Department of Psychology & Neuroscience
by Hannah Moshontz de la Rocha, Duke Department of Psychology & Neuroscience This spring, PhD students from Duke and UNC Chapel Hill led the Carolina Research in Social and Personality Psychology (CRISPP) conference. A biannual tradition that has taken place since 2002, the conference is student led and features graduate and undergraduate research presentations from psychology departments and business schools across North Carolina. It provides a unique opportunity for student scholars to present and discuss their… read more about Carolina Research in Social and Personality Psychology (CRISPP) conference 2017 »
With Duke's 2017 Commencement just a couple of days away, be sure to read Duke's Class of 2017 Senior Stories, profiles of graduating seniors discussing their Duke experiences. There are several profiles of graduating P&N seniors, including: Jennifer Acosta: Learning Through Duke Immerse Katie Becker: The Study of Truth, Beauty and Social Justice Lauren Blanchette: Building Education Opportunities for Girls in Appalachia Lauren Hagedorn: Leaving Behind Her a Legacy of Community Congratulations to all P&N… read more about Duke Commencement 2017: Senior Stories »
Please join P&N in congratulating Michael Tomasello for his election to the National Academy of Sciences:http://www.nasonline.org/news-and-multimedia/news/may-2-2017-NAS-Election.html Election to the NAS is one of the very highest awards that a scientist can receive – one reflecting a career of deep scholarship, sustained impact, and truly discipline-changing research. Dr. Tomasello, who did his undergraduate work at Duke, is a world-renowned scholar on social cognition, social learning, and communication/language in… read more about Michael Tomasello Elected to National Academy of Sciences »
Congratulations to our students for a successful P&N/CNAP first year festival, which was held Friday in Perkins 217. The following students presented a diverse array of research topics. If you missed it, click on the presentation titles below to see videos of each presentation. Christina Hopkins, "On Words & Their Impact: investigating weight stigma, word choice, and obesity treatment initiation" Madeline Farber, "Effects of Parenting on Neurodevelopment" Jack Brooks… read more about P&N and CNAP First Year Festival 2017 »
Congratulations to P&N Professor Rick Hoyle, who was named the 2017 faculty winner of Duke’s Sullivan Award. Dr. Hoyle was cited for his commitment to service and community, at Duke and beyond: https://today.duke.edu/2017/04/spirituality-and-service-guide-sullivan-award-winners “There are many outstanding teachers like Professor Hoyle at Duke," said P&N Chair Scott Huettel. "There are few, if any, who equal his commitment to living an ethical, other-regarding, and spiritual life.” In 2003, Duke… read more about Rick Hoyle wins Duke University's 2017 Sullivan Award »
Congratulations to P&N PhD alumnus Dr. Kenneth Gergen, who has won the 2017 Distinguished Alumni award from Duke Graduate School. https://gradschool.duke.edu/about/news/social-psychologist-gergen-named… Gergen, who grew up in Durham, is a prominent social psychologist. He received his PhD from P&N in 1963, where the title of his dissertation was Interaction Goals and Personalistic Feedback as Factors Affecting The Presentation of Self. read more about Dr. Kenneth Gergen wins Duke Graduate School's 2017 Distinguished Alumni Award »
P&N Clinical Graduate Student Jonathan Schaefer recently wrote a blog post giving an evidence-based argument against stigma in mental Health. It was recently published on the APA Society of Clinical Psychology's website: http://www.div12.org/is-abnormal-psychology-really-all-that-abnormal/ Research from the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, Jon writes, "suggests that the 'typical' human experience is one characterized by at least one brush with a diagnosable disorder, and that… read more about Is "Abnormal Psychology" Really all that Abnormal? »
Congratulations to P&N Professor Michael Tomasello, who has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Tomasello, the James F. Bonk Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience, joined the P&N faculty in 2016. He is also the Director of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany. Tomasello, who did his undergraduate work at Duke, is a world-renowned scholar on social cognition, social learning, and communication/language in human children and great apes. His study… read more about Tomasello Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences »
For P&N doctoral students, the Major Area Paper (MAP) is the first major milestone in the student's PhD program. For clinical doctoral student Kate MacDuffie, her MAP turned into a published article, with co-author Tim Strauman, and was recently cited in an APA blog post. "This work was motivated by my involvement in public outreach efforts like Brain Awareness Week at Duke, MacDuffie says. "Through these community experiences, I became interested in the impact of learning about one’s own biology, and was surprised to… read more about Do Beliefs about Biology Matter for Mental Health? »
Duke's Department of Psychology & Neuroscience welcomes Dr. Bridgette Martin Hard, who will be joining P&N as an Associate Professor of the Practice on July 1, 2017. Dr. Hard received her PhD in Psychology from Stanford University and currently leads Stanford’s Psychology One Program. She also offers a year-long teacher training program for PhD students and advanced undergraduates to develop their teaching skills and discover creative ways to integrate research and teaching. "Joining the faculty at Duke is a… read more about Welcome Bridgette Martin Hard »
P&N Clinical Doctoral Student Aaron Reuben of the Moffitt and Caspi Group is the first author of a study finding that childhood exposure to lead can affect an adult decades later, impairing cognitive development. Read about the story in NPR, Reuters Health, and the Washington Post. A .pdf link to the study can be found here. read more about Childhood exposure to lead affects IQ decades later, study finds »
Congratulations to the following P&N doctoral students who have received 2017-2018 Duke Graduate School Fellowships: Nadia Brashier- Philip J. Baugh Fellowship Ali Giusto- Dissertation Research Travel Award: International and Aleane Webb Dissertation Research Fellowship Michele Lanpher- Aleane Webb Dissertation Research Fellowship Allison Meyer- Aleane Webb Dissertation Research Fellowship Summer Rearch Fellowship for Third-Year Ph.D. Students and Beyond: Hannah Moshontz Alyssa VanDenburg Kibby… read more about P&N Doctoral Students Receive Fellowships »
Congratulations to P&N Grad Student Brenda Yang, recipient of Duke's 2017 Merritt Award for Science Journalism. Yang won the award for her July 2016 Scientific American article "Are Our Scientific Heroes Too Heroic?," according to the announcement posted on the Pratt School of Engineering Website. "The judges praised Yang’s work as wonderfully inspiring and self-reflective, while courageously taking the standard narrative – that famous scientists are smarter and more successful than the rest of us… read more about Brenda Yang wins Duke's 2017 Merritt Award for Science Journalism »
Congratulations to P&N alumna Shirley M. Collado, who is the newly named ninth president of Ithaca College. Dr. Collado is a 1999 Graduate of P&N's Clinical Psychology Program, where the title of her dissertation was "The Perceived Racism Scale for Latina/os: a Multidimensional Assessment of the Experience of Racism among Latina/os." In a recent video message, Collado is congratulated by a number of colleagues, including P&N Professor Emeritus Susan Roth. Roth reflects on Dr. Collado's time as a doctoral student… read more about P&N Alumna Shirley Collado Named President of Ithaca College »
The Undergraduate Studies Office is now accepting applications for the 2017-2018 Costanzo Undergraduate Teaching Fellowships. Costanzo fellows serve as TAs for Introductory Psychology. Please contact Dr. Angie Vieth (azvieth@duke.edu) for more information. The application deadline is Friday, March 10. read more about Now accepting applications, 2017-2018 Costanzo Undergraduate Teaching Fellowships »
The results are in - the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers reports that five P&N Ph.D. students matched to top clinical internships. Once again, P&N had a 100% match in clinical psychology internships. Congratulations to the following students, and best wishes as they prepare to move forward to the final stage of doctoral training in clinical psychology. Caitlin Fang Duke University Medical Center Adult-CBT Concentration Lori Keeling Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center Lebanon,… read more about Clinical Psychology Internships 2017-2018 »
Congratulations to P&N PhD alumnus David V. Smith, who has been designated as an "APS Rising Star" by the Association for Psychological Science. The Rising Star designation recognizes outstanding psychological scientists in the earliest stages of their research career post-PhD whose innovative work has already advanced the field and signals great potential for their continued contributions. Smith is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Temple University. Be sure to visit his P&N alumni… read more about Dr. David V. Smith Designated APS Rising Star »
New research from the Tobias Egner Lab reveals how the brain learns to link external cues to a focused mindset. Read the full story in Duke Today: https://today.duke.edu/CaudateNucleus The study was also covered in other international publications: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4157880/Celebrity-spotting-test-super-focuses-brain.html https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170125145753.htm read more about P&N researchers pinpoint brain structure that links environmental cues to enhanced focus »
Photos from P&N's inaugural mentoring dinner. read more about P&N Mentoring Dinner for 1st year graduate students »
Congratulations to P&N's Makeba Wilbourn, who has received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). This is the highest honor bestowed by the United States Government on science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their research. She was one of 102 scientists and researchers to receive the award. President Obama made the announcement on Friday, January 9th, according to a press release from whitehouse.gov. "I congratulate these outstanding scientists and engineers on… read more about Makeba Wilbourn honored by President Obama, receives Presidential Early Career Award »
Congratulations to P&N Professor Mike Tomasello and his colleagues, whose study on mind reading in great apes has been chosen as one of the top 10 breakthroughs of 2016 by Science Magazine. The Breakthrough of the Year is widely recognized as one of the highest distinctions in science. The mind-reading skill, known as theory of mind, was previously thought to be present only in humans. The study challenges that assumption, using a man dressed in a King Kong outfit who pretends to be misinformed about… read more about Tomasello Study a Top Breakthrough of 2016 »
Data from a recent P&N brain imaging study found that subjects who had a relatively greater activity in the prefrontal cortex while completing math problems from memory also reported having better emotion regulation skills compared to their peers. “Our work provides the first direct evidence that the ability to regulate emotions like fear and anger reflects the brain’s ability to make numerical calculations in real time,” said Matthew Scult, a 5th-year P&N Graduate Student in the lab of the study’s senior… read more about Matt Scult: Emotion Regulation, Mathmatical Skills Linked »
We are pleased to announce Jennifer Acosta as this year’s winner of the Bruner Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research. Jennifer is a Psychology major and is also completing the certificate in Child and Family Policy. She serves as a Teaching Assistant in Introductory Psychology. She is particularly interested in the experience of 1st generation college students, and worked with Dr. Mark Leary to analyze data relevant to this population from the you@duke program. She spent a summer at… read more about Jennifer Acosta receives Bruner Award »
The Department of Psychology & Neuroscience at Duke University invites applications for a tenure-track assistant professor position in Behavioral and Systems Neuroscience, to start in summer 2018. We seek outstanding applicants with the potential to develop an innovative and externally funded research program and motivation to engage in undergraduate and graduate teaching. Candidates from any area of behavioral and systems neuroscience, including sensory and motor systems, development, and learning and plasticity, are… read more about Job Opening: SINS Faculty Position »
Duke University, Durham, North Carolina. The Department of Psychology & Neuroscience at Duke University, invites applications for an Assistant Professor of the Practice position to begin in July 2017. This full-time regular-rank (non-tenure-track) position will have a primary focus on undergraduate instruction; the exact area of expertise is open. The ideal candidate would be a teacher-scholar with a Ph.D. in Psychology who can contribute to a wide range of undergraduate instructional needs, including… read more about Job Opening: Assistant Professor of the Practice »
The latest episode of the Sanford School's radio show Ways & Means features new faculty member Sarah Gaither's comments on race and her research on cross-racial communication. You can listen to it here: http://www.waysandmeansshow.org/episodes/2016/10/24/s2-episode-2-who-is-white Or subscribe to the podcast here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ways-means/id1061406250?mt=2. For more information on Dr. Gaither's work, check out her Duke Identity and Diversity Lab. read more about Who is White? »
P&N alumna Tovah Klein will be giving two talks for the Duke Graduate School on October 27th and October 28th. Dr. Klein is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Barnard College, Columbia University and Director of the Barnard College Center for Toddler Development. Dr. Klein is the author of How Toddlers Thrive and and the parent of three children. Her appearances on “Good Morning America” to share her expertise earned her the nickname “toddler whisperer.” She has also appeared on CNN,… read more about Dr. Tovah Klein »
Work by P&N's Kevin LaBar and colleagues is featured as lead story today on CNN Health. LaBar and his team have mapped the distinct patterns of brain activity that correspond to seven different emotional states while subjects are resting without external stimulation in an MRI scanner.. “It’s getting to be a bit like mind-reading,” said LaBar. “Earlier studies have shown that functional MRI can identify whether a person is thinking about a face or a house. Our study is the first to show that specific… read more about Mapping Emotions in the Brain »
P&N's Mike Tomasello co-authors a study demonstrating that great apes recognize when others have false beliefs. Read the story in Duke Today and in Science:https://today.duke.edu/2016/10/falsebeliefs http://science.sciencemag.org/content/354/6308/110 read more about Apes Understand That Some Things are All in Your Head »
The Department welcomes Gregory Samanez-Larkin, who will be joining P&N as a new assistant professor on July 1, 2017. Dr. Samanez-Larkin received his PhD in Psychology at Stanford University, and is currently an Assistant Professor of Psychology, Cognitive Science, and Neuroscience at Yale University. His lab examines how individual and age differences in motivation and cognition influence decision making across the life span. Their research is at the intersection of a number of subfields within… read more about Welcome Gregory Samanez-Larkin »