Psychology and Social Behavior
The Department of Psychology and Social Behavior (PSB) at UCI offers exciting and innovative programs of study at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Our 25 faculty members are prominent scholars whose specialties include developmental, social, personality, health, psychology and law, biological, clinical, cultural, community, environmental, and ecological psychology. The faculty are united by an overarching interest in understanding the origins of human behavior as it develops across the life course and in diverse sociocultural contexts. The faculty also share a strong commitment to interdisciplinary scholarship and to research that has the potential for application to important societal problems.
Visit the School of Social Ecology Home page for more information about the school, departments, faculty, and employment opportunities.
(click on icon to view Poster of Psych@UCI and PSB/Cog Sci Joint Profile)
ranks
The Department of Psychology and Social Behavior
at the University of California, Irvine
6th under
Psychology, various - 2007
and 10th under
Human Development and Family Studies, General - 2007
Upcoming Events
PSB COLLOQUIUM SERIES
NO COLLOQUIA UNTIL FALL 2008
Mondays
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Social Ecology I Room 112
COMMENCEMENT CEREMONIES
Graduate Student Ceremony
Saturday June 7, 2008
4:00 PM (Line-up at 12 pm sharp)
BREN EVENTS CENTER
Social Ecology Undergraduate Awards Ceremony
Thursday, June 12th
5:30-7:00 p.m.
STUDENT CENTER, DOHENY ROOMS
Undergraduate Ceremony for Majors in PSB & SE (General)
Speaker:
Ralph Catalano, Ph.D., M.R.P.
Professor of Public Health, UC Berkeley
Friday June 13, 2008
1:00 PM (Line-up at 12 pm sharp)
BREN EVENTS CENTER
Faculty News
Cahill on ‘Superior Memory’
“This has grown from an interesting, curious sideshow to potentially a major, major development in the field of brain and memory.” – Larry Cahill, neurobiology & behavior associate professor, commenting on his extensive research on “superior autobiographical memory,” in which people can recall nearly every detail of their lives. Orange County Register, April 25, 2008. more »
Elizabeth Cauffman has received the 2008 Dan Stokols Award for Interdisciplinary Research.
Elizabeth Cauffman was awarded funding from UC Mexus for her work entitled: Acculturation and Moral Foundations in Adolescence.
Elizabeth Cauffman and her student, Lindsay Malloy, were among the 2008 Psi Chi Western Regional Research Award winners for their poster, On the Outside and Inside: Victimization Experiences of Serious Juvenile Offenders presented at the annual meeting of the Western Psychological Association last month.
False Memories Complicate End-of-Life Treatment Decisions
Advance directives, or living wills, may not effectively honor end-of-life wishes because life-sustaining treatment preferences often change over time without people being aware of the changes, according to a new study co-authored by UCI researchers Peter Ditto (left) and Elizabeth Loftus. The study finds false memories can play a significant role in the discrepancy between an individual’s true preferences for end-of-life treatment and what is instructed in his or her living will. The study appears in the current issue of the American Psychological Association journal Health Psychology. more »
Megan Brokenbourgh, a PSB undergraduate student instructed by Dr. Joanne Frattaroli, received the 2007-08 Upper-Division Social Science Award for Excellence in Academic Writing.
Professor Wendy Goldberg delivered an invited address at the April meeting of the Western Psychological Association. Her talk was entitled, "Maternal employment and children's achievement: What have we learned?". Professor Goldberg's presentation featured findings from a recent meta-analysis on the topic. Her co-authors on the article, published in the January 2008 issue of Psychological Bulletin, are her colleague, Professor JoAnn Prause, PSB graduate student Rachel Lucas-Thompson, and former PSB graduate student and now professor at El Camino College, Amy Himsel.
Publication of Professor Jutta Heckhausen's book "Motivation and Action"
"Motivation and Action" (Cambridge University Press) gives an extensive and in-depth overview of the diverse lines of research in motivational psychology, in terms of its historical foundations, up-to-date conceptual developments, and empirical research.
A interdisciplinary team of Social Ecology faculty and graduate students will be presenting results on heavy metal exposure in the shed teeth of children with and without autism at the upcoming International Meetings for Autism Research in London in mid-May. The faculty members on the project are Prof. Jon Ericson, Wendy Goldberg, and Alison Clarke-Stewart; graduate students are Maryam Abdullah, Agnes Ly, Erin Kent, and Tony Chan.
Linda Levine received the 2008 Social Ecology Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. She also published articles on the effects of emotions on memory this year with former PSB doctoral students John Rice, Stewart Burgess, Cara Laney, and Heather Lench, in the journals Developmental Psychology; Emotion, and Motivation and Emotion.
Levine on Emotions & the Electoral Process
“Emotional memory is not indelible. It’s something we construct, and it changes over time as our perceptions of past events change.” – Linda Levine, psychology & social behavior associate professor, commenting on the role of emotions in the presidential electoral process. Globe and Mail, Toronto, March 6, 2008. more>>
Loftus to Receive Honorary Doctorate from University of Oslo
Elizabeth Loftus, Distinguished Professor of Social Ecology, will receive an honorary doctorate in philosophy from the University of Oslo. The university is honoring Loftus for her achievements in the study of memory – specifically the malleable nature of the human mind. The University of Oslo grants honorary doctorates in recognition of outstanding work furthering the scientific endeavor. The university will present Loftus with the doctorate at a gala dinner in Oslo in September. more>>
Beth Loftus' latest book, The 4th Edition of "Eyewitness Testimony: Civil & Criminal" offers courtroom-ready trial techniques and the latest psychological research concerning such issues as jurors’ beliefs about eyewitness testimony, the factors that may impede perception and memory, and illustrates the consequences and effects of eyewitness testimony in both criminal and civil trials.
Sal Maddi will give a talk on Hardiness as the Pathway to Resilience under Stress at the Rand Corporation in Santa Monica, CA on April 17th.
In July 2008, Sal Maddi will give the keynote address on Hardiness in Aging at the International Network on Personal Meaning conference in Vancouver, Canada.
Candice Odgers has received the 2006 Saleem Shah award for early career excellence.
Jodi Quas has been named by the American Psychological Association as one of the recipients of the 2008 Award for Distinguished Early Career Scientific Contributions to Psychology.
Silver ‘Decade of Behavior’ Distinguished Lecture
Roxane Cohen Silver was recently selected to give the prestigious Decade of Behavior Distinguished Lecture at the 89th annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association in New York March 24-28. The five-day conference focused on research on schools, neighborhoods and communities by experts in psychology, education and law. Silver discussed “Coping with Traumatic Life Events.” more>>
Dan Stokols, Professor Psychology and Social Behavior and of Planning, Policy, and Design in the School of Social Ecology has been named a UCI Chancellor's Professor. This prestigious designation is used to recognize scholars who have demonstrated unusual academic merit and whose promise for scholarly achievement makes them of exceptional value to the university. The review process for such designations is quite rigorous and the number of Chancellor's Professors at any time cannot exceed 3% of the filled faculty positions at UCI, excluding emeritus faculty. Professor Stokols, a social and environmental psychologist, served as the first Dean of the School of Social Ecology and is a national leader in the study of transdiciplinary research methods.
Current and Former Student News
Kristin August and assistant adjunct professor Dara Sorkin have received an award from the Anthony Marchionne Foundation to examine how effectively single versus married individuals manage chronic illness, specifically type 2 diabetes.
Several PSB undergraduate students led by Roxane Silver (along with graduate student Scott Blum for 2 of them) are presenting 5 posters at the Western Psychological Association Annual meeting held in Irvine, CA the week of April 7th. They are: Roy Taggueg, Shab Moghbeli, and Anny Yang (Using Web 2.0 to Respond to the Virginia Tech Shootings); Usme Khusbu, Mariah Josefovsky, Maria Martinez, and Stephanie Sullivan (Copycat Episodes Following Media Exposure of the Virginia Tech Shooting); Amy Williams, Cynthia LaCoe and Eric Wong, with Scott Blum (Examining Experiences of Loss Among College Students); Justin Barker, with Scott Blum (Justice Beliefs 5 years after September 11th: Results of a Nationwide Study); Christine Chu (Are Australians Concerned About Terrorism? A Nationwide Study).
Carrie Carmody, PSB doctoral student, was chosen to be a Senior Reviewer for this year’s APS Rise-Up Research Awards.
Nathalie Carrick has accepted an assistant professor position at Cal State Fullerton in the Child and Adolescent Studies Department.
Jennifer Eno Louden’s research article Constructing Insanity: Jurors’ Prototypes, Attitudes, and Legal Decision-Making was featured in The Atlantic; a leading magazine of reporting & ideas. The article is co-authored by Jennifer Skeem.
The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI) announced the winners of their Grants-in-Aid for the Fall 2007 competition. One of the winners was recent Ph.D. graduate, Gary Germo (PSB) for a project entitled “HPA Functioning Among At-Risk Young Adults: The role of Maltreatment, Current Stressful Life Events, and Attachment Styles.” The Grants-in-Aid Program supports scientific research in social problem areas related to the basic interests and goals of SPSSI and particularly those that are not likely to receive support from traditional sources.
Nathan C. Hall, former Postdoctoral Scholar, has accepted an Assistant Professor position in Educational Psychology with the Department of Human Development at The University of Maryland, College Park.
Cara Laney, a recent Ph.D. graduate of PSB, had her dissertation research article Emotional Content of True and False Memories accepted for publication by the prestigious journal Memory.
The Academic Senate Council on Student Experience has selected Rachel Lucas-Thompson for one of the two 2008 Most Promising Future Faculty Dissertation Fellowships. Ms. Lucas-Thompson will receive her award on May 22, 2008 at the 16th annual Celebration of Teaching.
Rachel Lucas-Thompson has been selected by the Academic Senate Council on Student Experience to receive a 2008 Most Promising Future Faculty Dissertation Fellowship. Rachel is one of only two graduate students on campus to receive this annual award.
Rachel Lucas-Thompson has been selected as one of the 2008 UCI Medal Dinner Fellows. The UCI Medal, the campus' highest honor, is awarded in recognition of the recipient's exceptional support of the university's mission of teaching, research, and public service. The School of Social Ecology awarded Rachel a stipend in recognition of her superior performance in both academic and research arenas.
The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI) announced the winners of their Grants-in-Aid for the Spring 2008 competition. One of the winners was Rachel Lucas-Thompson (PSB) for a project entitled "Interparental Conflict and Adolescent Physiological Functioning and Health." The Grants-in-Aid Program supports scientific research in social problem areas related to the basic interests and goals of SPSSI and particularly those that are not likely to receive support from traditional sources.
PSB graduate student Gloria Luong has been selected to participate in the Aging Research Topics - Mental Health program, a ten-week summer training program funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. She was also selected to serve a two-year term on the American Psychological Association Science Student Council as the Health Psychology Representative.
Lindsay Malloy has accepted a Postdoctoral Research Associate position at the University of Cambridge.
Lindsay Malloy will present two papers this month with Jodi Quas at the annual meeting of the American Psychology Law Society: Maltreated and Nonmaltreated Children's Perceptions of the Consequences of Disclosing an Adult's Wrongdoing and Anticipatory Supportiveness: Maltreated and Nonmaltreated Children's Predictions of Caregiver Belief. At the same conference, she will also present False Confessions among Serious Juvenile Offenders with Beth Cauffman and fellow PSB graduate student Suzanne Kaasa.
PSB graduate student Lindsay Malloy has received a Chancellor’s Club Excellence Fellowship for 2007-2008 for her academic excellence, accomplishments, and leadership qualities consistent with the mission of the Chancellor’s Club, i.e., representing our academic and research leaders of the future.
PSB alum Michael Poulin has accepted an assistant professor position in the Department of Psychology at SUNY, Buffalo, NY.
Elizabeth Shulman, graduate student in PSB and the Development, Disorder, and Delinquency lab, led by Beth Cauffman, received seed grants from the American Psychology- Law Society and UC MEXUS to examine how adolescents' moral beliefs and school-related attitudes influence their perceptions of the justice system. Special attention will be paid to Latino/Latina youth and how changes in moral values are associated with acculturation.
David Tannenbaum was awarded runner-up for the Society for Personality and Social Psychology Poster Award Conference held in Albuquerque, New Mexico this past weekend. His poster, Different Moral Values Produce Different Judgments of Intentional Action, was done in collaboration with Pete Ditto and former PSB post-doctoral scholar David Pizarro.
Yanyan Zhang recently receive a prestigious award from China for her ongoing work in graduate school, the "2007 Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-financed Students Abroad." She was the only student from UCI to receive this award.
Recent Ph.D.'s
Doctor Judith Anderson
The Role of Psychological State and Biological Context on Neuroendocrine Stress Response Regulation: A Study of Women of Child Bearing Age
Doctor Marnie Brow
The Role of Personality Following the September 11th Terrorist Attacks: Big Five Trait Combinations and Interactions in Explaining Distress and Coping
Doctor Nathalie Carrick
Fairies are Real but Witches aren't: Children's Evaluations of Emotional Fantasy
Doctor Esther Chang
Shared Agency between Older Youth and Parents: Ethnic Differences and Similarities
Doctor Jennifer Eno-Louden
Effect of Stigma of Mental Disorder and Substance Abuse on Probation Officers' Case Management Decisions
Doctor Gary Germo
Early Adversity and Current Stressors on Adolescents' and Young Adults' Morning Cortisol Levels: The Moderating Role of Attachment Style
Doctor Meret Keller
A Contextual Approach to Understanding the Relations between Family Sleep Arrangements and Young Children's Socio-Emotional Well-Being
Doctor Pamela King
Understanding Adolescents' Motivation for Physical Activity: Utility of the Self-Determination Theory
Doctor Heather Lench
The Relation of Approach Avoidance Goals to Persistence, Affective Judgments and Health
Doctor Lindsay Malloy
Maltreated and Nonmaltreated Children's Evaluations of disclosing an Adult's Wrongdoing
Doctor Jennifer Piazza
Living with Chronic Health Conditions and Functional Disability: Age Differences in Affective Well-Being
Doctor Huy Vu
Acculturation, Intergenerational Conflict and Support, and Psychological Well-Being
Doctor Allison Wallin
The Influence of Parent-Child Attachment on Children's Stress Responses
Doctor Thomas Wicke
Community Response to Trauma: An Ecological Analysis of How Community is Affected by Social Disaster in Laramie, Wyoming and Jasper, Texas
