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mic and crowd

Does putting the brakes on outrage bottle up social change?

10/23/18

People often look at outrage as a negative emotion that has unproductive results. But, researchers are suggesting that two fields of psychology — moral psychology and intergroup psychology — may be combined to re-frame how outrage can have beneficial outcomes. Moral outrage, for example, may lead to increased voter registration and other forms of collective action.

$6.3 million grant will fund video library of moms and babies at play

9/10/18

A team of researchers led by Penn State and New York University faculty will collaborate to build a digital library of videos of mothers going about their daily activities with their children. A $6.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health will fund the project, called Playing & Learning Across a Year (PLAY).

Ping Li

Psychologist to speak on how the brain learns languages, Sept. 11

8/30/18

How are cyber-enabled and computational methods helping researchers better understand how humans learn languages? Ping Li, Penn State professor of psychology, linguistics, and information sciences and technology, and associate director of the Institute for CyberScience, will share his perspective to kick off the ICS CyberScience Seminar series for 2018-19 on Sept. 11. The event is free and open to the public.

prenatal hormones

Hormones may affect girls’ interests, but not their gender identity or playmates

3/1/18

Prenatal exposure to androgens is not associated with girls spending more or less time with other girls, but was associated with an increased interest in activities that have traditionally been thought of as masculine, according to Penn State researchers, who say it supports the idea that gender development is complex and does not solely rely on either biological or social factors.

woman in wheelchair

Stigma increases risk of depression for people with Multiple Sclerosis

2/20/18

It's been known for some time that MS patients suffer high rates of depression compared to the general population. Now, researchers say that stigma may play a role in causing this depression. The research also indicates that forming strong social support can help alleviate some of the stigma and, hence, the depression.

Jonathan Cook and Michael Pasek

Researchers examine social identity threat and religion in the U.S.

11/14/17

When people feel targeted because of their religious identity, they can experience a psychological threat that may undermine psychological well-being and increase prejudice toward other groups, according to a new study by Penn State psychologists. This perception, which the researchers term "religious threat," leads people to feel socially isolated, be less comfortable sharing their religion with others and to be more likely to hold prejudiced attitudes towards others.

Managing chronic illness - Martire

Family members play important role in managing chronic illness

10/17/17

Family members may play an important role in children’s and adults’ illness management, and a family approach to managing chronic illness may produce more effective, longer-term benefits for the patient. Lynn Martire, professor of human development and family studies, highlights dyadic intervention approaches for improving chronic illness management in this month’s issue of the American Psychologist.

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