Psychology

Members of the campus and community are invited to learn more about UC Merced research — including work on sustainability, psychology and antibiotic resistance — during the university’s eighth annual Research Week, presented by the Office of Research and Economic Development.

“Start something new” could be the unofficial motto of UC Merced. Even in our 10th academic year, many opportunities for innovation still exist on campus.

UC Merced is hosting a bilingualism workshop that brings together scholars from psychology, linguistics, cognitive science and education.

The workshop begins at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10 in the Dr. Lakireddy Auditorium with a keynote presentation by UC Berkeley Professor Lily Wong Fillmore on cultural diversity and teaching language-minority students. Fillmore will discuss what she sees as real issues stemming from a lack of attention to cultural diversity in our schools, and will offer suggestions both for school practice and for research.

How patients perceive and talk about their illnesses can have an impact on how they recover and heal, according to a growing area of health research being furthered by UC Merced health psychology Professor Jitske Tiemensma.

"It should be a team effort to treat a patient. Medical doctors often have no idea about the psychological consequences of disease," she said. "It's really important for them to have close ties to health psychologists."

UC Merced researchers will develop a virtual center to support parents and caregivers, as well as health and other professionals in detecting and treating Merced County children with developmental disorders, work made possible by a grant from First 5 Merced County.

Patricia Leslie is the first in her family to attend college. And the UC Merced senior is making the most of it, both on campus and beyond.

Infants show a sharp increase in understanding and using language shortly after they begin walking, according to research by a UC Merced developmental psychology professor.

A dozen UC Merced undergraduates will gain an edge in their journey toward a career in biomedical and behavioral research, courtesy of five years' funding from the National Institutes of Health.