From the lab to community-based research is the theme of the second Lillian Wright Maternal-Child Institute at York University. The one-day institute, organized by Echo’s Chair in Women’s Mental Health Research in partnership with the Faculty of Health, will take place Friday, Sept. 27, from 9am to 4pm, at 280N York Lanes, Keele campus. Lunch […]
A new study out of York University finds that music-based cognitive training offers dramatic benefits for young children, including improved verbal intelligence. The study, conducted at York and the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, appeared online yesterday in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. It looked at children between the […]
York psychology Professor Jonathan Weiss (MA '02, PhD ’07) has recently been awarded a Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) President’s New Researcher Award in recognition of his contribution to psychological knowledge in Canada. The award is, in part, based on the researcher’s record of early career achievement. For Weiss, that encompasses the research on developmental disabilities that […]
A York University study finds that trying to cheer yourself up can actually bring you down, depending on your personality. The study, published this summer, examined the effects of exercises that build positivity on more than 250 participants. It found that people with needy personalities reported lower self-esteem after listening to three or four uplifting […]
Five York professors have been appointed directors at York research centres. The new directors are Professor Colin Coates, director of the Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies (RCCS); Professor Laurence Harris, director of the Centre for Vision Research (CVR); Professor Christina Kraenzle, director of the Canadian Centre for German & European Studies (CCGES); Professor David Mutimer, director of […]
York Distinguished Research Professor Debra Pepler, considered an international leader in research on child and youth bullying, aggression and victimization, was inducted into the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS) during its annual general meeting yesterday in Ottawa. Election to Fellowship in the CAHS is considered one of the highest honours for individuals in the Canadian […]
A new study by York University researchers finds that practicing yoga reduces the physical and psychological symptoms of chronic pain in women with fibromyalgia. The study is the first to look at the effects of yoga on cortisol levels in women with fibromyalgia. The condition, which predominantly affects women, is characterized by chronic pain and […]
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is flying around York University this week as part of an experiment designed to develop 3-D technology that will provide a detailed picture of what’s happening in any city – whether it’s a concert or a crime, a traffic jam or the creative route a driver takes to avoid it. Weighing […]
New research shows that bilingual speakers have a distinct advantage over monolinguals, wrote Psychology Today July 6, in a story about couples therapy and the concept of mindful listening. The advantage goes deeper than being able to converse proficiently with people that speak that "other" language – although this is a huge advantage. Research demonstrates […]
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 […]
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 […]
Practicing small acts of kindness will make you a happier person, and the boost in mood stays with you for months, according to research out of York University. More than 700 people took part in a study that charted the effects of being nice to others, in small doses, over the course of a week. Researchers […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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," […]
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 […]
Lovebirds, a mix of animation and live action from by Toronto company Starz Animation, is the showcase production of the Toronto-based 3D Film Innovation Consortium (3D FLIC), a York University initiative that has brought academic researchers and filmmakers together to explore the burgeoning world of 3D filmmaking to achieve better results, wrote Liam Lacey in […]
Neuroscience researchers are increasingly coming to a consensus that bilingualism has many positive consequences for the brain, wrote the Los Angeles Times Feb. 26, in story that also appeared in the Chicago Tribune and on numerous US television news websites. Several such researchers travelled to this month’s annual meeting of the American Association for the […]