Department of Psychological Sciences at Auburn University

Congratulations to Jingyi Li on successfully defending her dissertation, “The Effect of Prompt Construct Relevance on the Validity of Linguistic-Based Psychological Trait Scores”! Jingyi’s research examines AI-based psychological assessment and the role of prompt construct relevance in generating valid linguistic-based trait scores. Congratulations, Dr. Li!

Congratulations to CaBS student Ellie Morosohk for successfully proposing her dissertation titled "Evaluating the Impact of Rules on Staff Responses to Resident Behavior."

Congratulations to clinical student, Hannah Sawyer, for successfully defending her dissertation, " Towards Survivor Centered: Adapting DBT Skills Groups for Survivors of Interpersonal Violence using the ADAPT-ITT Model."

Auburn Psychological Sciences faculty member, Dr. April Smith, has research that was recently featured by the American Psychological Association.

The study found that while today's college students report greater fears about growing up than previous generations did at the same age, those fears tend to fade with experience. As people take on adult roles and responsibilities, they often become more comfortable and confident with adulthood.

The findings suggest that fears about growing older are not fixed, while also raising important questions about how today's social, economic, and technological landscape may shape young people's views of the future.

Learn more about the research here: APA press release or watch her podcast interview here:

Your Fear of Aging Entering your thirties and forties can feel like a slow, terrifying...

The fear of growing up is real... but it may not last forever.

Department of Psychological Sciences at Auburn University Alumni Professor April Smith and her colleagues examined 30 years of data to understand how fears about adulthood have changed across generations and what happens to those fears as we age.

They found that millennials feared growing up more than Gen Xers and baby boomers did at the same age.

But Smith also found something reassuring: for nearly every group studied, those fears faded over time.

Learn more: https://aub.ie/CsXOUb

Congratulations to CaBS student Anna Pusser for successfully proposing her dissertation “Understanding Prospective Memory Through the Lens of Bilingual Language Control.”

The world is about to become their classroom. 🌎✈️

Four Auburn University students have earned the prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship, a nationally competitive award sponsored by the U.S. Department of State that supports study abroad experiences around the world.

Among them are two College of Liberal Arts students:

Jaycie Clapp, a neuroscience major with a French minor, will study in France as she works toward her goal of combining scientific research with global collaboration.

Masha Turkic, a speech, language and hearing sciences major with minors in studio art and Asian studies, will study in Germany, gaining international experiences that will help shape her future as a compassionate and culturally aware professional.

From learning new languages to building lifelong friendships and expanding their understanding of the world, these students are taking their Auburn education far beyond the classroom.

Learn more: https://aub.ie/7dN6Lc

Auburn University Department of World Languages, Literatures & Cultures
Auburn University SLHS
AU Department of Art & Art History
Auburn University - Auburn Abroad
Auburn University Honors College

The Work-Life and Organizational Effectiveness (WLOE) Lab was well represented at SIOP 2026 in New Orleans!

Our students Lucia Hardin, Faith Shannon, Joseph Himmler, and Julia Barrett organized and presented the panel, "Academic Demands, Evaluation Standards, and Scientist-Practitioner Engagement." The session focused on graduate training experiences, evaluation standards, and ways to strengthen scientist-practitioner engagement within I-O Psychology.

Pictured here are Faith Shannon and Lucia Hardin with fellow panelists following the presentation.

Congratulations to Lucia, Faith, Joseph, and Julia on a successful session and for representing the WLOE Lab and Auburn University at SIOP 2026!

War Eagle!