UW News

Department of Psychology


October 1, 2024

Q&A: UW researchers examine link between light pollution and interest in astronomy

Two backlit people standing on a mountain in front of a starry night sky

Rodolfo Cortes Barragan, research scientist the University of Washington Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences (I-LABS), and Andrew Meltzoff, co-director of I-LABS and professor of psychology, recently co-authored a study in Nature Scientific Reports showing a link between the ability to see the stars unblocked by light pollution and an interest in astronomy.


September 27, 2024

ArtSci Roundup: Psychology Edwards Seminar, Democracy in Focus lecture series, First Wednesday Concerts and more

This week, attend the Psychology Edwards seminar, check out the First Wednesday Concert Series in the Allen Library, tune into the first lecture of the Democracy in Focus Lecture Series, and more. September 30, 12:00 – 1:20 pm | Psychology Edwards seminar talk with Alex L. White, Ph.D., Columbia University, Kindcaid Hall Can you recognize two…


September 19, 2024

Over 8 years, UW Population Health Initiative has turned ideas into impact

In a time-lapse image, a bus passes in front of a large building with a reflective glass exterior.

In just eight years, the UW Population Health Initiative has funded 227 innovative, interdisciplinary projects. With the Initiative now a third of the way into its 25-year vision, UW News checked in with three projects that recently received funding to scale their efforts. 


September 9, 2024

COVID-19 lockdowns prematurely aged teenage brains, UW study shows

Young girl doing schoolwork on a laptop while sitting at a table

New research from the University of Washington found lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in unusually accelerated brain maturation in adolescents. This maturation was more pronounced in girls. When measured in terms of the number of years of accelerated brain development, the mean acceleration was 4.2 years in females and 1.4 years in males.


July 29, 2024

UW model shows cortical implants like Elon Musk’s Blindsight unlikely to ‘exceed normal human vision’

Close-up of a human eye

New research from Ione Fine and Geoffrey Boynton, UW professors of psychology, shows Elon Musk’s projection for the latest Neuralink project rests on the flawed premise that implanting millions of tiny electrodes into the visual cortex, the region of the brain that processes information received from the eye, will result in high-resolution vision.


July 17, 2024

New faculty books: Traditional Syrian cuisine, Indigenous ecological knowledge, data science for researchers

Three books on a wooden table background

Three new faculty books from the University of Washington cover the recipes and culture of the world’s largest Syrian refugee camp, traditional ecological knowledge of Indigenous peoples and data science for neuroimaging researchers. UW News spoke with the authors to learn more. Documenting history and rituals of Syrian cuisine When Karen E. Fisher was invited…


June 3, 2024

Q&A: Microinclusions improve women’s workplace belonging and commitment

A group of people sit around a table at a business meeting.

New research from the University of Washington published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, shows how “microinclusions” — brief instances of positive treatment, especially from members of the dominant group — help women feel valued at work.


May 23, 2024

ArtSci Roundup: 53rd Psychology Research Festival, Undergraduate Senior Essay Symposium, Design Show, and more

This week, attend the 53rd Annual Psychology Research Festival, check out the Department of Classics’ Undergraduate Senior Essay Symposium, a Design Show from graduating seniors in the School of Art + Art History + Design, and more. May 27 – 31, UW Innovation Month Innovation Month is a campus-wide celebration of the innovative work that…


May 9, 2024

ArtSci Roundup: Katz Distinguished Lecture, DXARTS Spring Concert, MFA Dance Concert and more

This week, attend the Katz Distinguished Lecture Series with Winnie Wong, check out the DXARTS Spring Concert, be wowed away from the MFA Dance Concert, and more. May 13 – 17, UW Innovation Month Innovation Month is a campus-wide celebration of the innovative work that happens everywhere at UW, every day, across disciplines. It highlights…


April 23, 2024

Q&A: UW research shows neural connection between learning a second language and learning to code

Closeup of woman with glasses looking at code. The code is reflected in her glasses.

New research from the University of Washington shows the brain’s response to viewing errors in both the syntax (form) and semantics (meaning) of code appeared identical to those that occur when fluent readers process sentences on a word-by-word basis, supporting a resemblance between how people learn computer and natural languages.


April 22, 2024

Faculty/staff honors: Rising Star Award for DEI, honors for ornithological work, and more

Bronze 'W' statue in front of the University of Washington campus.

Recent recognition for the University of Washington includes a Rising Star Award, honors for distinguished ornithological work and a Gold Medal Award for Impact in Psychology.


April 15, 2024

Q&A: How claims of anti-Christian bias can serve as racial dog whistles

A brown, leather Bible on its side with the spine facing the camera. The background is white.

A new University of Washington study showed that white and Black Christians perceived a politician concerned about anti-Christian bias as caring more about anti-white bias, being more willing to fight for white people and as less offensive than one concerned about anti-white bias.


April 8, 2024

Everyday social interactions predict language development in infants

A woman sits with a baby facing her on her lap. The woman is talking to the baby using hand gestures. The baby is watching her.

In a study published April 8 in Current Biology, University of Washington researchers found that when the adult talked and played socially with a 5-month-old baby, the baby’s brain activity particularly increased in regions responsible for attention — and the level of this type of activity predicted enhanced language development at later ages.


March 28, 2024

ArtSci Roundup: DXARTS Time and Time Again Exhibition, Meany Hall Concert, Colloquium Lectures and more

This week, head to the Henry Art Gallery for the Freedom in Failure: “That’s how the light gets in” program, learn how virtual reality platforms can advance personalized treatment options for patients, visit the DXARTS gallery for Time and Time Again, and more. April 3, 12:30 pm | First Wednesday Concert Series: Students of the UW…


March 21, 2024

ArtSci Roundup: Calder Quartet, Psychology Colloquium, Black Girls (Re)Creating Space through Digital Practice and more

This week, attend the Psychology Loucks Colloquium, visit the Henry Art Gallery for Martine Gutierrez’s Monsen Photography Lecture, hear from Ashleigh Greene Wade on “Where Can We Be? Black Girls (Re)Creating Space through Digital Practice” and more. March 27, 12:30 – 1:30 pm | TALK | Arctic Ambitions: Navigating Arctic Security Challenges, Husky Union Building Join…


March 7, 2024

ArtSci Roundup: Mark Morris Dance Group, Psychology Seminar, Screening Queer Hong Kong, and more

This week, head to Meany Hall for The Look of Love performance by the Mark Morris Dance Group, learn about recent research at a clinical seminar hosted by the Department of Psychology, tune into a book talk with the Japan Studies Program, and more. March 12, 11:30 am – 12:50 pm | Psychology Cross-Area Clinical…


February 6, 2024

Parents’ conversational approaches about Black Lives Matter differ by race

Signs and people marching for Black Lives Matter

A new study from the University of Washington professor Andrew Meltzoff and Northwestern University showed key differences in the language Black parents and white used to explain Black Lives Matter.


December 12, 2023

Holiday blahs? Why social connection, even talking to strangers, can help

A close up of two women and a girl that look like family, looking at a book or a screen and sharing a laugh.

Milla Titova, assistant teaching professor of psychology and director of the Happiness and Well-Being Lab at the UW, offers strategies for joy this holiday season.


September 22, 2023

Q&A: How new software is changing our understanding of human brain development

An MRI image of a baby's brain

A team including researchers at the University of Washington recently used new software to compare MRIs from 300 babies and discovered that myelin, a part of the brain’s so-called white matter, develops much slower after birth.


April 21, 2023

ArtSci Roundup: Public Lectures, Art Exhibitions, Music Project Festival and more

This week, attend the annual Schiedel Lecture, learn about the transactional relationship between mental health research and care, enjoy the Improvised Music Project Festival held by UW students and faculty and more. April 25, 6:00 – 7:30 PM | 2023 Scheidel Lecture: How We Create Time Through Communication with Dr. Dawna Ballard, Kane Hall A long-standing…


February 3, 2023

Q&A: The benefits and hazards of social media for teens

cell phone screen showing social media icons like Twitter and Facebook

Lucía Magis-Weinberg, a University of Washington assistant professor of psychology, explains how social media use can affect youth mental health.


October 21, 2022

ArtSci Roundup: Miha Sarani exhibition opening, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy R. Sherman conversation, and more

Connect with the UW community every week through public events and exhibitions, summarized in this ArtSci Roundup.


September 29, 2022

International field course held in Indonesia and led by UW professor ends after 30 years

Group photo of people behind banner

Randall Kyes established the International Field Study Program-Indonesia at the UW. The month-long study abroad program provided field-based educational and research opportunities for students from the UW, Indonesia and other participating countries.


August 12, 2022

New faculty books: How your brain works, cycling around the world and more

Four books lined up on a table

Recent and upcoming books from University of Washington faculty include those from the Jackson School of International Studies, the Department of Psychology and the Runstad Department of Real Estate.


May 19, 2022

Q&A: Why discriminatory bias is a public health problem

Tony Greenwald, emeritus professor of psychology at the University of Washington and creator of the Implicit Association Test, explains how public health strategies can help address unintended discrimination.


May 12, 2022

Changes in cholesterol production lead to tragic octopus death spiral

After a mother octopus lays a clutch of eggs, she quits eating and wastes away; by the time the eggs hatch, she is dead. Some females in captivity even seem to speed up this process intentionally, mutilating themselves and twisting their arms into a tangled mess. The source of this bizarre maternal behavior seems to be the optic gland, an organ similar to the pituitary gland in mammals. For years, just how this gland triggered the gruesome death spiral was unclear. But in a new study published May 12 in Current Biology, researchers from the University of Washington, the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois Chicago show that the optic gland in maternal octopuses undergoes a massive shift in cholesterol metabolism, resulting in dramatic changes in the steroid hormones produced. Alterations in cholesterol metabolism in other animals, including humans, can have serious consequences on longevity and behavior, and the team believes this reveals important similarities in the functions of these steroids across the animal kingdom — in soft-bodied cephalopods and vertebrates alike.


April 29, 2022

ArtSci Roundup

Through public events and exhibitions, connect with the UW community every week! Carving out a brave space: Courage in art May 3, 7:00 PM | HUB Lyceum & Online “Have something to say. Be brave enough to say it. Use your art to change the world.” UW Drama Professor and Head of Directing & Playwriting…


April 28, 2022

New meta-analysis examines link between self-harm and stress

A new, University of Washington-led meta-analysis finds that people engage in self-injury and/or think about suicide to alleviate some types of stress; and that there is potential for therapy and other interventions.


April 21, 2022

ArtSci Roundup: A Conversation with Brad Smith, UW Public Lectures: An Evening with Masha Gessen, and More

Through public events and exhibitions, connect with the UW community every week! Katz Distinguished Lecture: Abderrahmane Sissako April 26, 7:00 PM | Kane Hall 210 What is the place of West Africa in the world and of the world in West Africa? These are the questions that the Oscar- and Palme d’Or-nominated filmmaker Adberrahmane Sissako…


March 28, 2022

UW graduate and professional disciplines again place high in US News’ best graduate school rankings

campus shot

The University of Washington’s graduate and professional degree programs were widely recognized as among the best in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2023 Best Graduate School rankings released Tuesday.


December 16, 2021

Bias against Native Americans spikes when mascots are removed

New research led by the University of Washington shows how discontinuing a Native American mascot can stoke racism among a team’s surrounding community.


November 22, 2021

Kids, teens believe girls aren’t interested in computer science, study shows

Children as young as age 6 develop stereotypes that girls aren’t interested in computer science and engineering, according to new research from the University of Washington and the University of Houston.


September 22, 2021

Feeling anxious about in-person work, school? Here’s how to ease the transition

students walking across campus in the fall

People may experience a range of emotions as some in-person routines resume during this stage of the pandemic. University of Washington psychology professor Jane Simoni suggests ways to cope.


September 16, 2021

Rankings: UW among best in world for health and life sciences

building

The University of Washington is among the best universities in the world for the studies of health and life sciences, according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject 2022.


August 19, 2021

Youth mental health during the pandemic better with more sleep, structure and time in nature

girl walking in the woods

A study led by Harvard and the University of Washington surveyed children, teens and their families about the stresses of the pandemic, and ways to cope.


July 16, 2021

20 UW researchers elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences for 2021

Twenty scientists and engineers at the University of Washington are among the 38 new members elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences for 2021, according to a July 15 announcement. New members were chosen for “their outstanding record of scientific and technical achievement, and their willingness to work on behalf of the Academy to bring the best available science to bear on issues within the state of Washington.”


July 13, 2021

From ‘distress’ to ‘unscathed’ — mental health of UW students during spring 2020

A table in the living room with a cup of tea, a laptop and a stack of books on top. Behind the table is a couch and a bike

To understand how the UW’s transition to online-only classes affected college students’ mental health in the spring of 2020, UW researchers surveyed 147 UW undergraduates over the 2020 spring quarter.


April 6, 2021

Back to school in springtime: UW experts offer tips for adjusting pandemic-era routines

University of Washington experts in education and psychology offer tips for families on the return to in-person school after a year of remote learning.


March 17, 2021

‘Forgetting Nature’: Peter Kahn offers warning in short documentary film

The message of “Forgetting Nature,” a new documentary film featuring Peter Kahn, is short but powerful: We humans are losing our connection to the natural world, at our great peril.


March 16, 2021

Relearning normalcy, focusing on the positive: UW psychologist on the vaccine phase of the pandemic

University of Washington psychology professor Jane Simoni discusses how COVID-19 vaccines are gradually spurring the return to normal life, and the role of positive public health messaging.



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