Lauren RubensteinAssistant Professor of Psychology Patricia Rodriguez Mosquera was guest editor of a special issue of the journal Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, titled, "In the name of honor: On virtue, reputation, and violence." The papers in the special issue illustrate the importance of honor in a variety of social-psychological processes, including morality, male violence, sexuality and gender, in-group identification, responses to devaluation, and biculturalism. Moreover, the papers expand and deepen our understanding of honor by presenting research on honor in a diverse array of groups (e.g. the military, law enforcement), relationship contexts (e.g. family relations, romantic relations) and countries (e.g. Afghanistan, Brazil,…
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Assistant Professor of Psychology Anna Shusterman had an op-ed published in The Hartford Courant about a low-cost, intensive, and effective pre-K program piloted in Middletown last summer, which she argues could be a model for the nation. Pre-kindergarten preparation programs are critical to narrowing the achievement gap between low-income students starting kindergarten and their wealthier peers, she writes. Kindergarten Kickstart, a short-term summer program in which Wesleyan students taught alongside experienced teachers using research-based methods and curriculum, showed measurable improvements in kindergarten readiness after just five weeks. Read the op-ed here.
The Liberty Bank Foundation has awarded a grant of $30,000 over three years to support the Kindergarten Kickstart program, a summer pre-K program that is a collaborative partnership between Assistant Professor of Psychology Anna Shusterman's lab, MacDonough Elementary School, North End Action Team (NEAT), and the Connecticut State Department of Education's Family Resource Center. The program was piloted for the first time last summer at MacDonough. The grant will provide about 50 percent of the program's operating cost for each of the next three years, and allow the program to expand to two locations. Each site will be staffed by three…
On April 4, The Hartford Courant published an op-ed by Mariah Schug, visiting assistant professor of psychology, giving a cross-cultural perspective on same-sex marriage. During the Supreme Court's recent hearings on two same-sex marriage cases, some justices expressed concern that because same-sex marriage is so new, we don't yet know its long-term impact on families and society. Schug challenges these assertions, pointing out that the justices failed to look outside the U.S. Citing her own research and that of other academics, Schug points to examples in countries around the world, which demonstrate that gay marriage has not led to a…
Together with two former members of her lab, Hilary Barth, associate professor of psychology, associate professor of neuroscience and behavior, had a paper published in the February 2013 issue of the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. Titled, "Developmental Change in Numerical Estimation," the paper was also written by Emily Slusser, formerly a post-doctoral fellow in psychology and now a faculty member at San Jose State University, and Rachel Santiago '12. The paper represents a challenge to a prominent theory of how children's numerical thinking changes throughout the preschool years and into childhood. The article is available to purchase here.
Matthew Kurtz, associate professor of psychology, associate professor of neuroscience and behavior, traveled to Gujarat, India in March to work with The MINDS Foundation. The organization provides mental health services to rural regions of the developing world. While in India, Kurtz joined Lennox Byer ’12, director of programs, to enhance current programming and develop a social/vocational skills rehabilitation program for patients. Kurtz is developing this program using his research experience gained through social skills training programs he has developed for patients with Schizophrenia in Connecticut. Kurtz is a MINDS Foundation board member. The MINDS Foundation was founded in 2010 by…
The journal Cognition and Emotion published a new paper by Assistant Professor of Psychology Patricia Rodriguez Mosquera and former post-doctoral fellow in psychology Toshie Imada. The paper, titled, "Perceived social image and life satisfaction across cultures," studies the relationship between perceived social image and life satisfaction for Indian, Pakistani/Bangladeshi, White British and European American men and women. Participants completed a survey on the cultural importance of social image, positive and negative emotions, academic achievement and perceived social image. For Indian and Pakistani/Bangladeshi participants, who generally valued social image more than White British and European American participants, positive perceived social image predicted life satisfaction…
Bill FisherIn this video, Matthew Kurtz, associate professor of psychology, neuroscience and behavior, talks about his research on cognitive remediation - one of several newer psychological treatments for schizophrenia. He discusses the promising results he and his Wesleyan students have observed working with patients at the Institute of Living in Hartford, Conn. #THISISWHY [youtube width="640" height="420"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MP7j2_94Jno[/youtube]
For people suffering in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, from head injuries or other conditions that impair memory, a special trip to the seashore or a visit with family may be just a blur by the end of the day. With assistance from a simple device known as a ViconRevue memory camera, Professor John Seamon and his students are studying whether it’s possible to help these patients remember more of their lives. While the studies are ongoing, early results are promising. They also suggest that our current understanding of how these patients’ brains are malfunctioning may be wrong, or…
Matthew Kurtz, associate professor of psychology, associate professor of neuroscience and behavior, has published an article in the March 2013 issue of Scientific American Mind magazine. Kurtz, who studies schizophrenia, writes about the less-well-known symptoms of the disease, which include cognitive and social deficits. These troubles make it difficult for people with schizophrenia to maintain meaningful relationships, hold jobs and live independently. Sadly, drugs used to treat the hallucinations and delusions in schizophrenia do nothing to improve patients' quality of life in these other areas. In the article, Kurtz describes some of the new psychological interventions shown to improve cognitive…
Bill HolderRuth Striegel, professor of psychology and the Walter A. Crowell University Professor of the Social Sciences, will assume the position of Wesleyan’s next provost and vice president for academic affairs. She will start in this position on July 1, succeeding Rob Rosenthal, who will be returning to the faculty as John E. Andrus Professor of Sociology. Striegel holds a doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the University of South Carolina. She is a distinguished scholar-teacher whose research has focused on understanding the causes and effects of eating and weight disorders, and particularly on using insights gained from large-scale studies to…