2020-12-09 - Flavanols are a group of compounds found in cocoa, the central ingredient of chocolate. They are well known to improve vascular function in the arms, hands, legs, and feet. In a recent article co-authored with Psychology professors Drs. Fabiani and Gratton, researchers answer the question of whether these circulatory benefits can be seen in the brain and in...

2020-10-19 - Dani Kang has been awarded a NIH National Research Service Award (NRSA) Fellowship for her work investigating alcohol's effects on threat sensitivity in a social context. She is sponsored by Professors Catharine Fairbairn and Kara Federmeier.  Her research uses event-related potentials (ERPs) to assess stress responses in a social context either after drinking a...

2023-01-26 - The Psychology Department Diversity and Inclusion Committee are pleased to announce our Anti-racism Grant Fund, designed to support members of the psychology department in seeking financial support for anti-racism events and initiatives. All psychology affiliated staff, undergraduate majors, graduate students, and faculty are eligible. Thank you to all of the donors of the...

2020-09-14 - In America, poor people are punished more frequently and more severely for offenses than are the wealthy. One potential explanation for this divide could be that people in society think that poor people have more guilt for their actions and thus deserve harsher punishments. New research by graduate student Drew Weiner and Psychology professor Dr. Sean Laurent aimed to assess this prediction.

2020-08-12 - Women's exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV), a type of domestic violence, can have profoundly negative consequences on their mental health. New research published by Dr. Heidemarie Laurent and graduate student Paty Cintora in the Journal of Traumatic Stress reveal that, in conjunction with current levels of IPV, past exposure to childhood trauma is associated with worse symptoms...

2020-07-22 - A paper published by Dan Newman and his former graduate student coauthors, "Gender and Leadership Emergence: A Meta-Analysis and Explanatory Model" has been selected for the 2020 “William A. Owens Scholarly Achievement Award: Honorable Mention” from the Society for I/O Psychology (SIOP). This honorable mention award is given to the second-best "publication in a refereed journal...

2020-06-15 - New research by UIUC Community Psychology professor Nathan Todd examines how awareness of Christian privileges and support for Christian dominance in the United States relates to opposition for rights for sexual and gender minorities (SGM). In the United States Christian dominance is the idea that Christian morals and values should be the norm in society and that positions of power should be...

2020-06-08 - Physical activity is associated with better cognitive performance including enhanced executive function and memory. Although physical activity has many beneficial effects on physical health, the link to cognitive performance may be related to body fat composition, according to a recent study led by Dr. Aaron Barbey from UIUC Psychology and Beckman research scientist Ryan Larson. Brain...

2020-05-04 - Every year, tens of thousands of people in the United States will die from drug and alcohol overdoses (source: CDC). Treating those at risk of serious harm is often a difficult process and success rates can be low. A new study led by University of Illinois Psychology professor Dolores Albarracin and graduate student Wenhao Dai examine which...

2019-12-28 - Student Emergency Grant funds of up to $1,000 may be available to students experiencing a COVID-19-related financial hardship due to unexpected expenses, loss of off-campus employment, out-of-pocket medical expenses, technology needs, living expenses or other basic needs. Amounts in excess of $1,000 may be considered in extraordinary situations. Follow the link...

2020-04-16 - Professors Monica Fabiani and Gabriele Gratton, along with Professor Frini Karayanidis from the University of Newcastle in Australia, have received a grant from the Australian Research Council to study the relationship between arterial health and cognition in older adults. Professors Fabiani and Gratton have designed and patented an optical imaging technology that can non-invasively...

2020-03-24 - The term “fake news” dominates social media feeds, and has entered our daily lexicon. Now, a team of researchers from six disciplines across the University of Illinois, and Stanford University plan to develop models and run empirical studies to understand how information, and misinformation is transmitted. The project, “A Multimodal Approach to Network Information Dynamics,” will receive 6....

2020-02-17 - Psychology Professor Aaron Benjamin and graduate student Jessica Siler show that taking practice exams can enhance a persons ability to reason about similar but unseen new material.

2020-01-23 - Professor Chadly Stern has been selected to a appointment for the Center of Advanced Studies. This will allow Dr. Stern to pursue novel research under the support of the center and open interdiciplinary dialogue with other CAS researchers in order to ignite new directions in research. During his tenure, Dr. Stern will be examining conflict throughout the world. The project will examine the...

2020-01-14 - The LGS-SOAR (Laney Graduate School - Summer Opportunity for Academic Research) program supports potential Laney Graduate School undergraduate applicants who wish to explore, experience and conduct full-time independent and mentored research for the...