Why Social Science? - Because It Can Challenge Conventional Wisdom
By Olugbenga Ajilore, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Economics, University of Toledo
Social science research provides evidence that helps us understand the drivers of social problems. A lot of times, this evidence is in contrast to the conventional wisdom and may on the face of it seem…
Officials raise Puerto Rico’s death toll from Hurricane Maria to nearly 3,000 people
By Aimee Cunningham
The Puerto Rican government has officially updated its tally of lives lost to Hurricane Maria to an estimated 2,975. That number, reported August 28 in a government-commissioned study by George Washington University in Washington D.C., dwarfs the island’s previous count…
Farmer Field School addresses food insecurity, gender inequality in Honduras
Studying for her dual-title doctoral degree in rural sociology and in international agriculture and development at Penn State, Paige Castellanos learned about the plight of families living in western Honduras, where many eke out a living in an economy marked by high poverty rates and subsistence…
Parents’ behavior during playtime may affect toddler’s weight later on
Parents who positively engage with their children during play time — and gently steer them to clean up afterward — may help toddlers with low-self regulation have lower body mass indexes (BMIs) later on as preschoolers.
In a study, researchers found that toddlers who had poor self-regulation skills…
"Translational Science in the Era of Big Data” to be held Sept. 6
The ability to work with and analyze large amounts of data for research is gaining in importance, especially involving the incorporation of electronic health records. Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute is planning for the future as it looks towards its renewal application for…
Morgan authors blog post for Psychology Today
Paul Morgan, director for the Center for Educational Disparities Research and professor of education and demography, authored a post for Psychology Today's blog "Children who struggle: Understanding and addressing educational disparities."
Research on neural signatures of inhibitory control in bilingual spoken production by SLEIC researchers Dr. Eleonora Rossi, Dr. Michele Diaz & colleagues
SLEIC researchers, Dr. Eleonora Rossi (who is now an Assistant Professor at California State Polytechnic University), Dr. Michele Diaz and other colleagues recently published a study on neural signatures of inhibitory control in bilingual spoken production. The goal of this event-related functional…
Using social media to solve social problems
Social scientist rely on data to study social problems, however data from traditional surveys can be difficult and time consuming to collect, as well as inaccurate since not all factors can be measured well. A National Science Foundation-funded Penn State project will evaluate the accuracy of using…
People with autism may not have trouble focusing on people in photos
While people with autism may avoid eye contact in one-on-one conversations, they may not avoid looking at people in photos, according to Penn State researchers.
Krista Wilkinson, professor of communication sciences and disorders and SSRI faculty co-fund, said previously it was thought that people…
Crowley receives NARSAD Young Investigator Award for work on the neurobiology of binge drinking
Nikki Crowley, assistant research professor of biobehavioral health, has received the NARSAD Young Investigator Award from the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation. This award will support her work on the neurobiological underpinnings of alcohol misuse and comorbid neuropsychiatric…
Self-control develops gradually in adolescent brain
Different parts of the brain mature at different times, which may help to explain impulsive behaviors in adolescence, suggest researchers from Penn State and the University of Pittsburgh.
The team discovered that the brain’s salience network, a group of regions that work together to help people…
Why Social Science? - Because It Helps Us Identify and Combat Misinformation
By Melanie C. Green, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Communication, University at Buffalo
To make good decisions, we need good information. Every day, people form opinions on health treatments, political policies, and consumer products. Social sciences help us understand how people can…
College students may face pressures from opioid epidemic's secondary effects
About one in five college students reported in a survey that they knew someone who was addicted to pain medications, and nearly a third said they knew somebody who overdosed on painkillers or heroin, according to a team of undergraduate Penn State Lehigh Valley researchers.
This secondary exposure…
Department head authors chapter on Autism Spectrum Disorder
Diane Williams, head of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Penn State, is author of a chapter in The Wiley Handbook of Memory, Autism Spectrum Disorder and the Law, released in July.
Williams authored the chapter, “Executive Function and Complex Processing Models,” which…
Learning to ask older adults better questions about their memory
Healthcare providers and researchers rely on screening questions to detect patients who may be at risk for developing Alzheimer's disease and other aging-related problems, but how these questions are worded may be confusing or trigger emotional responses. According to Penn State researchers, this…
Well-being of 'left behind' children in Kyrgyzstan focus of study
Growing up can be hard no matter what a family's circumstances, but it is often more so for children living in the Kyrgyz Republic in Central Asia, one of the poorest countries in the world, known for its dry environment, high mountains, nomadic culture and animal-husbandry heritage.
Isolation,…
Responsive parenting intervention results in lower BMIs through age three
An intervention designed to promote healthy growth, which taught first-time moms how to respond with age-appropriate responses to their babies’ needs, resulted in children having lower body mass indexes (BMIs) when they were three years old.
The intervention, which began shortly after the babies’…
Death toll from Hurricane Maria estimated to be larger than previously thought
The number of people who died as a result of Hurricane Maria — which hit Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017 — may be as high as 1,139, surpassing the official death count of 64, according to researchers.
The researchers used official government records to calculate the number, which took into…
Improving the Use of Research Evidence in Policy: A Workshop for Faculty
Date: August 15th from 1:30-3:30pm
Location: 116 Biobehavioral Health Building (Zoom option is also available, see registration for details)
Please Register here
*Registration is required; Kindly register no later than Friday, August 10th
Scientists rarely receive formal training on ways to engage…
Why Social Science? - Because It Can Improve the Lives of City Residents
By David Yokum, J.D., Ph.D., Director, The Lab @ DC
There’s a movement underway to integrate scientific research into the everyday workings of government at all levels. Increasingly, research professionals are being called upon to roll up their sleeves and lend their advice, expertise, and…
Penn State forms addiction legal resources team at Dickinson Law
With the number of opioid overdose deaths continuing to rise in Pennsylvania, a group of Penn State Dickinson Law students and faculty are becoming advocates and providing resources for those who are affected by addictions.
Led by Matthew Lawrence, assistant professor of law at Dickinson Law and…
Youth who age out of foster care show higher educational attainment
Children in foster care often suffer detrimental effects that can carry over into adulthood and infect future relationships. However, new Penn State research indicates youth who age out of foster care attain higher educational achievement than those who exit foster care and are reunited with their…
NIH guide notice on basic science studies involving human participants
The purpose of this notice is to describe interim policy flexibilities for a subset of NIH-funded studies whose primary purpose is the pursuit of basic science. These are studies that meet the NIH definition of a “clinical trial” and that also meet the Federal definition of basic science. …
Frankenberg participates on national panel about school integration
Erica Frankenberg, associate professor of education (educational leadership) and director of the Center for Education and Civil Rights at Penn State, was one of four panelists who will present "School Integration 2018," a briefing on past progress, present threats and future opportunities, that…
Family-Focused Approaches to Opioid Addiction Improve the Effectiveness of Treatment
- Written by Helena J.V. Rutherford, Ph.D., Yale School of Medicine, Declan T. Barry, Ph.D., Yale School of Medicine, and Linda C. Mayes, MD, Yale School of Medicine
- Edited by Rebekah Levine Coley, Ph.D., Boston College
- For more information, contact Martha Zaslow, Ph.D. Director for Policy,…