There are plenty of misconceptions about COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. And that’s especially true during a time when false information about the disease, the virus, and possible treatments is so hard to counteract.

Different misconceptions about the coronavirus—about how it gets transmitted, and how it leads to COVID-19 complications, for example—can result from a limited understanding of microbes and disease.

Misconceptions can also arise from a mix of different beliefs and ways of thinking that people inadvertently use when they try to make sense of things they don’t fully understand, says John Coley, an associate professor of psychology at Northeastern who has been studying those thinking modes for the past 10 years.

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Have you been hearing of the “Murder Hornet” in headlines recently? Assistant Professor of Psychology Ajay Satpute weighs in on the fears of the murder hornet, a huge wasp that recently showed up in the Pacific Northeast. Satpute says fear can play a functional role in society to handle different problems. Without fears toward certain circumstances, people and animals wouldn’t be motivated to take useful and corrective behaviors.

This article was originally published on News@Northeastern on May 22, 2020. To continue reading, click here!

Psychology Professor David DeSteno says that instead of confronting people for going against public health guidelines, it might be more fruitful to have a conversation that emphasizes how wearing a mask could help protect others at risk, and not just oneself.

Seeing other people engage in behaviors that might be harmful to others could evoke anger and frustration. But even when those feelings might compel people to turn into mask vigilantes, it’s best to focus on how those behaviors can help protect people who are more likely to develop complications. Don’t approach an uncovered face with hostility, DeSteno says.

To continue reading this article, click here. Originally published on News@Northeastern on May 15, 2020.

I recently completed my second and final coop at the CARE Lab at the Behavioral Health Partial Program, an acute psychiatric clinic at McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School. During my time there I worked on several grant-funded research projects that focused on targeting various cognitive processes, such as impulsivity and cognitive interpretation bias.

A few of my responsibilities included recruiting participants, administering cognitive computer tasks and maintaining convoluted databases. Additionally, I was trained to administer one-on-one clinical assessments with patients, such as the Columbia Suicide Scale. Being trusted to administer a clinical assessment like this was an amazing opportunity that I did not imagine I would be given as an undergraduate student.

Due to my interest in neuroscience, one of my favorite things about my coop was that I closely worked with an electroencephalogram (EEG), a test that is used to measure electrical brain activity. By the end of my coop I had the knowledge to be able to execute an EEG alone and collect neuropsychological data for data analysis, something that will greatly help me in my future neuropsychological research.

Another opportunity I am grateful for, is that I had the chance to complete my own independent research project that I will be presenting at a conference. I was able to combine psychology knowledge from the classroom with the research skills I gained through working, in order to create novel research questions on a topic that interests me. This experience allowed me to challenge my critical thinking and writing skills as well as to contribute innovative ideas that may be a gap in psychological research.

This coop experience has helped me grow both professionally and personally. It has significantly prepared me for my next steps in accomplishing my future goals, which include pursing a PhD in clinical psychology and has helped me become more confident, more independent and knowledgeable about the challenges in the psychology field.