Department of Psychology

We know spending the holidays on our own will keep our loved ones healthy. That doesn’t make it any easier. But there’s joy to be found in solitude. We spoke to experts in stress and connection who told us how to navigate the complicated emotions around spending the holidays alone. Jonathan Kanter, research associate professor of psychology at the UW, is quoted.

One of the last things that Lilienne Shore Kilgore-Brown did during her senior year of high school before the pandemic was travel to Olympia, the capital of Washington, to advocate for state-wide comprehensive sex education. In March, the Washington state legislature passed the legislation that Kilgore-Brown and her peers had advocated for. Nicole McNichols, associate teaching professor of psychology at the UW, is quoted.

In some ways, you might think that COVID-19 would be a boon for people who relish alone time or who worry in social situations, but as a clinical psychologist, I’m noticing that despite socializing less, many of my clients are stressing more about connecting, writes Jenny Taitz. Marsha Linehan, professor emeritus of psychology at the UW, is referenced.

“A recent study has determined that watching nature programming on TV or via a virtual-reality headset reduces feelings of sadness and boredom. According to researchers from the University of Exeter, scenes of nature soothe us – whether they are real video footage of a coral reef, to use the study’s example, or even just computer-generated graphics of the same,” writes Adrienne Matei. Peter Kahn, professor of psychology and of environmental and forest sciences, is quoted.

A psychology course on human sexuality is the largest UW class — ever. Revising the content has been a journey.

The stress and uncertainty involved with COVID-19 create fertile ground for guilt to arise. SELF shares advice on when guilt is healthy, when it’s not, and how to keep it under control. Jane Simoni, professor of psychology at the UW, is quoted.

When the pandemic hit, mental health professionals predicted lockdowns and social distancing would result in a wave of loneliness. But researchers who study loneliness say that hasn’t happened. A comment by Jonathan Kanter, research associate professor of psychology at the UW, is included.

During this time of uncertainty and isolation, find solace in digital opportunities to connect, share, and engage. Each week, we will share upcoming events that bring the UW, and the greater community, together online.  Many of these online opportunities are streamed through Zoom. All UW faculty, staff, and students have access to Zoom Pro via UW-IT.  Curating...

Jonathan Kanter, research associate professor of psychology at the UW, is quoted, and Mavis Tsai, senior research scientist of psychology at the UW, is referenced.

“The vice presidential debate was deemed ‘civil.’ But civil does not mean it was fair. As long as interruptions are rewarded and seen as standard behavior, as they were in both the vice presidential and the presidential debates, many women will be disadvantaged in politics,” write Sapna Cheryan, professor of psychology at the UW, and Laura Vianna, a graduate student in psychology at the UW.

"We found direct support for what recipients of microaggressions have been saying all along: Students who are more likely to say they commit microaggressions are more likely to score higher on measures of racial bias," writes Jonathan Kanter, research associate professor of psychology at the UW.

Anthony Greenwald, professor emeritus of psychology at the UW, discusses how the Implicit Association Test can be used as an educational and informational tool for better understanding.

Smoke and fog shrouded the Puget Sound region as fires continued to burn throughout the West Sunday morning, adding a new layer of anxiety and distress to a summer of pandemic, civil unrest and economic decline. Jane Simoni, professor of psychology at the UW, is quoted.

 

As a kid growing up in Kennewick, Danielle Reed (BA, Psychology, 1984), was drawn to eating kale, dandelion and other sharp-flavored greens—but their bitter taste repelled most of her friends. That made her wonder why. When she was a student at the UW in the 1980s, she learned about the study of physiological psychology, or the biological explanations for how our minds work. Next came the opportunity to conduct research that examined animals’ food intake and what drove their approach to food.

Emeritus research psychologist Michael D. Beecher discusses the complex calls of song sparrows.