Category: Faculty Partner Research

A.J. Schwichtenberg – Feeling tired lately? You’re not alone: about 71% of U.S. adults reported fatigue on multiple days recently. Schwichtenberg shares simple tips for better sleep: keep a consistent bedtime, limit naps to 10–20 minutes, and keep bedrooms cool, dark and quiet. Skip big meals, alcohol and screens after dinner.

Arielle Borovsky – What happens when a sentence ends in a surprise? A Purdue eye-tracking study found preschoolers with developmental language disorder anticipate words and recover from unexpected endings as well as their peers. The difference: their attention to word meanings fades sooner, suggesting challenges may lie in retaining meaning rather than predicting.

Kimberly Updegraff – How do families pass along a home language? Following 166 young Mexican-origin mothers and their children from ages 3 to 5, this study found mothers’ involvement in Mexican culture, speaking Spanish and sharing cultural traditions were linked to children’s stronger Spanish skills, laying a foundation for bilingual learning.

Ellen Ernst Kossek – Would you turn down a promotion if it meant answering emails at night? Many workers would. Ellen explains why younger workers value personal time and how simple steps, like teams agreeing on email response times, can help people log off and be more present with loved ones.

Jeremy Reynolds – Can online work level the playing field when no one can see who you are? In a survey of 1,223 people doing quick online tasks for pay, Black and Hispanic workers found the work more stressful than White workers. Frustration with their work hours helps explain why.

Laura Elenbaas – How do children form their views about immigrants? In a study of 262 U.S. kids ages 8 to 11, those with more everyday contact with immigrants, and those who believed their parents were comfortable with it, held more positive views. Results were similar across immigrants from six countries.

David Purpura – Why do preschoolers who are good at building and fitting shapes together also tend to do well in math? This study found flexible thinking and self-control help explain the link, with planning also playing a role, offering new clues for helping young children build math skills before kindergarten.

Heather Eicher-Miller – What Americans eat has changed over time, but which trends matter most for nutrition and health? This review examines long-term patterns in food, beverages and dietary quality across the U.S. population, providing context on differences by age, sex, race and ethnicity, income, and progress toward dietary recommendations.

Zoe Taylor – How do family culture and identity shape the ways young people help others? Following rural U.S. Latino youth across three years, this study examines links among family ethnic socialization, ethnic identity, familism and prosocial behavior, offering insight into cultural strengths and positive youth development in rural communities.

Trent Mize – How does gender shape the way people approach health? Using data from more than 11,000 adults, this study looks beyond comparisons between men and women to examine gender identity, presentation and behavior. The findings reveal distinct connections between different dimensions of gender and patterns of health-related behaviors.