Graduate Research

an old woman's hands are folded in her lap

Feb 7, 2024

Easy Things We Can Do to Cope With Traumatic Loss

A new study co-authored by P.h.D. student Caitlin Reynolds and professor of psychology Shevaun Neupert finds there are simple activities that help people improve their mood and emotional well-being after the traumatic loss of a loved one.

photo shows a man from the neck to the waist. He is wearing a suit and tie and is buttoning his coat. the photo suggests a business person preparing to go into a meeting or interview.

Aug 29, 2023

Potential Employers View Job Candidates Differently If They Post Online About Mental Health

Former psychology grad student Jenna McChesney and current professor of psychology Lori Foster discuss their new study that finds mental health disclosures can affect the way potential employers view job applicants.

Aug 2, 2018

Researchers Use ‘League of Legends’ to Gain Insights Into Mental Models

Psychology researchers have used the game "League of Legends" to advance our understanding of how people build "mental models" — the mental tools that allow people to make use of complex systems.

May 23, 2018

Committed and Marginalized: How Race and Sexual Identity Impact Activism

What does activism mean to you? More specifically, how can we best understand the psychology of activism among Black people who also identity as LGBTQ? NC State graduate student Kristen Pender’s research explores those questions.

Feb 27, 2017

Psychology Students Design Campus Composting Solution

As a project for a human factors psychology course, graduate students Jenna Darrah, Xing Huang and David Feltner researched, designed and tested a system to divert Talley Student Union’s estimated 34,000 pounds of annual paper towel waste from trash cans to compost bins.

Dec 10, 2015

Psychologists ask: What motivates older adults to stay active?

As we age, it can be harder to do what’s good for the mind. While research shows that regularly exercising the brain, for instance, can help older adults mitigate normal declines in cognition, that effort comes with costs — such as mental fatigue — that typically increase as we get older. Psychologists at NC State University want to know how those increased costs affect our motivation to engage in cognitively-rewarding tasks.

Dec 7, 2015

Study: Mental Health Courts Reduce Repeat Offenses, Jail Time

Research from NC State psychologists shows that mental health courts can reduce repeat offending, and limit related jail time, for people with mental health problems — especially those who also have substance use problems.

Jul 15, 2015

Grad Student Focuses Research on Child Welfare

Psychology doctoral student Jenna Montgomery Armstrong wants to prevent child maltreatment among families living in homeless shelters. She has received a Doris Duke Fellowship to help with her research.