Accomplishments: Department of Psychology

Shane Kraus (Psychology) recently appeared on The Last Show with David Cooper podcast to discuss phone addiction, including how problematic smartphone use can become, factors that contribute to compulsive phone use, and strategies for reducing unhealthy patterns of use. The episode, “On Phone Addiction, and How to Break It,” explores the growing…
Ernesto Abel-Santos (Chemistry and Biochemistry), Rochelle Hines (Psychology), Brach Poston (Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences) and Manoj Sharma (Social and Behavioral Health) have been awarded a $2,189,956 National Institutes of Health (NIH) T32 grant, the Graduate Research Training Initiative for Student Enhancement (GRISE), for 2026-31. The…
Brenna Renn and Lilla Brody (both Psychology), along with colleagues from Talkspace and the University of Washington, published a manuscript entitled "Engagement and Outcomes Associated With Message-Based Psychotherapy Among Older and Younger Adults" in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. To our knowledge, this is the first paper…
Researchers from the CANE (Cognitive Aging & Neuropsychological Equity) Lab, Stacey Moeller (Psychology) and Samantha John (Brain Health), along with collaborators Marta Meana (Psychology), Brenna Renn (Psychology), Elizabeth Lawrence (Sociology), and Nanako A. Hawley, published a study in Alzheimer's & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment…
Shane W. Kraus (Psychology), associate professor and director of the Behavioral Addictions Lab at UNLV, recently published six peer-reviewed articles advancing research on behavioral addictions, mental health, and public health. The publications appeared in leading journals including Frontiers in Psychology, Frontiers in Public Health, the Journal…
In a recent TEDx talk, associate professor James Hyman, Ph.D., (Psychology) highlights different insights about how the brain works and ways to hack your own brain for better cognition, happiness, and health. Hyman studies how the brain processes and manipulates information essential for cognition and memory. His work draws on psychology,…
Shane Kraus (Psychology) and colleagues recently co-authored 8 peer-reviewed publications this summer that advance research on behavioral addictions, sexual health, and mental health. Appearing in high-impact journals including Psychiatry Research, Archives of Sexual Behavior, International Gambling Studies, Sexual Abuse, Journal of Sexual…
Shane Kraus (Psychology) recently appeared on The Last Show with David Cooper podcast, "How Depression and Pornography Use Are Linked," to discuss a recent article published in Psychiatry Research. 
Researchers from the CANE (Cognitive Aging & Neuropsychological Equity) Lab: Stacey Moeller (Clinical Psychology), Katie Singsank (Clinical Psychology), Grace Goodwin (Clinical Psychology), and Samantha John (Brain Health), along with collaborators, published a study in Alzheimer's & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical…
Shane Kraus (Psychology) spoke on The Gambling Files podcast about research on addictions in U.S. veterans, "Addiction 33: Shane Kraus on Veteran addiction issues, plus the legendary Howard Stutz."
Renato (Rainier) M. Liboro (Psychology) recently published a book chapter, "Improvisation and Social Justice in Contemporary Music Therapy," in the Oxford Handbook of Improvisation in Music Therapy. This book chapter delves into the realm of music academia in order to examine and interrogate the roles of and the work in the field of…
Margaret McMullin (Psychology), a former UNLV Ph.D. student, Nathan Higgins (Psychology), a UNLV former post-doctoral fellow, Rohit Kumar from Johns Hopkins University, Mounya Elhilali from Johns Hopkins University, and Joel Snyder (Psychology) have published 'Object and setting identification in natural auditory scenes' in a special issue of…