Renee Magnan, assistant professor of psychology at WSU Vancouver, recently received a grant to research the effectiveness of graphic warning labels, rather than those with text only, on cigarette packages. “There is currently a big need for research in this area to help inform policy,” she said.
By volunteering as a memory research subject, Johnnie Bosworth of Spokane is helping WSU researchers develop strategies for people with age-related memory loss or cognitive impairment to live safely in their own homes.
We really want to keep people “functioning as independently as possible for as long as possible,” said Maureen Schmitter-Edgecombe, a clinical neuropsychologist in the Department of Psychology who’s leading the research with faculty in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
Considering that nearly one in five U.S. residents will be 65 and older in 2030, “There’s some concern about how we’re going to handle this aging population,” Schmitter-Edgecombe said.
Tahira Probst, professor of psychology and interim assistant vice chancellor of Academic Affairs, WSU Vancouver, discusses employee evaluation methods, including the controversial practice of “stack ranking,” which Microsoft recently announced it will discontinue.
With support from a $1.6 million grant, a new CAS faculty member is studying people’s beliefs about whether intelligence can be increased and how these beliefs shape our attitudes, behaviors and expectations.
Joyce Ehrlinger, assistant professor of psychology, has begun working with teachers at Pullman High School to apply some of her research to improve students’ math skills. She is reaching out to other educators at WSU and in the surrounding community who can work with youngsters to help them develop “the mindset that they can become smarter.”
“We have tools that have been proven to improve kids’ performance on standardized tests, ultimately just by teaching them this idea that intelligence is changeable.”
Parks is the inaugural program speaker in the Honors College Distinguished Lecture Series. A branch of his research examines the conditions under which people will work for the common good or actively oppose a collectively beneficial endeavor, and the ways cooperation is affected by individuals’ personality and influence.
“We are pleased that Dr. Parks will be our first guest speaker. His research into human cooperation is ground-breaking,” said M. Grant Norton, dean.