How do kids build friendships and navigate bullying in schools? Dr. Leslie Echols, Missouri State University associate professor of psychology, is trying to find out with her latest research project. Echols and her co-researcher, Dr. Sandra Graham from University of California – Los Angeles, received a grant of about half a million dollars from the National Science Foundation. … [Read more...] about Tackling bullying and promoting friendships in middle schools
Hip-hop is its own unique culture, complete with music, fashion and art. Dr. Ashley Payne, assistant professor of psychology at Missouri State University, studies how hip-hop plays a role forming racial, gender, sexual and academic identities. She also looks at a major player in U.S. culture: social media. “How are hip-hop artists presenting themselves on social media? … [Read more...] about How hip-hop influences identity development
Runway models, social media influencers, pageant queens, celebrities and even Barbie support troubling body image ideals. They are almost unequivocally identified as beautiful, as evidenced by the money we spend and who we choose to idolize. Dr. Brooke Whisenhunt has studied media influences on body image for more than 20 years. As a professor of psychology at Missouri State … [Read more...] about Body image ideals become more unattainable
Higher education continually needs to innovate to recruit and retain its students while making education accessible to more people. Sometimes this involves new programming, scholarships and other resources. Other times, it is re-imagining curriculum and standards. Dr. Brooke Whisenhunt, professor of psychology at Missouri State University, shares how the intro to psychology … [Read more...] about Restructured course shows positive change in learning outcomes
With the elderly population growing in the U.S., loneliness among older adults is a real concern. Dr. Ruth Walker and Dr. Lisa Hall are psychology professors at Missouri State University, who specialize in aging. They share with Healthline some strategies older adults can use to keep loneliness at bay. … [Read more...] about How can the elderly overcome loneliness?