Tags: Carl Vinson Institute of Government International Center


Focus on the Faculty: Kecia Thomas

Great profile on our own associate dean for faculty leadership development and diversity, Kecia Thomas: What are some highlights of your career at UGA? I have been incredibly fortunate to have cultivated a career at UGA that has led to many articles, books, grants and awards. As a “first-gen” college student, I’ve certainly accomplished far more than most people would have thought possible, myself included. However, without a doubt the highlight…


New UGA study on marriage

Somewhat counter-intuitive findings from a new study led by psychologist Justin Lavner, though they also remind us what is probably most obvious about relationships: the severity and number of couples' overall problems stay stable over time, even as their relationship dissatisfaction grows. The research, published in the December issue of the Journal of Family Psychology, suggests a departure from conventional wisdom, both on the part of the…


Taking a closer look at workaholism

What does it mean when work becomes our life, our identity, our primary devotion? The question itself is a function only of higher considerations, a luxury hopefully of which we become availed as society advances. One of the fundamental spilts between the approach to social policy in the U.S. and Europe is over how we see this very question: Workaholism - how does it work? workaholism tends to produce negative impacts for employers and employees…


New approach for early diagnosis of dementia

Researchers in the department of psychology have developed a unique method for diagnosing the earliest stages of dementia by applying tasks commonly used to gauge levels of impulsive or risky behaviors related to financial decisions: This approach, which has been used in the past to evaluate the decision-making processes of problem gamblers and other impulse control disorders like substance abuse, may help diagnose many forms of dementia…


Yellow pigment in the eye and greater visibility

How our eyes absorb light and achieve great definition in visibilty is a fascinating subject and the focus of one of the best neuroscience researchers in the country, a faculty member in our department of psychology: [People] with more yellow in their macula may have an advantage when it comes to filtering out atmospheric particles that obscure one's vision, commonly known as haze. According to a new University of Georgia study, people with…


The Neuroeconomics of decision-making

Terrific new study from the Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology Laboratory in the department of psychology: Although choosing to do something because the perceived benefit outweighs the financial cost is something people do daily, little is known about what happens in the brain when a person makes these kinds of decisions. Studying how these cost-benefit decisions are made when choosing to consume alcohol, University of Georgia…


Stokes interim president of FSU

Huge congratulations to the former dean of the Franklin College, Garnett Stokes, who was tapped to be the interim president at Florida State University, effective April 1. An alumna and former UGA faculty member in the department of psychology, Stokes became Franklin College dean in 2004. She accepted the position of Provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at FSU in 2011.      


Introvert in an Extraverted World

Professor and head of the department of psychology Keith Campbell is also a best-selling author whose research uncovers great insights on that delicate state of affairs we refer to as the human condition. Next week, he will give a lecture on how introversion impacts learning March 4 at 2 p.m. in the Reading Room of the Miller Learning Center: The lecture is titled "Being an Introvert in an Extraverted World: The Case of Education" and is hosted…


Groundwork for better dementia diagnosis

UGA psychology research may lead to earlier, better diagnosis of dementia, Alzheimer’s By JESSICA LUTON jluton@uga.edu New research from UGA’s department of psychology may one day lead to a better biomarker for earlier detection of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), the leading predictor of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in older adults. With nearly 36 million people estimated to have dementia currently, and that number expected to double every…


New research on better dementia diagnosis

Compelling new findings out of the department of psychology Bioimaging Research Center: According to recently published research from the University of Georgia's Franklin College of Arts and Sciences department of psychology, scientists may be one step closer to a better biomarker for earlier detection of mild cognitive impairment, the leading predictor of dementia and Alzheimer's disease in older adults. Psychology professor and Bio-Imaging…


Learning without language

Interesting new study authored by Dorothy Fragaszy in the department of psychology and several collaborating authors from around the world: A new study from a group of researchers, led by University of Georgia behavioral scientist Dorothy Fragaszy, reports that artifacts—objects similar to the ball or shovel—are an important component in technical learning by nonhuman species. The study, published Oct. 7 in Philosophical Transactions of the…


New psychology research explores boundary extension

How do we change or mis-remember what we see with our own eyes? New research from the department of psychology seeks to unpack this intriguing process: In just a few short seconds, the human brain helps most people extend the scene beyond what is actually seen. Scientists at the University of Delaware discovered this concept in 1989 when they showed study participants real photographs of 20 scenes for 15 seconds and then had participants draw a…


Stone awarded People's Choice Award

Graduate students often participate in conferences, in formal presentations and conversations about their work with other participants during poster sessions and other events. Most frequently, academic conferences are organized by discipline but the UGA Graduate Student Association tried something different in April with their Interdisciplinary Research Conference and it seems to have been an overwhelming success. Among the unusual outcomes was…

noodle soup with greens, beef and quail eggs
Aging, your brain, diet and exercise

   


Imaging axonal fibers

Something we almost missed: a terrific interdisciplinary study mapping the cerebral cortex in mammalian brains that sheds new light on its development and organization, was published in the December 2012 issue of Cerebral Cortex. This research brought together UGA faculty from the departments of computer science, cellular biology, psychology and physics and astronomy in the Franklin College; the Faculty of Engineering, the Bioimaging Research…


Capuchin monkey tool use provides clues

The breadth of research in psychology is not limited to humans but reaches into questions about how all creatures learn about the world: A new study from University of Georgia behavioral scientists reports that bearded capuchin monkeys, Sapajus libidinosus, are skilled at solving problems associated with using tools. The monkeys, like humans, use their bodies to learn about the world, according to a new paper published in the journal PLOS ONE on…


Tool-using Orangutans and improving cotton at the genome level

A ScienceNow article in Wired.com features the work of a faculty member from psychology: Primatologist Dorothy Fragaszy of the University of Georgia in Athens says orangutans might have ideas of the sort that Gruber describes, but that’s not the most plausible explanation. Fragaszy cautions that Gruber cites only one study that discusses orangutans developing stick skills in the wild — and she says that work isn’t conclusive about when…


New psychology paper identifies keys to self-control

Franklin College professor of psychology Leonard Martin tested student's capacity for self-control using some simple tools, and the fascinating results are part of a newly published study: participants performed what is known as the Stroop task where they were asked to identify the color of various words flashed on a screen, which spell out the names of other colors. The Stroop task's goal is to turn off the student's tendency to read the words…

Larry Young in a blue shirt.
The mechanics of physical attraction

Lots of great speakers on campus during the last week of October. I'll talk about dance choreographer Liz Lerman next week but the deparment of psychology will also bring to campus a neuroscientist whose work identifies the neural and genetic mechanisms that underlie physical attraction, love and family bonds. The lecture, on Nov. 2 at 12:20 p.m. in room 148 of the Miller Learning Center, is free and the public invited to attend. Larry Young is…


Meet a faculty member

One idea that we've had in the Dean's office is to try to find ways to introduce our faculty members and what they do. Video can be a great tool for that. Here's another in an ongoing series, this time featuring psychology professor and department head, Keith Campbell.


Psychology Ph.D alums shine

And speaking of great work by our post-docs and graduate students, graduates of the Franklin College’s doctoral program in clinical psychology can be found in academic and clinical settings across the nation, and two recent alumni have been honored for their work by the American Psychological Association’s Society of Pediatric Psychology: Laura Simons, who earned her PhD from UGA in 2006 and now an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical…


UGA psychologists focus on Facebook

Social media tools have the perception of keeping us all connected, but we probably shouldn't dismiss the extent to which they are also self-serving, so says a new study: New research from the University of Georgia finds what people may really "like" about social networking are themselves. "Despite the name ‘social networks,' much user activity on networking sites is self-focused," said Brittany Gentile, a UGA doctoral candidate who looked at…


UGA Research News

The UGA Office of the Vice President for Research has released the Spring 2012issue of Research magazine with several articles detailing the work of Franklin faculty, including: Harry and Jane Willson Professor in the Humanities Bill Kretzschmar, on his work in language variations and complex systems. Associate professor of psychology Adam Goodie on the nature of pathological gambling. Responding to climate change as a research…


Psychology researchers focus on consequences of binge drinking

It's a perennial issue on college campuses nationwide, one with heavy effects on the health and saefty of students: Binge drinking. A doctoral candidate from psychology has published findings that suggest patterns of binge drinking establish the environment for dangerous situations. The study, recently published in the journal Violence and Victims, found that first-year female college students who drank four or more alcoholic drinks in one day…


Pier Francesco Ferrari

From body language to actual words, we pick up signals and act (or simply behave) accordingly all the time. But how does this work? Psychologists, using new and emerging technology in brain imaging to study behaviorial process in primates, have made some startling discoveries over the last two decades. What are mirror neurons? Pier Francesco Ferrari will visit campus the week of March 20 as a Willson Center Distingushed Lecturer and present his…
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