J.D. Warren

UCR student researcher takes smoking personally

You don’t want Careen Khachatoorian for a sister. Not if you smoke, you don’t. Careen’s older brother is trying to conceive a child with his partner. A typical text to her smoker-brother includes a link to a sins-of-smoking article, and reads like this: “See? Pregnant mothers have a greater chance...

By J.D. Warren | February 21, 2019 | Students, Science / Technology

Romantic partners help us see silver linings, study says

We’re often told we are responsible for our own happiness. But in challenging situations, a UC Riverside study not only demonstrates the benefits of positive reframing – finding a “silver lining” – but also suggests our partners can be more adept at finding that silver lining than we are. A...

By J.D. Warren | February 14, 2019 | Social Science / Education

Fathers are happier parents than mothers, new study shows

A study of 18,000 people shows that fathers experience more well-being from parenthood than mothers. Past studies have considered whether people with children have greater well-being than people without children. They do. But few have considered the relative happiness of fathers and mothers. UCR psychologists and their colleagues analyzed three...

By J.D. Warren | January 30, 2019 | Social Science / Education

'Most women don't use a mic'

Courtney Baugh is planning her vegetable garden. Green beans, beets, definitely cucumbers. And she’d like to plant an orange tree, and an apple tree — the kind that yield fruit the moment they’re planted. She’s also going to install an 8-foot privacy fence in her back yard, to keep out...

By J.D. Warren | January 23, 2019 | Students

When the world took notice

The course is named “Seminar in Social Psychology,” but it could be “Wednesdays with Bob.” At 85, Robert Rosenthal is in his last year teaching at UC Riverside. Distinguished Professor David Funder — who first worked with Rosenthal at Harvard University in the early 1980s — urged Rosenthal to host...

By J.D. Warren | December 11, 2018 | Social Science / Education

Tetris: It could be the salve for a worried mind

Tetris could be the salve for a worried mind. The venerable video game was used in a recent experiment to create a state of “flow” – the term psychologists use to describe a state of mind so engaged it makes the rest of the world fall away, and time pass...

By J.D. Warren | October 26, 2018 | Social Science / Education

Study: Children as young as 7 suffer effects of discrimination

A new UC Riverside study finds children are sensitive to and suffer the impacts of discrimination as young as 7 years old. Previous studies have shown children can identify racism at that age, but the study from Tuppett Yates, a UC Riverside psychology professor, and Ana Marcelo, an assistant professor...

By J.D. Warren | October 22, 2018 | Social Science / Education

Researcher: Tests should expect more of older adults

A UCR psychology researcher says the bar is too low for “functional independence” in older adults, and should be aligned with skills younger adults must conquer. The Activities of Daily Living, or ADL, questionnaire is a standard used by healthcare professionals to decide what services older adults need to remain...

By J.D. Warren | October 16, 2018 | Social Science / Education

Research affirms the power of 'we'

A healthy relationship starts with the word “we.” Past research by UC Riverside psychologist Megan Robbins has emphasized the power of first-person personal pronouns such as “we” and “us” in relationships. “We-talk” is an indicator of interdependence, meaning partners affect one another’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. This is a shift...

By J.D. Warren | October 4, 2018 | Social Science / Education

Full-campus effort invigorates transfer student recruitment

Early 2017 was a nervous time on the UC Riverside campus. In 2015, California Gov. Jerry Brown negotiated with the University of California system a target of enrolling one new transfer student for every two new freshmen enrolled. By spring 2017, the governor put teeth in the mandate: he would...

By J.D. Warren | October 3, 2018 | University

A scene from the 1988 movie "The Land Before Time" was used to gauge sadness in children.

Study explores why children remember the same things, differently

Children less able to manage their emotions don't remember details of frightful events

By J.D. Warren | September 10, 2018 | Social Science / Education

Perceiving support helps people cope with waiting

'Worry and waiting' researcher's latest findings chart perceived support throughout periods of waiting

By J.D. Warren | September 10, 2018 | Social Science / Education

UC Riverside registers greatest gain in U.S. News rankings

UC Riverside made larger gains than any university in the United States in the 2019 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings. UCR jumped 39 positions in the 2019 rankings, from No. 124 in 2018, to No. 85. UCR is ranked the No. 35 public university in the nation...

By J.D. Warren | September 10, 2018 | University