Department of Psychology & Neuroscience
The department of Psychology & Neuroscience welcomes back Tiffany Yarborough in the role of administrative coordinator. Having previously served as P&N’s DGSA, Yarborough later moved to the department of Economics where she spent six years before moving to Trinity Finance. She brings with her a wide range of experience and will assist Chair Beth Marsh with a variety of activities and special projects, as well as take on some budget and HR responsibilities. Below is a Q&A introducing Yarborough… read more about Department welcomes new administrative coordinator »
The department welcomes new staff member Hallie Davis-Penders to the Neuroscience academic support team. Davis-Penders comes to the role with a wealth of institutional experience supporting the broader academic missions of Trinity College. Below is a Q&A introducing Davis-Penders to the community. What is your official job title? "Program Coordinator, Undergraduate Neuroscience." What does your position involve? "Coordinating advisor assignments, course… read more about Undergraduate Neuroscience welcomes new program coordinator »
The Department of Psychology and Neuroscience is pleased to release the 2020-2021 Impact Report for the Charles Lafitte Foundation Program in Psychological & Neuroscience Research at Duke University. This special funding report highlights the program's achievements, including stories, data, photographs, and student testimonials. A link to the full 14-page report can be found below. In a statement from department leadership on June 30, 2021 Professor and Department Chair Scott Huettel shared these words: The ongoing… read more about Department releases 2020-2021 Charles Lafitte Foundation special funding report »
Makeba Parramore Wilbourn, Associate Professor of the Practice of Psychology and Neuroscience, has received Duke's Advisor of the Year Award. Academic Advising at Duke has upwards of 300 volunteer advisors working with first and second year students. Each year, based on feedback provided by students’ major declaration survey, advisees share their experiences working with advisors. Based on the student survey feedback two Advisors of the Year are selected: one faculty member and one staff member.… read more about Makeba Parramore Wilbourn named Advisor of the Year »
The American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) has awarded Leonard White, PhD, the 2021 Alpha Omega Alpha Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teacher Award. These national awards, given to only four individuals a year, recognize outstanding contributions to medical education made by gifted teachers. As associate professor in neurology at the Duke University School of Medicine, White has set the bar for medical education through impressive foresight, anticipating student needs and pioneering new approaches well ahead of… read more about Len White receives AAMC’s Distinguished Teaching Award »
Duke Today presents seven Duke-authored books pertinent to students’, teachers’ and parents’ back-to-school experiences. These explore factors related to the classroom, home, primary and secondary school, learning, teaching and more. These books, along with many others, are available at Duke University Libraries, the Gothic Bookshop or the Regulator Bookshop. From Isolation to Conversation by Leslie Babinski Professor Leslie Babinski, director of the Center for Child and Family… read more about Six Duke-Penned Books to Prep for Back-to-School »
Mark Leary, Garonzik Family Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Neuroscience, has received the 2021 Distinguished Scientist Award from the Society of Experimental Social Psychology (SESP). SESP, which has honored distinguished scientists since the early 1970s, recognizes individuals who have made unusually important contributions to experimental social psychology. Leary was chosen by a subcommittee appointed by the SESP Executive Committee. Longtime colleague Rick Hoyle, Professor of… read more about Professor emeritus Mark Leary receives SESP 2021 Distinguished Scientist Award »
With Duke Engineering students facilitating cryptocurrency transactions for class and DEMAN Live partnering with the Innovation Co-Lab to explore NFTs, it feels like blockchain is suddenly everywhere at Duke. But that wasn’t the case back when Manmit Singh ’22, now president of the Duke Blockchain Lab, was a first-year student. “I thought blockchain was some kind of video game,” Singh said wryly. While most people know of blockchain through Bitcoin and other digital currencies, it’s so much more than that. A blockchain is… read more about These Days, Blockchain is Everywhere at Duke »
DURHAM, N.C. – This fall marks an uncertain moment in the pandemic, with rising COVID-19 infection rates in the United States and a shifting public health response to protect the population from the highly infectious Delta variant of the virus. At the same time, K-12 schools will soon be filled with a mix of vaccinated and unvaccinated students. To help inform upcoming decisions that parents, teachers and school administrators will face, a panel of Duke university experts in pediatrics, psychiatry and neuroscience offered… read more about Back-to-School Advice for Dealing with COVID-19, Stress and Learning Loss »
Michael Tomasello, the James F. Bonk Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, has been awarded the David E. Rumelhart Prize, one of the most important prizes in cognitive psychology. The Cognitive Science Society award honors a team or individual who makes a “significant contemporary contribution to the theoretical foundations of human cognition.” Established in 2001, it includes a monetary award of $100,000 and is funded by the Robert J. Glushko and Pamela Samuelson Foundation. Tomasello, who received his… read more about Michael Tomasello Awarded Cognitive Science Prize »
On July 1, 2021 the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience welcomed its new leadership team: Chair, Professor Elizabeth Marsh, and Associate Chair, Professor Kevin LaBar. Dr. Marsh, who previously served for seven years as the department's associate chair, runs the Marsh Memory Lab at Duke. She received her Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from Stanford University and completed her postdoctoral work at Washington University in St. Louis. Her recent work examines how students acquire,… read more about Department welcomes new chair and associate chair »
DURHAM, N.C. -- You dash into a convenience store for a quick snack, spot an apple and reach for a candy bar instead. Poor self-control may not be the only factor behind your choice, new research suggests. That’s because our brains process taste information first, before factoring in health information, according to new research from Duke University. “We spend billions of dollars every year on diet products, yet most people fail when they attempt to diet,” said study co-author Scott Huettel, a professor of psychology and… read more about When Taste and Healthfulness Compete, Taste Has a Hidden Advantage »
The Psychology & Neuroscience department is pleased to announce the 2021-22 Costanzo Teaching Fellows (TFs), as well as honor the accomplishments of our Costanzo Teaching Fellows (TFs) from the 2020-21 cohort. Our Costanzo Teaching Fellows (TFs) are a group of outstanding undergraduate students who were selected to gain teaching and mentorship experience in Introductory Psychology (PSY 101), one of Duke’s largest… read more about Costanzo Teaching Fellow Program honors outstanding undergraduate teachers and welcomes new cohort »
June 2021 marks the final month of Professor Scott Huettel’s term as Chair of the department of Psychology and Neuroscience. A toast in his honor was led by incoming Chair and current Associate Chair, Professor Elizabeth Marsh at the close of the final faculty meeting of the academic year, held via Zoom. In an orchestrated effort by Marsh, which included the delivery of a celebratory bottle of wine to Huettel's home unbeknownst to him, faculty and staff raised a glass as Marsh noted the… read more about After 7 years at the helm, Scott Huettel's term as department chair comes to a close »
When he was an undergraduate political science student, Kerry Haynie was never taught about the 1921 Tulsa massacre. Nor was there much discussion about the role of race in the founding political documents of this country or much examination of how race influenced public services such as sewer lines and zoning. In one sense, a lot has changed. In 2021, Duke’s faculty includes a strong lineup of leading scholars who examine how race is embedded in issues that cross all the schools of the university. This fall, many of… read more about University Course Raises Race as a Central Element of Undergraduate Education »
This month we feature a collection of Duke-authored books that explore historical and current aspects of music in the United States and beyond. These books, along with many others written by Duke authors, are available at Duke University Libraries, the Gothic Bookshop or the Regulator Bookshop. The Song is You by Bradley Rogers Musicals, it is often said, burst into song and dance when mere words can no longer convey the emotion. "The Song is You"… read more about 10 Books About Music from Duke Authors »
The Department of Psychology & Neuroscience welcomes Cristina Salvador, PhD as its newest faculty member, beginning fall of 2021. Salvador’s research centers around understanding how culture (a set of meanings and practices that make up daily realities we face) interfaces with biology to influence our thinking, feeling, and behavior. She analyzes the influence of culture at multiple levels, including the brain, everyday language use, implicit measures, and big data. Salvador shared her excitement… read more about Department welcomes newest faculty member, Cristina Salvador »
DURHAM, N.C. -- What makes preschoolers eat their veggies? Raise their hand? Wait their turn? “Because I say so” is a common refrain for many parents. But when it comes to getting kids to behave, recent research suggests that the voice of adult authority isn't the only thing that matters. Around age three, fitting in with the group starts to count big too. That’s the finding of a new study by Duke University researchers showing that, by their third birthday, children are more likely to go along with what others say or do… read more about Sometimes, Even 3-Year-Olds Just Want to Fit in With the Group »