MSU Psychology

The official page for the Department of Psychology at Michigan State University. 🧠📚

06/01/2026

Meet Peyton McLaughlin, a psychology and criminal justice double major, who has been working in the Belief Systems Lab for three semesters. This year, her team earned a first-place award at UURAF for their research project, “To What Extent Does Your Social Group (Or ‘Close Others’) Agree or Disagree with Your Political Views?”

Scroll to learn more about Peyton and her research.

05/29/2026

Congratulations to PSY grad student Christophe Delay on being awarded the Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (NRSA F31). This competitive award is funded by the National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health.

Delay, who works in the Clinical Neuroscience Lab, is working to understand the stress mechanisms that are largely thought to result in the start of many mental health problems, like anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, in college-aged students.

This award will allow Delay to fully focus on his studies and research as it pays his salary and research costs for the remainder of his PhD education. 💚🤍

05/27/2026

During her time at MSU, Anastassiya Kan ‘26 adjusted as an international student from Kazakhstan and fought her way back after both physical and mental health challenges.

With resilience and determination, Anastassiya learned what being a Spartan means to her.

Read her full PSY Graduate Voice through the link in our bio.

05/21/2026

How clearly do we see our friends? 🤔

New research from MSU Psychology’s Close Relationships Lab finds people often project their own levels of cynicism onto their friends…which could have implications for maintaining friendships.

05/20/2026

Take a look back at the MSU Science Festival with recent PSY grad Noah Block to see if microbes are shaping your brain. 👀

05/19/2026

How do you increase stakeholder involvement in psychosis research?

A team from Michigan State University, led by Drs. Katy Thakkar, Henry Cowan, John Waller, and Miles McNall, has received a funding award to find out how. This funding award is through the Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Award Program, an initiative of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute - PCORI.

To make sure all voices are heard, the researchers will develop a research infrastructure to facilitate ongoing consultation with people living with psychosis, clinicians, and caregivers with the goal of creating a lasting, patient-focused approach, where stakeholders work together as equal partners in clinical research focused on personal recovery.

Learn more here: https://psychology.msu.edu/news-events/news/increasing-psychosis-research-involvement.html

05/18/2026

Meet ‘26 grad Nitya Thakur! 🎓

Initially drawn to the science, Nitya soon came to appreciate that psychology sits at the intersection of science and humanity - something she hopes to carry with her as she pursues an MSc in Psychiatric Research at King’s College London.

Scroll to learn more about Nitya’s time at MSU and what advice she has for other PSY students. 💚

05/15/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Erin Neaton on earning a PhD in Psychology! 🎓

Dr. Neaton’s research area is Cognition & Cognitive Neuroscience with a dissertation titled, “The Effects of Transient Error of the Predictive Validity of Raven’s Advanced Progressive Matrices with Multiple Administration.”

Dr. Neaton is currently a Clinical Assistant Professor of Sport Management at the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology.

Congrats again, Dr. Neaton! We wish you all the best! 💚🤍

05/14/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Jennifer Renick and MSU colleagues on being awarded a $250,000 grant through the inaugural Modernizing Academic Appointment and Advancement, or MA3, Challenge to reimagine how faculty and academic staff are recognized and supported in their career advancement.

Read more about this university-wide effort here: https://psychology.msu.edu/news-events/news/reimagine-faculty-promotion-grant.html

05/13/2026

A true highlight from the Spring 2026 semester was the PSY 339 student conference!

Led by Dr. Lucy Thompson, the conference features student research from Psychology of Women. Students presented posters addressing contemporary issues including violence, media representations, body image, health outcomes, online harassment, publication bias, economic disparities including the ‘Pink Tax’, and many more!

The teaching assistants judged the posters and selected seven outstanding poster awards:

Lauren El-Amin: The Portrayal of Feminism in the Horror Genre
Aerlande Negerie: Algorithmic Inequality” - How Social Media and AI Amplify Bias
Ashlinn Smith: The Weight of Words: Fat Talk Across Ages
Sophia Donnellan: Sea Red: Sexual Empowerment and Assault Reduction
Heavenly Reeves: Dehumanization of Women in Media
Madison Lynch: The Headless Women of Hollywood
Rainah Spohn: Not So Pretty In PINK: Raising Consciousness Regarding the “Pink Tax”

Congratulations to all of the students on their excellent work, and an extra congratulations to the winners! 💚

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