We are having a new graduate student, Daniel Rosenfeld, join us here at the DiSH Lab this year. He just graduated from Cornell University this past May, where he worked as a lab manager for two years, with a B.S. in Human Development. Daniel’s research centers on the psychology of vegetarianism and meat consumption, particularly as they relate to identity, morality, and cognitive dissonance. Outside of academia, Daniel enjoys playing table tennis, hiking, and freestyle rapping.

He also recently had one of his papers accepted! In this paper, Daniel reviews the recent psychological literature on vegetarianism in order to identify emergent themes and to highlight promising directions for future research. Check it out here.

One of our amazing former RAs, Megan White, is heading off to grad school this fall! We’re so thrilled for her, and here’s what she has to say:

“I will be beginning my Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.) at Loma Linda University’s School of Behavioral Health.

After developing my research skills throughout my three years of working in the DiSH Lab as an RA, executing my own honor’s thesis on interfamilial weight-stigma, and serving a as project coordinator for a DiSH Lab investigation of the consequences of experiencing weight stigma during pregnancy, I took a two-year gap to gain hands-on clinical experience. After graduating in 2016, I obtained a job as a Behavioral Specialist with the Child and Family Guidance Center where I counseled delinquent teenage males in residential placement through developing positive coping skills to manage stressors relating to their illicit behaviors. I used my knowledge of the biopsychosocial model that I developed during my time in the DiSH lab to direct my discussions on the physiological effects of drug abuse, to reinforce positive self-talk to increase mood, and to facilitate cost-benefit analyses of gang-involvement and the dangers of “groupthink”. This experience not only deepened my commitment to implementing treatment based on clinical health research, but also elucidated critical stages of development to target. It further opened my eyes to sociodemographic contributors to physiological, cognitive, and personality disorders. In particular, my clients came from low socioeconomic backgrounds where lack of financial resources creates alternative value systems.

As an aspiring psychologist, my career objective is to provide psychotherapy and to formulate treatment plans for young adults in residential placement facilities suffering with addiction disorders, and in particular, eating disorders. In this capacity, I aim to conduct psychotherapy in both individual and group settings as well as contribute to the assessment and diagnoses processes.

My work in the DiSH lab prepared me for this huge next step in my journey… I couldn’t be more thankful for the support from Dr. T and the rest of the DiSH team!”

Congratulations again, Megan!

Dr. Traci Mann, who is a professor at the University of Minnesota, wrote an article about the factors that cause dieters to regain the weight they lose. She notes: “When dieters regain weight, is it because they are too weak-willed to continue restricting their food intake, or is it because their body physiologically defends a genetically-based set weight? The answer is somewhere in between those explanations and is easily misunderstood: In brief, calorie deprivation leads to changes in hormones, metabolism, and cognitive/attentional functions that make it difficult to enact the behaviors needed to keep weight off.”

Dr. Mann describes the role of calorie deprivation and willpower in weight gain, and she addresses the misconception that “if people regain the weight, it must be due to their poor self-control.” After reviewing the evidence that suggests calorie deprivation can have long term effects that work against dieters, she discusses her lab’s recent work on “increasing vegetable consumption and decreasing certain unhealthy foods without monitoring calories.”

Please see the full article for more details.

UCLA’s PROPS program provides research training and graduate school preparation for underrepresented students. This year, Dr. T mentored two students in this program – Nancy Gomez and Judith Foster. They each completed an independent project with Dr. T and also worked in our lab as valuable research assistants. Last week, they attended a ceremony to present their PROPS projects. We are so proud of all their hard work and dedication. Congratulations, Nancy and Judith!

UCLA’s annual Undergraduate Research Week began on Monday, May 21, and will continue until Friday, May 25. We had several of our amazing undergraduate research assistants present their own posters at Research Poster Day yesterday. We are so proud of them for all their hard work and for engaging in scientific dissemination.

Trung and Carney, who work with Dr. Laura Finch, presented a poster titled: “How Do Demographic Factors Relate to Expectations about Comfort Eating?”

Emma and Tanvi, who work with Dr. Jenna Cummings, presented a poster titled: “An allele regulating the endogenous opioid system does not correlate with reward-related eating”

Sara and Bett, who also work with Dr. Jenna Cummings, presented a poster titled: “Do Natural Pleasures Reduce Health-Compromising Behaviors?”

Nancy (not pictured), who works with Dr. T, presented a poster titled: “Mass Media and the Imperfect Mirror of Body Image: The Media’s Role in Promoting Positive Body Image”

Congrats to everyone who presented! We love that every year we have so many students who want to conduct independent projects and share their findings.