Dr. Paul Hewitt's new book "Perfectionism" is now available for pre-order
Grounded in decades of influential research, Dr. Paul Hewitt’s new book Perfectionism: A Relational Approach to Conceptualization, Assessment, and Treatment thoroughly examines perfectionism: how it develops, its underlying mechanisms and psychological costs, and how to target it effectively in psychotherapy. Dr. Hewitt and his co-authors describe how perfectionistic tendencies—rooted in early relational and developmental experiences—make people vulnerable […]
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 – […]
2017 Maclean’s rankings: UBC Psychology ranks first in Canada, again
UBC Psychology is ranked first among Canadian psychology departments for the second year in a row by Maclean’s magazine. Maclean’s ranked the best universities in 10 program areas—including psychology—and UBC Psychology ranks number one in Canada. Psychology is the most popular undergraduate major at UBC, with over 1800 students working toward their BA degree and over 150 studying for their […]
iPad apps teach kids just as well as humans: UBC Psychology study
Young children learn just as well from interactive media as from face-to-face instruction, a new Department of Psychology study has found. UBC Psychology researchers compared how well children learned new facts using an iPad app versus being taught in-person by an instructor. The results of the study, recently published in Frontiers in Psychology, found no statistical […]
New research: Trump’s political success was a triumph of style over substance
Style, not substance, accounts for Donald Trump’s U.S. Republican presidential nomination, according to a psychological analysis from the Department of Psychology. UBC Psychology researchers compared Trump’s speech style and Twitter usage to that of the other top nine Republican contenders. The real-estate mogul and reality star consistently ranked highest in ratings of grandiosity, “I”-statements, informal language, […]
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 […]
Understanding mind-wandering could shed light on mental illness: UBC research
If you think the mind grinds to a halt when you’re doing nothing, think again. In a review of mind-wandering research published in the November issue of Nature Reviews Neuroscience, Kalina Christoff, the review’s lead author and a professor in UBC’s department of psychology, proposes a new framework for understanding how thoughts flow—even at rest. The authors […]
Congratulations to our 2016 Robert E. Knox Master Teaching Award recipients
Each year, the Department of Psychology honours two outstanding individuals in the department who have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to the education of students. We are thrilled to announce the 2016 Knox Teaching Award is awarded to assistant professor Frances Chen (Faculty Award) and to our sessional instructor Janel Fergusson (Sessional Award). Please join us in congratulating […]
The psychology of giving: 5 ways giving makes your life better
UBC Psychology professor Dr. Elizabeth Dunn and PhD student Ashley Whillans recently met up with Chimp, a Vancouver-based charitable-giving website. Chimp’s platform, chimp.net, empowers corporations, communities and individuals to act on the human spirit of charity. Dunn and Whillans shared their research on the psychology of giving with the Chimp team at a staff lunch-and-learn. The event, along with some research […]
UBC psychology prof. Andrew Baron weighs in on implicit race bias and the US election
The term “implicit bias” was recently thrust into the U.S. presidential race, when Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton stated that “implicit bias is a problem for everyone, not just police” when asked about racial discrimination during the first debate. Andrew Scott Baron, associate professor and director of the UBC Social Cognitive Development Lab, researches implicit […]