Tags: psychology

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Tackling youth vaping with neuroscience

Jiaying Liu and Lawrence Sweet are working to produce scientific data to inform the public about vaping products and to guide efforts toward enacting bans on flavored products: Liu, assistant professor of communication studies, and Sweet, professor of psychology and director of the Clinical Neuroscience Laboratory, have teamed up to investigate vaping among young adults. Liu secured internal grant funding through the Office…

black and white engraving of puritan discussion and service
Noted and Quoted, October 2019

Franklin faculty contributed popular press articles about issues of the day and had their research reported around the world. A sample from over the past month: The grimy history of the Attorney General’s Office, associate professor of history Stephen Mihm in his regular column at Bloomberg Here’s your answer when someone asks “How can it be so cold if there’s global warming?”  Georgia Athletic Association…

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Georgia vs. Notre Dame - Franklin College stars of the game

Even as the Georgia Bulldogs gear up for one of the biggest games of the season against Notre Dame, our players find the time to balance athletics with their classes. In the world of college athletics, success has two meanings: athletes are expected to excel in their chosen sport, and required to achieve in the classroom. Student-athletes must learn time management skills to balance early-morning weight lifting sessions, late…

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A journey of helping people: from A.B. to the bar to bench for Georgia's newest Judge

Candice Branche (A.B. psychology, ’90, M.A. counseling, ’92) was sworn in August 2 as Assistant Probate Court Judge and full-time Magistrate Court Judge of Newton County, Georgia. The former Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney of Newton County embarked on this new phase of her legal career after a fulfilling and impactful earlier career as a therapist and mental health professional.  Branche arrived at UGA with an open and curious mind…

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Partitioning vegetables can increase consumption

Not eating your fruits and vegetables can have serious health consequences, from obesity to macular degeneration. And many Americans, even those who have easy access to these healthy foods, stubbornly resist eating them. Now, researchers at the University of Georgia have examined the psychology of how vegetables are presented and served, and how this affects consumption. Previous research shows that people consume less of a particular food if it…

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Noted and Quoted, August 2019

Franklin faculty continue to lead by sharing their expertise on many international issues of the day. A recent sampling: Greenland’s in the middle of a record melting event - Distinguished Research Professor and Franklin College associate dean Thomas Mote quoted in a widely circulated article, Science Alert Academics, sports or both? A personal reflection from an atmospheric scientist - Georgia Athletic Association…

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Amazing student: Lindsey Leonard

Franklin double-major (psychology/biology) Lindsey Leonard’s passion is helping others to be both physically and mentally healthy. Her work with UGA Miracle has given her the chance to see how dedicated health care professionals can have a positive impact on the lives of others: I have realized over the last three years how amazing the faculty is at UGA and how dedicated they are to our professional betterment both in undergraduate and…

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June research news and expertise notes

Even during the quiet days of June, Franklin College faculty expertise never sleeps! Here are a few of the many articles written by or featuring the work of faculty members from across the college over the past month:   Meteorologists fear 5G network could take forecasting back to the 1980s, Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Sciences and Geography Marshall Shepherd speaking on CBS This…

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Using technology to predict schizophrenia

Schizophrenia, a psychiatric disorder that affects about 1% of the population, is a leading cause of functional disability in the United States. Typically diagnosis has hinged on the display of visible “positive symptoms” such as hallucinations and delusions, but one key to earlier identification and treatment is a recognition of negative symptoms, and University of Georgia neuroscientists are developing novel technology-based tools to catch…

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A leading voice for diversity: Kecia Thomas

Franklin College senior associate dean Kecia Thomas leads diversity efforts and initiatives throughout the university, supports faculty and graduate students success and helps recruit many of the most talented professors in the nation to UGA: To add to Thomas’s long list of responsibilities, diversity within the university is her primary area of study. Thomas often works with organizations within UGA and other institutions in which she conducts…

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Amazing student Sam Huffman

Senior biology major Sam Huffman is passionate about serving others as well as Spanish language and culture, and he plans to combine those as a bilingual physician who can make an impact for all patients seeking to gain informed access to health care: During my time at UGA, I have also been able to travel abroad through the UGA en España Program. The summer after my sophomore year, I studied abroad in Cádiz, Spain, for seven weeks. While…

photo of Amazon protest sign
Noted and Quoted, February 2019

An extraordinary diversity of subject matter expertise shared in the media during February by Franklin faculty, on hot topics of the day and perennial issues from human affairs to climatic challenges. Here's a sample of the great work by public-spirited scholars, outside the classroom: Freda Scott Giles,associate professor emerita of theatre and film studies and African-American studies, presents lecture…

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Kudos, February 2019

Fantastic news from grants and awards to scholarships and fellowships highlight faculty and student accomplishments during February. A sample: Georgia Coastal Ecosystems, a research program based at the University of Georgia Marine Institute, was renewed for another six years by the National Science Foundation with $6.7 million in funding. According to Marine Institute director and professor of marine sciences…

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Ehrlich recognized for early career work

UGA faculty member Katie Ehrlich is a recipient of the 2019 Association for Psychological Science Janet Taylor Spence Award for Transformative Early Career Contributions. The award, named for the first elected APS president, celebrates the many new and leading-edge ideas coming out of the most creative and promising investigators who embody the future of psychological science. Ehrlich, assistant professor in the UGA Franklin College of…

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Health Psychology Professorship honors past faculty member

The Franklin College of Arts and Sciences department of psychology will add a new professorship this year in memory of a former Professor Emerita who studied health psychology in older adults and was among the first to document the interconnected challenges confronted by the elderly and their caregivers.   The Gail M. Williamson Distinguished Professorship in Health Psychology will bring a senior researcher to the department who will…

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Amazing student: Summer Roberson

Franklin College double major (biology/psychology) Summer Roberson has built upon her experiences on campus and abroad to develop her passion for serving others: The summer following freshman year, I studied abroad in various locations in Australia and New Zealand. My cohort included students of all ages and majors. Lectures while hiking through Carnarvon Gorge and presentations that require you to snorkel through the Great Barrier Reef are…

aerial photo of black smoke rising from the ocean water
Noted and Quoted, November 2018

Too much screen time, the Deepwater Horizon spill, and Thanksgiving were a few of the leading headlines over the last month that quoted and reported Franklin College faculty experts: The great family exodus – associate professor of history Stephen Mihm quoted in a news story on families fleeing the city at – Axios, and reported as‘Increasingly in big cities, youth isn’t being served’ in Crain’s Cleveland Business  …

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Double Dawgs program opening broad opportunities for students

The year-old dual degree program that pairs bachelor's and master's degree programs helps students incorporate an expansive vision for career success: For Ammishaddai Grand-Jean, the Double Dawgs program provides an opportunity to deepen his understanding of economic policy so that after graduation he can make a positive impact on communities. Ellen Everitt sees the linked bachelor’s/master’s degree…

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Kudos, October 2018

New grants and awards, number one in debate and the unveiling of a portrait of Mary Frances Early headline our kudos for the month of October. Congratulations to faculty, students and alumni on their recent accolades and accomplishments: The U.S. Department of Education awarded $1.7 million in support of the University of Georgia Latin American and Caribbean Studies Institute(LACSI) to expand research, teaching and public service…

capuchin monkey is striking a nut with a stone hammer.
Up on two feet

Millions of years ago, before humans became fully bipedal, ancestral hominins used stones to break bones and nuts, probably while standing upright. A new study from the Primate Cognition and Behavior Lab in the department of psychology published today by the Royal Society journal Proceedings B documents how contemporary bearded capuchin monkeys likewise use stones to break nuts: [B]ecause the fossil record is…

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Ehrlich receives NIH New Innovator Award

The National Institutes of Health Common Fund supports unusually innovative research from early career investigators with the High-Risk, High-Reward Research program. Assistant professor of psychology Katherine Ehrlich received a New Innovator award in the program to determine whether stressful life experiences have more immediate effects on children’s health: The $2.3 million Director’s New Innovator Award from the NIH Common…

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Monday motivation: psychology podcast

A new podcast series created by 17 senior psychology majors in the Psych 5100 class under the supervision of associate professor Michelle vanDellen and her Motivation and Behavior Laboratory, GoalDiggerz investigates the psychology of goals and self-regulation. Follow us on this journey as we blast expectations, sift through ideas, and uncover nuggets of knowledge. In their first episode, Astronauts to…

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Psychology, climate, public health, humanities

We're seeing, and UGA students are experiencing, great examples of the breadth of expertise in the liberal arts learning environment that is a major research university. With the unfortunately impending hurricane Florence, Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor Marshall Shepherd is responding to media requests around the clock, from around the world. And in his own regular Forbes column, he expanded the discussion of storm-related…

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Amazing student Emily Johnson

Biology and psychology double-major Emily Johnson's path to her dental career includes cheering on the Dawgs: From my very first week in Creswell 722, I knew that the four years I spent at this University would be special. Since I enjoy staying busy, I decided to get involved in a number of organizations across campus. The past three years, I have represented UGA by cheering at football, basketball, gymnastics and volleyball sporting events. I…

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Kudos, August 2018

The summer break was glorious but Franklin College faculty, students and alumni never take time off from awards, honors, new books and fellowships. A sample from recent weeks: Professor of psychology and director of the Primate Behavior Laboratory Dorothy Fragaszy was presented with the Distinguished Primatologist Award by the American Society of Primatologists.  The award honors a primatologist who has had an…
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