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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.

data sharing

Data sharing can offer help in science's reproducibility crisis

5/17/17

The decrease in the number of studies reproduced by other scientists has been termed "the reproducibility crisis." Reproducibility is a key step of the scientific method. A team of researchers suggest that the increasing complexity of managing data may be one reason that reproducibility has fallen off. They suggest better technology and more encouragement may increase the number of scientists who engage in reproducing studies and improving the overall credibility of science.

banner illustration scherf

Men and women show equal ability at recognizing faces

5/9/17

Conventional wisdom suggests that women are better than men at facial recognition and categorizing facial expressions. Penn State psychologists found no evidence for that, despite using both behavioral and neuroimaging tests.

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