On January 6th the nation watched as a mob incited by President Trump descended on the Capitol. To understand the motivations behind this event, the New York Times interviewed a wide range of experts for their piece “White Riot,”. Christopher Federico, PhD, professor in the Departments of Political Science and Psychology at the University of Minnesota describes the lack of educational and employment opportunities. 

New research suggests that those who value "hegemonic masculinity" are more likely to support Trump. Professor of Political Science and Psychology Christopher Federico discusses the results of this research and its implementation in society in an article from CNN.

Many may notice that when times begin to get stressful, they tend to reach for comfort foods like pizza or ice cream. In an AARP article titled, “Tame Your Stress Eating,” researchers have found that two-thirds of Americans have been eating more feel-good foods since the start of the pandemic. When facing long-term stress, cortisol levels stay elevated, triggering a craving for high fatty and sugary foods.

Iris Vilares, PhD, professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Minnesota had her research published in Scientific Reports. In the article titled, “Bayesian decision‑making under stress‑preserved weighting of prior and likelihood information” Vilares research addresses the question of whether and how stress affects low-level decision-making, specifically looking at if stress would affect the reliance on sensory versus prior knowledge.

“Thinsplaining,” a now-common term, refers to the situation in which a person who has never struggled with weight still assumes they are qualified to give advice or pass judgment on those who do. A Salon article titled, “Thinsplaining is real: Science says permanent weight loss is rare, and thin people don't get it,” explains that maintaining weight loss has very little to do with willpower and more so to do with how the brain reacts to processed foods similar to how it does with an addiction with drugs or alcohol.

Faculty and students throughout the department may have seen Mark Stellmack’s, fun Converse. Stellmack, PhD, is a teaching professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Minnesota. Stellmack says his love of Converse started as a kid as “they're the right level of comfortable and cool for all-day wear.” Stellmack’s collection ranges from “blue plaid to paisley to snakeskin and my beat-up pair of lawn-mowing shoes (green, of course, because they just get grass-stained anyway).” Perhaps everyone’s favorite pair though is Stellmack’s custom Gopher-colored pair.

On November 3rd, Neal F. Viemeister, PhD, emeritus professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Minnesota passed away peacefully in his home. Over his 40-year career, Viemeister created a renowned psychoacoustics research program that advanced our understanding of how humans process changes in auditory intensity and timing. Findings from his lab contributed to a better understanding of hearing impairment, speech processing for hearing aids, and the perception of speech and music. Viemeister was a world leader in auditory psychophysics and a fellow of the Acoustical Society of America, which awarded him the Silver Medal in Psychological and Physiological Acoustics for his lifetime achievements.

Max H Bai, graduate student in the Department of Psychology at the University of Minnesota, was awarded a grant of $1000 from the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues. His study, “Does Implicit Racism and Sexism Predict Support for Political Candidates Who are White Men or Candidates Who Are Just Conservative,” will run from 08/01/2020 to 05/31/2021. This study will investigate and clarify whether implicit prejudice is associated with preferences for candidates from a particular demographic group (e.g., White males) or conservative candidates whose policies benefit White males.

President of the Association of Black Psychology Students Mina Warsame highlights the importance of the ABPS by discussing their mission, past events, and future goals.