Research News

Toddler pointing at a computer screen doing activities.

The challenges people with Autism may face in everyday social interaction…The Pfordresher lab reports that children and adults with Autism sing tunes and imitate speech less accurately than typically developed individuals.

The reasons why bullies are often bullied themselves…The Ostrov lab reports that children who have a hostile world view and strong fight or flight reactions when witnessing other children being excluded show increases in the display and receipt of similar types of bullying.

Hearing loss in active military personnel…The Dent lab reports that mice can be used as models to understand how to help protect soldiers’ hearing from traumatic blasts, like those that happen in explosions.

Reasoning in man’s best friend…Like young children, dogs can learn the concept of sameness! Research in the Mercado lab is revealing that dogs can demonstrate an ability to classify sets of objects as consisting of ‘all same’ or ‘all different’ items even if they have never seen the objects before. 

Why we shouldn’t feel guilty about “guilty pleasures”…Research out of the Gabriel lab suggests that the psychologically healthiest people can fill the need for social connection through their favorite TV shows, comfort foods and bonds with celebrities in addition to filling this need through real relationships with friends and family.

Genetic influences on motivated behavior... The Meyer lab uses animal models to identify biological influences on learning, motivation, and mental disorders, including the genes Tenm4 and Mir708 that promote brain cell connectivity. These results may lead to new drug therapies for substance use disorders and schizophrenia.