Professor Ellen Bialystok speaks to the New York Times about the bilingual advantage

A cognitive neuroscientist, Ellen Bialystok has spent almost 40 years learning about how bilingualism sharpens the mind, wrote The New York Times May 30: Her good news: Among other benefits, the regular use of two languages appears to delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease symptoms. Dr. Bialystok, 62, a distinguished research professor of psychology at […]

York's digital media, vision and computer science expertise driving inaugural 3D conference

The Toronto International Stereoscopic 3D Conference, a one-of-a-kind gathering of experts in stereoscopic 3D art and entertainment, takes place in Toronto June 11 to 14. Major figures from the USA, UK, Russia, Germany and Canada will convene at TIFF Bell Lightbox to address and analyze the latest developments in the field. The first of its […]

Professor Myriam Mongrain's psychology study on kindness attracts media coverage

There is karma in kindness. It seems that the Biblical adage of doing unto others, as you’d have them do unto you, pays off in happiness, reported the Toronto Star May 17: A York University study found that people who performed small acts of kindness – every day for five to 15 minutes for a […]

Professor and CRC Gordon Flett on coping with psychological distress, the silent killer

If there was ever any doubt, Charlie Sheen is not winning, wrote Chillonline.ca May 12. While it was beauty that killed the beast, it was most likely pressure (brewed in wealth, drugs and women) that pushed Sheen from atop his skyscraper of a life: Gordon Flett, Canada Research Chair in Personality and Health, examines psychological […]

Psychology Professor Ian McGregor explores links between anxiety and compensatory convictions

Research sheds light on human belief in Friday the 13th, Bigfoot, fate, heaven and hell It was during this week, in the lead-up to today’s supernaturally inclined date of Friday the 13th, that I learned the similarity between believing in Bigfoot and believing in The One, wrote columnist Micah Toub in The Globe and Mail […]

Want compassinate sons? Professor Raymond Mar says get them reading novels

If you follow the advice below, chances are, your son will turn into the kind of man you want him to be, wrote WomensDay.com May 11, in a story about parenting advice for mothers: Encourage him to read novels. Ongoing studies at York University [by psychology Professor Raymond Mar and colleagues in the Faculty of […]

York Autism Research Alliance shares research findings with wider autism community

Some 24 outside agencies came to the inaugural York Autism Research Alliance’s Research Showcase at York last week to hear what researchers were working on – everything from isolating three to 20 genes potentially responsible for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) to looking at how children with ASD process visual and auditory information. “The take home […]

Professor Anne Russon speaks to Quirks & Quarks about her research on fishing orangutans

Anne Russon, psychology professor at York’s Glendon College, spoke about her latest research that shows orangutans have conquered their fear of water so they can fish for food, on CBC Radio’s “Quirks & Quarks” April 23: Orangutans are generally not fond of water, but Dr. Anne Russon, a professor of psychology at the York University, […]

Professor Debra Pepler argues you can't just punish children who bully

Punishment isn’t the answer for kids who learned to bully at home, says a Toronto psychology professor, wrote Halifax’s Chronicle-Herald April 9. "If a child is bullied at home by his or her parents or siblings, they’re going to learn the patterns they need to learn about the use of power and aggression in relationships," […]

Psychology students show off fourth-year research projects

Students Angela Deotto and Lilly Solomon recognized for poster projects If you were wandering through Vari Hall last Wednesday afternoon, you could have stopped and chatted with fourth-year psychology students about some pretty esoteric subjects. The rotunda was a maze of posters featuring the thesis projects of 78 students ready to explain whether eating disturbances are symptoms of depression, how to […]