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Department of Psychology

Jamie Pennebaker stands in a field at sunset with cityscape in background.

A Psychologist’s Award-Winning Word Play

December 4, 2020 by Rachel White

Before his research helped discover the healing powers of writing and the Secret Life of Pronouns, Jamie Pennebaker’s curiosity killed the crab.

Mary and Randy Diehl with Yellowstone Park in background.

Teaching, Learning and Living

November 30, 2020 by Alex Reshanov

Randy and Mary Diehl, 2020 Pro Bene Meritis award recipients, share a dedication for championing education and a joy for lifelong learning.

Illustration of parents standing holding shapes with numbers with two children playing on the floor in a home setting with pink walls and a chalkboard on the wall.

Three Ways Kids Can Learn through Play at Home

May 7, 2020 by Rachel White

Children’s lives revolve around social interactions that help them figure out what it means to be a member of their family and community. But recent shelter-in-place efforts have limited many of these routine yet vital experiences — especially because young kids can’t video call or text their friends as freely as others. “Social interaction is […]

A moving illustration of a large scene. In it, we can see vertical windows looking to a peaceful night cityscape, with twinkling stars overhead. The windows are in the shape of a cellphone battery icon, and illustration slowly turns to a bright, cheerful day scene. The buildings all come to life in a bright, multi-colored wash of color. Around the border of the window, we can see stylized illustrations of people in various poses. We see people having fun with computers, people playing with their pets, families, riding bikes, reading. We also see a medical doctor with a mask waving. There are also wires leading from each person that connect with the battery-shaped window in the middle, giving life to the city.

Rebooting Our Lives After COVID-19

May 7, 2020 by Rachel White

The world’s new reality amid the COVID-19 pandemic is forcing us to confront issues and critically think about how to revive communities slowly, safely and sustainably.

Three people sit at table working on laptops together while laughing.

Bring Your Brain to Work

August 2, 2019 by Tori Miller

In Bring Your Brain to Work, Art Markman shares what you need to know to succeed at work. He highlights research from cognitive science that supports strategies to help readers get a job, to succeed at that job once they get it, and to best enhance their career by getting the next job.  You’ve probably heard […]

Illustration of spacemen examining a large brain with futuristic instruments on some alien world.

Breakthroughs in Brain Health: We’re Closer Than You Think

April 4, 2019 by Alex Reshanov

It might not seem like it when you’ve forgotten your email password for the third time in as many days, but your brain is capable of amazing things. It can instantly process the intricate sensory inputs needed to understand the world while simultaneously conducting motor neurons to navigate these landscapes. It can read complex emotions […]

Black and white photograph of The Beatles standing against a white backdrop as a crowd looks on.

Here Comes the Song: The Personalities Behind Your Favorite Beatles Lyrics

October 5, 2018 by Rachel White

If Paul McCartney would have written “Yesterday” based on the first words that came to his mind, the song would sound like a concupiscent teen singing about breakfast: Scrambled eggs, oh, my baby, how I love your legs… The melody of the song, which has been broadcasted on American radio more than 7 million times […]

Portrait of Dean Randy Diehl.

Rising to the Challenge 

July 2, 2018 by Randy Diehl

Five years ago we opened the doors to a new College of Liberal Arts Building in the heart of campus. It was a milestone event, marking the first time students in our college had a place to call home. Departments and other units once scattered across campus were brought together in new collaborative spaces, as […]

Portrait of Gloria Hwang holding a Thousand stripped helmet.

Fashion Meets Function

January 12, 2018 by Rachel White

Though an avid cyclist, Gloria Hwang was never a fan of helmets, referring to them as “sci-fi” nuisances. But after losing a friend through a cycling accident, her perspective changed. Hwang, a psychology alumna, says her mission in founding and launching Thousand, a new brand of cycling helmets, was to save lives, noting that there are […]

Stylized illustration of a backyard barbecue with all of its guests looking down at their phones and not talking to each other. All the while a fire has begun in the grill and appears to be getting out of control. An excited dog makes off with a link of sausages in its mouth.

Can We Talk?: Why Discourse is Dying in America

May 2, 2017 by Rachel White

I’ll have to admit that I was a bit perplexed when I heard linguistic anthropologist Elizabeth Keating say, “There is a very strong preference for agreement in conversation in the U.S.” I couldn’t believe my ears — even the Pew Research Center pegged political polarization as the defining feature of modern U.S. politics. And it’s […]

close up of lab coat with Dell Medical School logo

First Class: Rethinking Health Care Through the Liberal Arts

November 18, 2016 by Emily Nielsen

The doors of the Dell Medical School have opened for its first class of future doctors, and they are on a mission to get the training they need to make a difference in the lives of future patients, their communities and even medicine itself. Of the 50 members in the school’s inaugural class, three graduated […]

Stylized illustration of raised fists from children in front of a school and holding a flag with vegetables printed on it.

We’re Not Going to Eat It: Channeling Teens’ Appetite for Rebellion

November 18, 2016 by David S. Yeager and Cintia Hinojosa

During this school year in Texas we’re likely to see between 15 and 20 percent of teens with obesity and more than 15,000 cases of preventable forms of youth diabetes. We can do better, and it starts with the messaging teens receive. School administrators and parents currently try to explain to teens how their food […]

A tongue-in-cheek photo of a smiling woman holding a brightly branded "Vote" box against a red background. The box reads, "The Campaign for Your Vote: Just Add Brand Power!" (America's Choice).

The Campaign for Your Vote: Just Add Brand Power

May 9, 2016 by Rachel White

After months of being bombarded by pollsters, campaign ads and the most outlandish sound bites on repeat, the moment will come for you to finally cast your ballot. Whom will you choose? “The presidency is the one office that represents the American people: all their wishes, dreams, desires, hopes, fears and everything else,” says history […]

Repeating logo icons of William Shakespeare's profile.

Forever Shakespeare: The Making of an Icon

November 2, 2015 by Kay Randall

Editor’s note: As the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death approaches, five UT Austin scholars share how they celebrate his work and his ultimate staying power. In 10 years, people won’t care about Kim Kardashian’s face-contouring regimen or that she had 35 million Twitter followers. But William Shakespeare? Four centuries after his death he’s still […]

Illustration of a a thought bubble in the shape of a padlock.

Give it a Rest

April 30, 2015 by Marc Airhart

Scientists have already established that resting the mind, as in daydreaming, helps strengthen memories of events and retention of information, but in a new twist, UT Austin researchers have found that the right kind of mental rest and reflection can actually help boost future learning. How our brains capture and store new information is heavily […]

Illustration of Russian nesting dolls.

Depression: Making Treatment Personal

April 30, 2015 by Michelle Bryant

For the estimated 350 million people worldwide who suffer from depression, the health consequences go far beyond “feeling down.” In fact, it is a leading cause of disability worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. Unfortunately, the vast majority of people with symptoms of depression will never receive treatment, and for those diagnosed with major […]

Illustration of a magnifying glass looking over a sheet of paper. The letter, "A" is enlarged in the magnifying glass.

Little Words Can Mean A Lot

April 30, 2015 by Michelle Bryant

The smallest, most forgettable words in admissions essays — such as the, a, to, I and they — can tell us in advance how students will perform in college, according to a new study at UT Austin that included computerized text analysis of 50,000 admissions essays written by prospective college students. How a student uses small words, the study revealed, is related […]

Boston Bombing Shows the Power of Familial Ties

April 15, 2015 by William Swann Jr.

For many, the recent trial of Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has relit the inevitable question: “How could they?” One answer lies within something called familial ties, and they’re more powerful and prevalent than most people realize. Although the trial and sentencing may bring some closure, we should also not forget the overwhelmingly spontaneous humanity […]

someone texting while driving

We Need to Protect Ourselves From Our Phones

March 18, 2015 by Art Markman

When it comes to cellphones, we are no better than trained rats in a box. Just the other day, I was stuck behind a driver playing with a cellphone while driving. I have gotten used to assuming that everyone doing something silly on the road is driving while distracted. In Austin, San Antonio and several […]

Two gears in dialogue bubble captions.

It’s Plainer to an Explainer

December 4, 2014 by Jessica Sinn

Asking children to come up with explanations — even to themselves — enhances their cause-and-effect learning abilities, according to new research by Cristine Legare, associate professor of psychology. The study, published in the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, shows that young children who come up with explanations while learning are able to connect new ideas […]

A simple drawing of the Austin skyline. A large doctor's stethoscope looms in front of the skyline bracketing the words, "Keeping A Pulse on Population Health."

Keeping A Pulse On Population Health

November 21, 2014 by Sarah Muthler

A few years ago, a Plan II Honors student in Marc Musick’s sociology lecture came to him with a question. Musick had been talking about the shortage of doctors in rural and inner city areas. The student had grown up in the Rio Grande Valley and hoped to go on to medical school. Why, he […]

Dean Randy Diehl shaking hands with student

Championing Student Success

November 20, 2014 by Randy Diehl

We hear a lot these days about the challenges facing college students, from loan debt to an uncertain job market. The College of Liberal Arts has consistently taken the lead in creating innovative solutions for these and other challenges, and our efforts are paying off. The university has sought our college’s leadership on a number of student success initiatives. In 2011 we led […]

Preston

Mental Rest and Reflection Boost Learning, Study Suggests

October 21, 2014 by Marc Airhart

A new study, which may have implications for approaches to education, finds that brain mechanisms engaged when people allow their minds to rest and reflect on things they’ve learned before may boost later learning. Scientists have already established that resting the mind, as in daydreaming, helps strengthen memories of events and retention of information. In […]

Photos of Adrian Audain (anthro sr), Macarena Jaraiz (American studies & IRG soph), Manjari Subramanian (psych jr); BOTTOM ROW: Michael Villanueva (IRG soph), Angelica Cruz (history soph) and James Barrington (gov & Air Force ROTC sr).

Millennial Nation

April 24, 2014 by Emily Nielsen

A Generational Look at Education, Money and Work Empathetic. Impatient. Innovative. Unfocused. Rational. Naive. Excited. These are the words millennials in the College of Liberal Arts use when they’re asked to describe themselves. However, it’s a question they’re not often asked. Plenty of people, from journalists to researchers to employers, are looking to define who […]

Illustration of red-curly-haired woman with dog's bowl with two fried eggs and boy and dog entering through door. Illustration: Yevgenia Nayberg.

Why Mom Called You ‘Fluffy’

April 21, 2014 by Jessica Sinn

When choosing baby names, parents often want something that is pleasing to the ear. Some even turn to alliteration when naming multiple children. But according to a new psychology study from The University of Texas at Austin, parents set themselves up for speech errors when they give their children similar-sounding names. The findings, published in […]

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