to represent his psychology peers as Graduating Student Speaker at the convocation ceremony on May 26; an achievement he is proud of. As the speaker, Ping will reflect on his experiences at UBC and […]
Class of 2017 Snapshot: Lal Koyuncu, BA ‘17 Psychology
Meet Lal Koyuncu, BA ‘17 Psychology (Dean’s List). Lal’s career trajectory took a sharp turn when she began working at a UBC daycare; she realized her passion was working with children. She nurtured this passion through research. She became a research coordinator in the UBC Infant Studies Centre and has presented her research at a number of research conferences. In advance of graduation, we asked Lal to reflect on her time […]
New research: Visual perception may depend on birthplace and environment
Perhaps we only see what we’ve learned to see. In a recent multi-national study in the journal Cognitive Science, a research team led by Kyoto University, including Ronald Rensink, professor in UBC’s departments of psychology and computer science, shows that an ability to perceive differences between similar images depends on the cultural background of the viewer. […]
Brain injury causes impulse control problems in rats: study
New UBC Psychology research confirms for the first time that even mild brain injury can result in impulse control problems in rats. The study, published in the Journal of Neurotrauma, also found that the impulsivity problems may be linked to levels of an inflammatory molecule in the brain, and suggest that targeting the molecule could be helpful […]